Peter Vogel CMI App Reviews

We transfer money over €4 billion every month. We enable individual and business accounts to save 4 million Euros on bank transfer fees. Want to send free money abroad or transfer money abroad for free? Free international money transfer!

Waste of money. This is an app to show the history and to give you a taste of how it worked ( very cool for the 80's) but there is apps out there with up to date technology for less money. A waste of 10 dollars and I don't think the upgrade for another 39 dollars will be worth it either. The sampler is the best part of it but to save the samples you must upgrade.

CMI Review. Eight years later and the full version is still $50US plus tax in 2021. I guess dropping the full version from $50 to $20 now will not boost sales? I ended up moving to Nanostudio 2 and 3 IAPs. If you want a 2020 app that can do pretty much the same.

ripoff. what a joke,paid for the demo DO not buy

No composition function w/o upgrade. I hate being the guy that complains about an app because I really love ios music apps, but this app is one I wish I had listened to other reviews on. There is little more to do with this app than tweak the existing few tracks and samples with a few sample loop points and frequency mods. That's it. I get you might want users to buy the upgrade, but I have one suggestion: Limit non-Pro users to 1 single song that can be modified as they please. It's rare that I delete a music composition app, and even more rare that I would delete a 10$ app. But I cannot even really get a few for how laying out a track would feel with CMI pro. Will this type of work flow be too cumbersome for me to actually use in real life? I still don't know after spending 10$... I certainly will not spend another 40$ just to find out. I can say for sure there is no deception going on here with anything as far as the selling of the app and the wording on the App Store page, but it's a different matter when you are actually playing with the app seeing the blunt limitations for yourself. I get that it's nostalgic for some, but for myself it's not... it would be an attempt at creating and tweaking sound in a retro environment for a different perspective on music production. A different interface sometimes changes the way I feel about what I'm doing and leads me to different conclusions,.. this was not the case with CMI. I have no idea if it might or might not be the case unless I shell out another 40$. Again sorry but it has to be said 10$ for a nostalgic interface that plays 2 songs is kind of a rip off. The only app worse is Unity synth, but it's the same idea. My opinion about the cost value of CMI is it should be a 1$ or free app.

10 dollar demo.. Want my ten spot back!

Crashed on Boot Screen. Really Fairlight? I thought Apple had rigorous standards for the AppStore. This App didn't even finish loading on my new iPad 3 before it crashed in 3-5 seconds. Ridiculous, this better get fixed or I'll ask for my money back.

Useless. I was stupid enough to upgrade to the pro version, and what a waste of money that was! The sequencer is nearly impossible to figure out. After a week, I still had nothing sequenced. I realize that this is a retro app and is supposed to replicate the workings of the original CMI, but seriously, the learning curve is so steep on this that whatever end result I might achieve would not be worth the effort. You can't even export the samples to other music apps. This is the most expensive app I've purchased, and also one of the very worst. Music Studio 2 is a thousand times better in every respect.

Do not buy. This app is a rip off. I even upgraded to the $50 app. It is fun in a nostalgic way, but is weak as a real music making tool. I would stay away and send my money elsewhere.

Total P.O.S.. Abandonware at its finest.

The Little Fairlight That Could (update). This is my second input on this app, as I wanted to talk about the upgrade to the pro-version via in-app purchase. After feeling intrigued, I shelled out the extra $ for the pro version. The number of extra sounds where kind of limited in number, about 110, but at least they are better sampled than the ones that came standard. The rest of the difference is in the sequencer. At first it felt very clumsy, but after a couple hours of playing with it I created my first track. Not only that, but I also learned to edit the samples so they do not pop and click as much. Learning those things has opened possibilities that I surely did not had with the player version. So, with that, and the capability to make your own samples; I upgrade my rating to a 4. Please, read the lower portion for info on the player version. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I was too young to "want" the original Fairlight, but I did enjoyed the music created in it. So, it was such a surprise to see this app on the site. I selected the normal version as I did not want to spend on the pro-version without testing it first. After "burning" the Fairlight twice (stupid mains switches!), I was able to turn it on. Looking at this reminds me of my first computer, a Commodore 64. There are a lot of sounds in here, some great, some quirky and others not so much, but overall, great 80's sounds. There are some things that made me give it only 3 stars. There is no background audio, no network MIDI to utilize it with apps like Genome and a lack of updating from the company. The only way to integrate this app with your audio setup is to plug your MIDI keyboard to the iPad, play something in Fairlight and record on an external device, like another computer DAW or a field recorder. Recording capabilities are on the pro version, but the price is steep for that feature, plus you have to contend on using Page R, which was great long ago, not so now. Having the sounds of Fairlight is awesome, but I wish this version was for the more modern musician, background audio, expanded midi capabilities, a simple one-track recorder, audio/midi copy/paste to other apps. Leave the pro version, with all the quirks, looks and exact mimicking to the hardcore fans of the original equipment.

