Synthesist Ian Dixon shared this preview of a free sound library, Fairlight Collection For The Korg Wavestate.
Here’s what he has to say about it:
“From classic orchestral hits to the unmistakable sounds from hits like “Running Up That Hill” and “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” this collection is a tribute to the groundbreaking Fairlight CMI that shaped the sound of a generation.
Volume 1 focuses on strings, brass and vocals.”
Here’s a preview of Volume 2:
The sound libraries are available now as free downloads.
There are some fabulously musical samples in the Fairlight and Emulator libraries, happy to see these ported to a modern instrument. And bonus marks for doing it at no cost!
Ian has done an amazing job and this seems to really capture the sound of the Fairlight well. This is a no-brainer download.
Sounds fantastic! Thanks for doing this Ian.
Volume 1 is for the Wavestate
Volume 2 is for the ModWave
Very nice. Thank you.
Does it work for Modwave also?
I’m impressed by the fine patchwork, but I’m also snickering at my own nostalgia. To me, the Fairlight means Trevor Horn & The Art of Noise, Peter Gabriel, Jarre’s “Zoolook,” a bit of Herbie Hancock, Kate Bush and the soundtrack from the cult movie “Liquid Sky.” It was all wildly new and I ate it up, but I’d feel weird trying to write using those sounds now. They’re seriously time-stamped. That doesn’t mean you can’t warp them further for your own fun, though. Good on you, Ian!
We’re definitely of the same vintage Dave… I was a Fairlight fiend in my much younger days and I’d listen really closely to all new releases and try to figure out which sound was made on a Fairlight… Let’s not talk about looking for Fairlights in music videos … I even sent away for the official brochure and demo cassette (still have the brochure but can’t find the cassette)… I don’t think I could use these sounds unless I wanted to make something that screams 80s (which isn’t such a bad thing)… I still have a huge soft spot for this beast though.