Hi there all you Fairlight users out there...both of you!
I recently applied to join Fairlight's own Forum. Unfortunately Fairlight's policy is that you actually have to own one of their units for you to be allowed access to such hallowed ground.
This I think is really unfortunate. The main competitors (for me anyway) to Fairlight, namely
Digi's Pro Tools, iZ Radar, and Steinberg all allow non users to join their forums. This I think is an excellent idea for the following reasons:
a. You get a very real sense of what the +'s & -'s are of the gear you're interested in. I don't believe any system is "perfect", and an overview of some of the things that people wrestle with allows for a more informed choice.
b. For instance, people sling off about Digi's attitude, however they (Digi) allow for much discussion and criticism of their stuff - whether you own some or not. Technical questions can be answered by informed people - such as issues re the higher kHz's.Fairlight apparently stop at 96kHz for example, I would like to know what, if any, plans they have for 192kHz and beyond.Do their software reprogrammable chips (and how cool is that?) allow for this? Perhaps they have a slant on this that could clarrify issues like this.
Certainly I can go to Digi's or Radar's forum and ask about this. (I currently have a post on iZ's Radar forum re this).
c. These other companies seem to have the confidence in their stuff to allow for this.
Some of the reports on the new Pro Tools HD system have been excellent, and criticisms are fairly detailed and to the point. Digi use this as a valuable user feedback mechanism. I'm not the sort of person who wishes to "mix totally within" any DAW, and with the arrival of gear like "The Dangerous Bus" Pro Tools is now a very attractive
proposition.
d. What sort of questions would I like to ask?
Well, the quality of Fairlights converters for instance. Is it a good idea to use the FATSO Jnr
to give "analog" type warmth, or are Fairlights anaologue I/O's good enough to not have to worry about this. And the VST interface strategy. how does that work - in practice. Seems a great idea - on paper.
e. Starting from nothing, if I were to buy Pro Tools, including a new computer, the total cost brings me up to the Dream range, or The Merlin. Fairlight now have products which IMHO kick the proverbial with these other manufacturers - and at a very competitive and accessible price range.
f. The sense of a "community" of users which these other companies give, is an extremely valuable and
much appreciated aspect of their customer relations and support facilities. I think Fairlights attitude is a damn shame. Don't they want to be more succesful? They went broke once,maybe they think
that 5 people being interested in comparing their stuff with Digis e.g. allows for better quality control.
I dunno, wouldn't be the way I would go, I'd like more discussion, more sales, more user support for the company (which helps to sell the stuff).
g. This aspect is one of the few uses of the Internet which is invaluable. It saves time, money, and gives you access to a wealth of information and support. I don't need anybody to "hold my hand" while I make a decision. Instead I'm going to have to fork out over $1000 to do an introductory course
to Fairlights at North Sydney TAFE here in Australia - whenever the next course is scheduled.
h. And finally, it would be nice for Fairlight to spell this out on their site "Our Forum is for people who have bought our product ONLY", rather than letting you go through the indignity of filling out their application, and waiting for several days to find out that there was no point in giving Fairlight your email address, information about what other products you use, and where your home address is.
Hmm. . :(
Comments
Originally posted by Henchman: What you should do is contact th
Originally posted by Henchman:
What you should do is contact the local Fairlight office, and talk to someone in sales. Let them know what's going on, and I'm sure you'll get a password.I think they want to make sure that only people who are serious or own a Fairlight, frequent the board. This is why you don't see a pile of usless crap on their forum. And they don't delete posts of users who have criticisms etc.
Mark
Thanks Mark/Henchman.
I'll try contacting the local Fairlight office.
I can understand them not wanting "crap" on their forum.
Do you think that they'd be cool about this Forum?
At the moment I'm interested on what their policy is towards 192kHz. I've got a post on this on Greg Malcangi's forum (192kHz). I'm seeking some sort of clarity for myself re this. I can't see the point (at the moment) of working at 96kHz rather than 192kHz if the sonic benefits are there,and am wondering what the benefits of working at the lower sample rate are. Of course the whole debate re 42, 48, 96, & 192kH is controversial enough. Some people think that 192kHz is marketing hype, others that it gives the closest approximation to analog yet. Others seem content to sit at 48k's.
Nothing I've seen in Fairlight's literature makes mention of anything above 96k's.
I'm wondering, with people using things like the Fatso Jnr for tracking and the Dangerous bus for...er..busing..on those "other DAW's",is this an issue with Fairlight? Or are people happy with the quality of their (Fairlights) converters and the digital representation of analog. Any thoughts?
Stedel, Don't worry too much about not getting into the Forum
Stedel,
Don't worry too much about not getting into the Forum. I go there once a month just to see if there are any new posts and usually there aren't, or Mark's the only one.
Sorry I haven't chimed in here. I'm a slow typist, and a chronic editor of what I type, so often I'll start a post, realize that I really have nothing to say, and then move on with out posting.
I currently use an MFX3 Plus with a Mackie D8B, a similar set up to what Mark had a year or so ago.
I like the system, LOVE alot of aspects about it, and hate a few things about it.
