Arturia’s CMI V is a faithful recreation of the Fairlight CMI series IIx, the music workstation that revolutionized music production in the ’80s. Learn all about this digital sound design powerhouse with trainer and synthesis expert Nigel Broad.

Designed by Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie and introduced to the market in 1979, the Fairlight CMI (short for Computer Musical Instrument) was one of the first workstations to cover sampling, synthesis and sequencing in one package. Heard on countless pop records (Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, Art of Noise, Duran Duran, Jean-Michel Jarre, Prince to name a few), this legendary instrument truly redefined the sound of music in the ’80s. And while the original instrument was far too expensive for most musicians, the Arturia’s CMI V won’t break the bank.

Before covering the Arturia CMI V plugin, trainer and producer Nigel Broad starts by giving a brief history lesson on the original Fairlight CMI instrument. The user interface is then discussed in details, including the toolbars, preset browsers and the advanced screen. Next, Nigel explores the Sound page, where you learn how to manipulate samples and how to get creative with the time synth and spectral synth modes. After covering sound editing in details, Nigel moves on to sequencing where you learn to create and edit patterns in the Page-R-inspired Sequencer page. You'll also discover new CMI V-only features such as the Mixer page, effects, keyboard mapping and more...

So forget about 8-inch floppy disks and monochrome displays… Let synthesis expert Nigel Broad shows you how to bring this unique instrument into the modern age!

Arturia V 104
CMI V Explored
20 videos | 74 minutes | by Nigel Broad