Doesn’t work. Dev awol.. Didn’t work on iOS 14, and then did work on iOS 14, and now on iOS 15 it doesn’t work again. Just crashes immediately. To think I spent $50 on this. Shame as I liked Page R. We can all get Arturia and UVI VSTs of the CMI, but losing access to Page R is the most frustrating part of this seemingly being abandoned. I say abandoned because there’s zero support for this.

Too buggy and too pricey. I really want to like this app more, but it's just way too buggy, especially for what the developer charges. I would eventually like to get the Pro version for the authentic Fairlight experience; however, this version doesn't inspire any sort of confidence that I would get my money's worth were I to upgrade... Before I updated to 2.4, I had issues with connectivity and midi not working properly. Now with 2.4, it won't respond to polyphonic note input, be it from the internal onscreen keyboard, or from an external source. I've found out it's a bug, because only 2 times since the recent update have I been able to get it to play polyphonically, and each time when I closed the app, polyphony was lost. If you really want Fairlight sounds, you're best off getting this Lite version, and sampling it inside of a DAW. To add salt to the wound, the developer has never responded to any of my emails inquiring about and addressing bugs (dating to 2 years back when I purchased this), and the app rarely gets updated (making it borderline abandonware), so you're left with a barely functional app. It's truly overpriced for what you get, even at half the price. Unfortunately, I'm not very optimistic that this will ever get on par with other sampler apps. Hopefully the developer proves me wrong.

Love this App. Great piece of music history on your Ipad. If you're into creating that retro 80s sound this is a must have app. I like this version, but I think I'll get the pro version in a couple weeks to add the xtra features.

Realistic but.... I use my iPhone on stage as a serious electronic instrument and the interface elements while cute are a hindrance for live performance, is there a way to not just limit them, but remove them entirely? I need an app to start up quickly and silently. PS, any chance making a iPad version of the Fairlight CVI Computer Video Instrument?

Amazing!. This pocket sized Time Machine is great! You get more uses out of this device the more patient you are. By nature, it's a time consuming tool. (Quicker than the real hardware) If you are ready to take a wild leap into this app's virtual jungle this is for you. If you need instant results try something else, this is the vintage red wine of keyboards/samplers/apps. I fully endorse this -Chris "Frenchie" Smith Record Producer, Austin TX

Some bugs. I love using the sounds of the Fairlight, but there are still some major bugs with Page R. When changing patterns in song editor, it often doesn't play the right pattern. If this wasn't the case I would give this app 5 stars.

Unacceptable. Worst $50 I ever spent. This is a toy that I should have read more about. You're paying for a name. This app is an empty shell. Buyer beware.

Awesome Sampler / Synthesiser ! CMI REBORN or um, Rebooted 😉. Worth every red cent ! The CMI is reborn & dare I say "better" ? Yes, still some bugs but hey ! It's the CMI for 50 bucks How can Anyone possibly complain 😋 However, I'd love to see graphical ADSR envelopes ...

Broken - unusable. Crashes immediately on startup in ios14 on iPhone. Reinstalling doesn’t help. Seems abandoned. I paid for the pro upgrade so now I’m trying to figure out how to get a refund.

Still crashes. I got excited for a split second seeing that the app has finally been updated...I ran the install, hurriedly pressed “open” and all I got was the app crashing like the developer claimed was fixed. DO NO PURCHASE THIS UNSUPPORTED APP!!!

