CMI V

Unparalleled Sampling Sampler

The CMI V is an on-site reincarnation of the first commercially available digital sampling system in music history - the sonic power behind countless megahits of the MTV era. We even made an extra effort and added new creative features that weren't possible that day.

In 1980, Fairlight CMI turned its head with the introduction of digital sampling . Now, our tribute to software lets you turn some heads.

With an exotic new sound from digital samples, the promise of a full-featured digital workstation and a physical design straight from a sci-fi movie, the Fairlight CMI was an object of desire for most self-respecting keyboard players in the 1980s. Countless musicians and producers weighed the risks of bank robbery to pay for one. There is no need today. Our faithful recreation offers the same tools many MTV stars used to drop a cannonball into the pool. We've even made many improvements and additions that add more power to this keyboard legend, including an alternate additive synthesis engine and tons of new modulation options. No vintage keyboard collection is complete without CMI V.

Now it's your turn to experience the sound and power of the digital workstation that started it all.

The CMI's unique musical architecture

The CMI V is not just a digital instrument. It's a complete digital workstation.

Our enhanced reproduction of this keyboard superhero lets you work with 10 digital instruments of your choice at once - mixing, layering, dividing and sequencing them as you wish. Each instrument can use three different means of sound generation. The most obvious is the sampling mechanism that literally first defined the term in the industry. You can also shape sounds with the original additive synthesis engine, where you control each component's harmonics over time. We've even increased the helices and introduced a newer and simpler way to explore additive synthesis like you've never heard of before, called Spectral Synth. You'll also get over 300 expertly designed presets to get you started - including the original library of sounds you'll recognize from countless hit recordings.

The CMI V has it all you need to explore the intersection of sampling and digital synthesis.

The original power of digital sound design

If you want to sculpt sounds in the digital domain, CMI V offers a complete toolbox for artists.

There are several ways to model sounds with CMI. Work with a sample from the included library or upload one of your own. Set the start and end points of the sample and loop. Change the resolution to add some interesting side effects. Resynthesize the sample in the additive synthesizer domain to get a harmonic representation. Create custom envelopes to control how each harmonic behaves over time. Change the sine waves that make up these harmonics to more complex waveforms. Add various custom modulations to just about every sonic parameter you can imagine. Heck, turn these modified additive harmonics back into a sample and sculpt your sound further back in that domain.

The CMI V offers unlimited creative options and sonic variety that are completely unique to this legendary sound design station.

The sound heard around the world

Many cutting-edge music from the 80s was powered by the equally advanced sounds of the CMI. Now you can relive the glory days of MTV.

You know the CMI sound because it was everywhere - and still is. Consider the ear candy in Kate Bush's “Running Up That Hill”. The rhythmic frenzy of Herbie Hancock's "Rockit". Peter Gabriel's exotic “sledgehammer” shakuhachi. The impossible horn line in Yes's "Owner of a Lonely Heart". Trevor Horn's pulsating end-of-page collage R in Frankie Goes to Hollywood's “Relax”. Speaking of Hollywood, there's Duran Duran's Bond theme, “View to a Kill”. How about Jan Hammer's pitch-processed drums on your weekly TV scores "Miami Vice"? And MTV favorites like Art of Noise's "Close (to the Edit) and Yello's Oh, Yeah" are poster children for all things CMI.

Whether for cover show authenticity or just to enjoy the nostalgia, CMI V offers the fun newness of songs that still fill the airwaves of classic rock.

Key features

Software synthesizer playable via a MIDI keyboard

600 samples from the original CMI library

360 sounds presets made by sound designers at Arturia

Expanded number of tracks to 10 with a polyphony per track up to 32

Perfect Emulation of Analog Filter Response

Recreation faithful to the instrument's sampling and additive synthesis capabilities

Variable bit depth and sampling rate

Introducing a new sound generation mode: spectral synthesis

Classic 32-step sequencer inspired by the "R-page"

24 modulate sources tions per track to apply to all "CONTROL" parameters

High quality output effects

VST, VST3, AU, AAX and standalone operation