When I have more time, I'll elaborate. For now I would say that you won't go wrong if you choose Fairlight. But I also don't think you'd go wrong if you chose Digidesign either. They are VERY different animals. I think it's easier to get a good sound quickly with the Fairlight. But if you're needing MIDI, Sound design tools, REAL OMF,
and true instant recall of projects for quick revisions, I think Digi's better. Of course, I'm working on an OLDER machine. The DREAM system is said to improve on all I've mentioned. I hope to demo one at AES in September.
That's all for now.
Frank
Hi there Spigots. Cool another Fairlight user! Welcome. I hop
Hi there Spigots.
Cool another Fairlight user! Welcome. I hope you'll find that as Moderator here I can keep this an interesting Forum for you.
I had hoped by now to have a post up outlining some of the things I thought of doing here, unfortunately I have been caught up in the stuff about the future of RO, I'll be able to set some time aside on the weekend to do this, so please call in.
As I'm not actually a Fairlight owner yet I'm doing as much reading as I can - I've downloaded just about every document available from their site,
including the manual for the Satellite - as I don't want to harrass you folk with too many dumb questions - although some will be inevitably dumb, sorry! On this note, any suggestions or things you'd like me to work on please let me know.
I'm willing to put the time in, even if there's only a few of us here, to make this a relevant and interesting place for you to "hang out".
I'm actually quite a..erm..conservative person when it comes to a lot of stuff. Fairlights limited MIDI capabilities are not a problem for me - I rarely, if ever, use MIDI for instance. I'll give an idea of the things that really interest me about Fairlight next week, it will give you an idea of where I'm "coming from". and maybe hopefully establish some sort of common ground from which we can move foreward on.
I'm fortunate in the sense that I live near a major Fairlight training institution, namely North Sydney
TAFE, in Australia. This place has got an excellent reputation over here, and I've requested information re when their next training round is.
I'll definately do one of the courses offered.
I don't want to appear too gushy, I had decided on either ProTools or Radar as the way for me to go. Previously price wise, I had thought Fairlight out of my range - but when you add it all up, starting from scratch, well it's no longer the case.
So good to hear from you, look foreward to talking some more. Don't worry about having nothing to say,
at the moment anything is great for me to hear, even whether or not you like the colour or the way the lights flash on these things!
Kind regards
:cool:
As for the 96k versus 192k, well all I can say is that IMO, good
As for the 96k versus 192k, well all I can say is that IMO, good 48k, or 96k, will probably be better than shitty 192k. And, as someone who is still doing everything at 48k, the Fairlight sounds amazing, even at that sample rate. So, I'm sure it sounds fucking amazing at 96k. And remember, the fairlight will give you full 48 tracks of playback from a single drive at 96k.
I guess, I'm just less excited about 192k.
Mark
Hey there Stedel ... :) Ment to drop by earlier ... been
Hey there Stedel ... :)
Ment to drop by earlier ... been a bit crazed. Started writing this twice before but got cut short with schedule change. Actually thought I would have "time" to digest that S.P. article ... HA !! ... and give you an intelligent response ... not likely any time soon though :D
Incidently I do believe there is more than just our bodily forms hanging around on THIS planet, as it were. I long ago came to the conclusion that we are really nothing more than a physical representation of energy. And of coarse, energy doesn't die ... it just ... Moves On ... NO ?.
So call it ghosts, spirits or whatever the most acceptable term may be, I personally think it's all karma created by one's deeds and needs for whatever assundrious trail we've choosen to forge ahead on :D
BTW, glad to see your appointed stewardship and another vocal proponent for FL here. I happen to love their stuff. The only place I intend to go after DP is a Dream Station .... when I get the scratch. Been having a bit of conversation with FL here doing my best to convince them to take advantage of the HD discontent. They do have a very difinitive view of their product, that doesn't always take into account the work habbits and curiosity's of our world.
But I do believe .... with enough voices in their ear from folk such as yourself and the like, that an ever present crack of light will broaden into a newfound horizon.
Ciao,
Kyle
**chk your PM
Wow. I was just reading through the manual to the "Satellite" an
Wow. I was just reading through the manual to the "Satellite" and came across this:
"GHOST.
A ghost is a representation of the clipboard's top layer. A ghost is shown as a floating, white image at the cursor position. The ghost display is automatically removed after pasting or when a new Mode is created.
Whenevr CUT, COPY, or Erase modes are current the Ghost soft key can be used to toggle the ghost clip display on or off."
Cool. My ghost is gonna LOVE this.
Stedel and Fairlight. Ah, looks like destiny's at work here folks. "Things beyond our ken"!!! :) :cool:
What you should do is contact the local Fairlight office, and ta
What you should do is contact the local Fairlight office, and talk to someone in sales. Let them know what's going on, and I'm sure you'll get a password.
I think they want to make sure that only people who are serious or own a Fairlight, frequent the board. This is why you don't see a pile of usless crap on their forum. And they don't delete posts of users who have criticisms etc.
Their converters kick ass, as does the system in general. It's made my job and life easier. And I don't have to settle for Digi's acceptance of mediocrity.
Mark