Pricing is a little steep. I have yet to actually use it but I can already see that this app is a little overpriced. Sure, the initial purchase is reasonable but the pro version price is unrealistic and shows that fairlight as a company fails to understand the economics of the app store. Bring the expansion down to $10 and I can promise you that your sales will more than make up for the price cut. It's either that or wither on the vine

Awesome ! True Fairlight Sampling/Sequencing. Have to give this very well designed and thought out app a Five Star rating. Many thanks to Peter Vogel, and the designers of this app. The legendary Fairlight right on my iPhone and iPad. I use this app all the time for sampling and it is fully MIDI compatible. Additionally, the Pro Upgrade is worth it, expanding the Fairlight library.

C'mon People. This is truly an amazing piece of software. C'mon people give the developers a break, your holding $27,000 to $75,000 worth of hardware and software in your hand for $50! Very complicated but I'm getting the hang of it. Thank You!

Sounds Great! Lots of bugs…. First, I’d like to say this could be a five star app. But right now, it needs a lot of things fixed. On the good side, it sounds awesome! If you’re looking for those 80s voices in their 8bit glory, look no further. These are the real deal. You can easily import your own samples or use the built in sampler. It’s got a lot of potential, but you can’t ignore the list of bugs that need to be fixed. I have been running Vogel CMI Pro on an iPad 8th generation - iOS 15.2.1 and ran into these problems: First, the interface is clunky. I understand the retro look, but do we really need a floppy disk “success rate” option? On to the real issues… Audiobus 3 does not work with Vogel CMI. You get an error message saying “Audiobus can’t communicate with this app…” etc. I don’t really use Audiobus, but that needs to work! Vogel CMI will not sync up with Cubasis 3 to do punch in/punch out recording when using the Vogel CMI ‘Page R’ pattern sequencer. I would hope you would be able to record one pattern at a time, similar to the way you can with the Patterning 2 drum machine. Syncing up with Cubasis 3 is a must! Add to this the fact that Vogel CMI can’t export patterns or songs as .wav, .mp3 or other sound formats. Please add! There are no undo buttons. The major problem with the Vogle CMI app is it won’t communicate properly with other apps like Cubasis 3 and Audiobus 3 and can’t export patterns/songs in .wave or .mp3 formats. I would hope the developers have plans to fix these issues.

Misleading. Like others, I'd much rather this app just straight-up cost $50 than what it is now. Essentially, you are paying $10 for the ability to play two preset songs (you can't edit them) and audition the sounds. The sounds are fantastic, of course (especially the Orchestra library!), but then you find out that you need to pay an additional $40 to even compose with the sounds. I won't argue about whether $50 is ultimately a fair price - that's for Fairlight to decide and then deal with - but it would have been nice to see that stated honestly and up front.

Awesome. I've wanted a Fairlight since I was a teenager in the 80s, but back then I had no hope of getting one, given the $40,000 pricetag. In recent years, I've been tempted to buy one off of EBay, but that'd still be about $6000, for an aging piece of hardware that had a reputation for being cranky even when new. Plus, I don't even know how to play music - this is pure nerd lust. So now, thanks to this app and the Pro upgrade, I can effectively have a Fairlight, for just $50. I have new incentive to learn to play, too. If you're a fan of 80s electronic music and artists like Peter Gabriel, Thomas Dolby, Art of Noise, Kate Bush, or Herbie Hancock, it's worth buying. You may recognize some of the samples included, such as TREVHORN, which was used in Yes' Owner Of A Lonely Heart. I'm looking forward to some of the new features they're working on, such as in-app sample recording.

Boo hoo. Why are you guys selling the $the ten $ version and i cant evem make my own song unless i pay 50$$ that is stupi

Great toy...potential to be a great tool. I have the pro version...it's a lot of fun to play with. Although it's fascinating to learn how archaic the original was, I'd rather have an interface that was user friendly than a historically accurate recreation of the original. The sounds are great and I am relieved to be able to hook up to a proper keyboard. The import and export of midi and wav files is a bit retro as well. 4 stars for now - five when I can connect over wifi directly to my DAW.

no update, no support. People who upgraded to Pro instead of purchasing the Pro version didn't get the recent update. Web site and support page is dead. This is cool app, but I'm not going to repurchase to get updates. Update - they fixed it so five stars. Thanks!

