Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
Vintage Fairlight Computer Music Instrument Videos
By James Grahame
Fairlight founder Peter Vogel uploaded some classic videos to YouTube last weekend, including a peek inside the Fairlight factory in 1984 (above), Greg Sneddon demonstrating the Series III, the development of the CVI video processor, and a prehistoric 1980 TV appearance on ABC's "This Week," featuring a rather nervous young iteration of Peter (who bore a striking resemblance to Yanni in those early days).
Created by Australians Kim Ryrie and Peter Vogel, the Fairlight CMI was the first digital sampling instrument, capable of recording snippets of real sound and playing them back at different speeds. This meant that incredibly complex and annoying sounds could be captured and sequenced by musicians with enormous record label advances and negligible talent. Pop music would never be the same. [cue cheesy orchestral hit]
