Library Instrument

Fairlight CMI

The first polyphonic digital sampling synthesizer, released 1979.

Type
Instrument
Creators
Peter Vogel, Kim Ryrie, Fairlight
Subjects
Instruments Technology

Invented by Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie in 1979, the Fairlight CMI combined a computer mainframe, music and typewriter keyboards, and a light-pen-driven monitor for “drawing” sound — the first polyphonic digital sampling synthesizer, used by Kate Bush, Brian Eno, and countless film and television composers, at a cost of $25,000–$75,000 across roughly 300 units built.