$50 is ludicrous, NOT a no-brainer.. And the silly voltage selector/circuit burn up was cute the 1st couple of times. Now it’s just childish and annoying. There is nothing here even remotely worth $50 Fairlight or no.

What's the price of nostalgia?. A real throwback...but SOOOOOOO expensive for what it does. Ended up deleting this to make room for more useful instruments. Wishing for a refund.

Will not start.... After downloading the $9.99 version I was not able to open the program. The first page opens and plays a little tune the shuts down and returns to my start screen. Is there a way to fix this ? Really looking forward to play all these great sounds. Thanks..

Crashes Only. Attempting to open the App in iOS 13.4 results in nothing but crashes, as the app fails to open. The App Support link is dead.

Good effort, could be great with 2 changes. Any keyboard playing nerd who remembers the 80's knows the Fairlight. $50 is a no-brainer for something like this, the hardware cost more than a house in the 80's. However, there are a two things this app needs more of. 1. More Series III sounds. 2. Export to wav file. I wouldn't even mind if there was an option pack for the full S-III library that was a paid option, but come on Peter, don't be stingy! What most reviewers don't appreciate is that the Fairlight was not a modern workstation, nor is this emulation meant to be anything more than reincarnating something old. Fairlights needed proper outboard gear to make it sound great in a mix. GarageBand it is not and never will it be. It's way cool to get to play around with the original interface. It was groundbreaking stuff 25-30 years ago. Like I said, for $50 it was a no brainer. If you've ever lusted after a Fairlight, then this will be worth the trip down memory lane.

Good app but Buggy on iOS 5.1. Page R slows down and gets unresponsive at times. While changing octave using the keyboard slider sound dropds out while a song is playing. I have Pro version from day one and I kinda regret buying this. This app has never been fully functional.

Expensive and.... I agree with other reviews, but I bought the upgrade anyway. As a musician I never could affoard such an expensive instrument and now it is possible to satisfy my curiosity and I like the very basic idea of a sampler of the past and it works well. There are bugs and it needs a few more possibilities but I will contact support for that. In general, I dont regret that I bought it and I hope there will be updates.

Great demo, small problem.. It crashes on start. As soon as I open up the app, it crashes. I've tried everything from clearing my cache to deleting and reinstalling the app. Nothing has worked. Please fix this.

Sequencer is ONLY available in Pro version. Plus there are other features missing which renders the version that you pay $10 for a complete ripoff. The "non-pro" version should have been free. And it should be $10 or $15 to get the fully functional pro version. To have to pay $50 for the "pro" version is absurd. I feel the people at Fairlight are being extremely shortsighted and greedy.

Overpriced Demo. Edit: I read some other reviews to see if others had the same experience and found post describing how to access the rest of the soundbanks. It's half-hidden and takes several slow screen changes to get there, but I'm a bit more satisfied with the app now that I have access to some sounds.. adding a couple of stars, but still think the app needs serious improvement - and is overpriced. Original: I am reviewing the $10 demo version of this app. I have used apps with FREE demos that had more functionality than this one. It has only a small handful of sounds to play with. They are not editable. All tracking features are disabled in the demo. I don’t often leave reviews - and have never left a negative one until now - but, I’m really disappointed. Apple needs to do better at filtering BS like this. I don’t doubt the full version is neat. If you really want to work in the Fairlight’s archaic medium, buy the full version. Don’t bother with this waste of a Hamilton. Personally, I’m not about to shell out $50 for an emulation of an outdated, if nostalgic and historically significant, piece of gear.

Blast from the past .... By today's standards yes, it is a bit generic sounding. Having said that. The Fairlight was and is the Holy Grail for all sampler workstations. Every keyboard hero from my youth used one and seeing that green waveform on the CRT monitor made me want to do that for a living. The sounds are exactly how I remember them. My favorite sound is the Fairlight voices, a staple of alot of great tracks in the 80's. For me personally, it's like having an old friend back and I welcome my beloved Fairlight back to the masses. Where it belongs. Cheers Fairlight! We've all missed you!

Crippled Demo. This is nothing more than a crippled demo and a complete waste of money. I didn't realize there was a 'Pro' version when I bought this... At $9.99 I thought I WAS buying the full version. This version is completely crippled and not much can be done with it. The help system is littered with "Pro version only", so much so that it's hard to read any of the help contents.

No sound. I can't get any sound at all on an ipad2

Zero Stars - No Update. As excited as I wanted to be about this app, it simply doesn't work on iOS10. Save yourself the time and cash (note - purchased the app and upgraded to the pro). Honestly, this would be completely amazing, if it worked.

Eh. This should be free, the pro version is comically priced. Also it doesn't seem to be updated for ios 5, mine keeps crashing. Completely inessential.

We've come a long way. I bought the $10 app cause I was curious, and I'm sure this is a pretty good emulation. The problem for me is that it emulates something that by today's standards isnt that impressive. The sounds are just ok, nothing near spectacular. Makes me glad that synthesis has come this far. But $40 for the full version is laughable. For another $60 you could have ACE or another modern soft synth that will blow this thing out of the water.

Awesome!. I think it's fantastic! I just wish there was a VST version.

Thank you. Thank you for making the Fairlight compatible with iOS 14. I have missed it greatly ❤️

Amazing when it works. Keyboard is currently buggy.

Fun but still crashes. What a fun app when it works Unfortunately the latest iOS upgrade 13.2.3 killed it again I tried to contact the developer directly but the website link is dead so I have to hope they see this review. When it is working this is a fun app so I’m happy to change my review when it’s fixed Hope they fix it soon

History is cool but not for $10, I guess I get the joke now.. This app is to remind people how far samplers and synthesizers have come. I could have saved my money and stop looking at a app that is a waste of my time and reminds me that the developer sets the price of the app and price has nothing to do with quality of the app. I am thankful that I purchased the demo (10) and not the full (50). I still wish I would have spent my money elsewhere or given it to a homeless person of something like that. This app is no good. It crashes. the Samples are too short to be of any use. It does not belong on the app store. I wish apple had a fair system for refunds for horrible apps that are way too expensive.

Did you know that you can earn 25 USD from our site just by registering? Get $25 for free by joining Payoneer!

This seems like it's a demo.. For your initial investment it feels like you are buying a demo. You shouldn't really bother with this unless you are prepared to fork over the full additional amount for the pro version. I'd like to get the full version and could probably afford it but I don't like how they've used this "mean spirited" in app upgrade. It is like when you went to Paintball for the first time. They make it really cheap to play but then you find out how much the ammo costs. Also, you only get 2 built in compositions. 2. That's a bit weak.

Absolutely fantastic!. I just downloaded this and immediately upgraded to the full pro version. It's just like playing the original Fairlight. This is seriously worth every cent - it's a $25,000 saving on the cost of the original Fairlight!

Fairlight time capsule.. I really like the fairlight app. It’s like a journey back in time without the stress of maintaining a real fairlight 2x machine. I wish the page r sequencer could record odd time signatures like the hardware fairlight could. The fairlight app is locked into only playing in a four four time signature which is a bit frustrating. The fairlight series 3 sounds are my favourite although they are not multi sampled across the keyboard but then this app is modelled on the 2x not the series 3. It’s amazing how these days we take music technology for granted with digital audio workstations Cubase and Logic. The fairlight app is like a time capsule with sampling and sequencing that changed the way we worked in the 1980s and is where it all began!!

Unique and fun. It's really interesting to use different sequencer designs because they all seem to cause different sorts of music to come out of them. The page R style has me writing really different music to what I usually do-I consider this a good thing-the limitations are actually welcome cos I spend more time thinking about the notes rather than tweaking effects forever-as an app it seems to be more in the "instrument" category than the full production environment style app.but this is for the better I believe. Needs a few more of the original features like pages 4,5,6 to get full stars-it's great how you can email your current project from iPad to the iPhone very easily and work away while on the way to work or whatever. Well done Fairlight team!

Novelty app but pricey. I appreciate the idea of trying to make the experience seem authentic however once the novelty wore off I found the interface tedious, slow and ignorant of the possible innovations of using the iPad as an input device. The sounds are very true to form and a credit to the Fairlight team but I have to be honest and say had I have been able to download a free demo I wouldn't have bought the app. Please remove the gimmicks and rethink the UI or provide people a demo version to try so that they can make an educated purchasing decision. Thanks.

Be willing to pay the extra $48. Or be happy with a $15 toy... Ummmm?

Doesn’t work on iPhone 11 Pro. It’s a shame but this App won’t even start up on my new iPhone 11 Pro so I can’t review it, paid $14.99 and tried to start it for 20mins before requesting a refund... what a pity.

ok, but overpriced and too limited. After trying Garageband for $5, I thought this app must be at least fun at $13, and it is, but it is far too expensive. As a nostalgia trip it is fun, but newer users wonder what the hell all the noises are and what all the fuss is about. The real problem is that it is basically a demo for $15 - it should be free and we should all be refunded. The full useful app is $48, and I can't see how it can be worth it. $15 for the full app (remember that Garageband, infinitely more useful is only $5) would be ok. My recommendation is to skip this and go for Garageband, unless you are rich (always a prerequisite for Fairlight gear) or have a particular nostalgia for the CMI. Pros: Page R and the Fairlight CMI sounds (not always pretty, but classic), the waveform display view (changes with tilt). Cons: Price, slowness, inability to have the keyboard any other size, lack of key activation when sliding across keys (unlike other keyboard apps), inability to edit sounds etc etc - limits everywhere. Weird: The startup nonsense simulating an 8" floppy, the sound of the keys "klunking" as you play them etc - these should all be optional with settings to turn them off.

Crashes on Startup. Cannot comment on the app as it crashes 1 second after startup. All i lnow is that I have done my dough cold on this one. Pooey on this app

Keeps crashing on launch in iOS5. This app just seems to go from bug to bug, and is very inconsistent. Since upgrading to iOS5, the app crashes in launch. Very disappointing for the price compared to other complex apps like NLog MIDI.

I feel like I'm twenty five years younger!. I even fired up my old Yamaha DX11 (although I had to cahange the battery on the other board first...) and plugged it in for the complete 80's experience. What a blast. I dreamed about working for these guys once just so that I could have access to a real cmi. Fantastic work guys - only had it for 2 days and can't leave it alone.

Wasted potential. The Fairlight was one of the most important and influential synthesisers in modern music history. That was the 80s. All that had to be done with this app was to make it make sense on the iPad. The main reason why any serious modern composer would want to use an app like this is to access the incredible and rich sound bank the Fairlight had. Instead, this app is the epitome of skeuomorphism gone wrong. Even Scott Forstall would shudder at this. The loading sounds, the unnecessary delays...there is no reason for this. Preserving all of the flaws and technological setbacks of the original Fairlight does not make this app fun or endearing, it makes it frustrating and a waste of time and money. The solution is simple. Make an app with a great keyboard and a simple, elegant, fast sound bank selection screen. Build in a simple sequencer and away we go. Then, people serious about making music and keeping the Fairlight legacy can do so unobstructed and legitimately.

Great stuff. Now I wish I could play the original 80s version. Growing up on the Art Of Noise got me into sampling. I could never afford a real Fairlight as a kid. Now I can and I can play along to all my AON records :-) It has made me remember the magic of sampling sounds and how amazing sampling is. I am looking to buy the pro version now :-)

Price Discrepency. It states in the notes on this app that the upgrade to Pro version os $39.99 but when I upgraded it charged ne $47.99 The app is great but to purchase the Lite version was $12.99 plus the upgrade to pro which cost me $47.99 made a total cost of $60.98 when I only expected to pay $59.98. Great app though, just get the price right.

Imagine you at your best. All the time. Picture yourself at your sharpest and most productive. Your most alert and focused. Your most lucid, creative and confident. At work. At play. In every area of your life. Add Mind Lab Pro® v4.0 to your daily routine and uncap your true potential. Buy Now!

Avoid!!!. Extremely limited demo whose sole purpose is to get you to upgrade to the $40 version. Unusable pile of rubbish. Don't get suckered!!!

Lack of attention. I posted a positive review in the past, but, at this point, it seems the company has let the product go. They have not responded to my questions on their site and have failed to add important features (in my opinion). It is still useful as it is, however.

Fairlight the original!. I remember having to pay over $50,000.00 in 1984 ( yes i said fifty thousand dollars) to just rent a fairlight and operator just to program and trigger samples for the drums on an album. Back in the day that was the only way to get the cutting edge huge def Leppard drum sound of the day. Amazing deal for 10 bucks and a trip down memory lane for me. Fairlight started it all so buy it! Nuff said. Thanks for the cool app. Maybe Quantel will release a retro " Harry paint box" video app soon to match!

Incredibly BAD Purchase - $9.99 Up in smoke. It was probably the programmer who wrote the initial review. Sentiment for 80's music made me buy the app, but this is a steaming pile of crap. I was stupid to spend $10 on what amounts to be an uneditable CMI sound player. I'd be 4 times as stupid to give you thieves $40.00 more to make it perform like the musical instrument. it's supposed to be.

Art of noise and the 80. Enfin possible d'avoir ce synthé, juste pour le son SARARR qui est dans les tubes des années 80, ou peut être les ORCHESTRA ...

A Proper Classic. Painstaking recreation, right down to the voltage selection... The original hardware was used on almost every pop hit from the eighties so if that's the sound you want, that's what you're getting!

Feedback. I wrote to the developer and he answered the next day. Fantastic app and friendly developer… high five…

Can I have my money back?. The "pro" version may be worth $15, like most of the functional "pro" music apps ($45 is daylight robbery), but the player should be free - it doesn't do anything except play the fairlight demos - sorry not impressed at all. I will never use this app. Can I get my $10 back please?

Better than a real Fairlight CMI?. Is there anything better than a Real CMI? Aside from the upcoming CMI-30A, I don't think so. But for $9.99, this app is as close as you can get, and has quite a few advantages over a hardware CMI. It's a lot cheaper, too! Check out this app; start it up, throw on some good quality headphones (or connect it to your amp), hook up your MIDI controller and be prepared for much more than just 80's nostalgia. This is a SERIOUS musical instrument.

thanks 4 listening. Much better with audiobus. this sounds just like the $20 thousand hardware version! on the next up date please add virtual midi input!

New Marketing, same Crippled App. Change the marketing, call it a "Player" , it still is not worth even the $9.99. It's just a crippled app that still can't save or export, you need the "Pro" version for that........... ZERO STARS. ZERO STARS. ZERO STARS. When will Apple learn they need to develop a REFUND APP button for ripoffs like this???????

Adsterra is the most preferred ad network for those looking for an alternative to AdSense. Adsterra is the ideal choice for new sites with low daily traffic. In order to advertise on the site in Adsterra, like other ad networks, a certain traffic limit, domain age, etc. is required. There are no strict rules. Sign up!

Wonderful. Over the past few years, I have been increasingly interested in the Fairlight CMI. I have yet to hear a good emulation of it. I love old digital samplers because of their gritty sound. It's tough to fake that. The sound library you get here is amazing. It sounds just like the CMI. The sequencer is also quite awesome. It looks and feels just like the original. I wish I could have access to an original Fairlight, but this gets me close enough for the $50 it costs for the pro upgrade. Even without the upgrade, there's plenty of functionality. You can still select sounds to use and trigger them from a midi keyboard or sequencer. All you need is the Line 6 midi Mobilizer or the camera connection kit with a midi interface, just like anything else that supports hardware midi on the iPad/iPhone. Overall, this is a wonderful trip into the past that I can take around with me anywhere to make some good old lofi tracks. It's definitely not for everyone, so don't complain if it doesn't work like GarageBand or Beat Maker. It is not meant to be anything like those apps. It is something truly unique.

Disappointing. For $50 this needs app needs basic ADSR, wav export capability and the original Fairlight ability to draw your own waveforms.

Not really acceptable. This two tiered pay and pay again approach is bad enough, but to extract ten bucks from us and then you really must fork another forty for an application that doesn't compare to others at less than half the price is bad business. You appear all about the money and not about the paying customer. Wrong model anytime let alone nowadays. This is more a toy. The smart play is free or 99 cents and the upgrade--and not to fifty bucks, you flatter yourselves right out of the shot there--or far better, just do what real software makers do, let's us have it free for a period of time so we can tell what's up. Right now I see nothing I need and I'm out ten dollars! No way on earth do I give you another forty just to see if I can truly deploy this usefully and get my dough's worth. Many devs don't charge as much as they should, perhaps--though that's how you move units too--but you guys are waaay off here. Nostalgia trip. Check out iTabla or the other greats. They do brilliant work and just don't require twenty percent of the DEVICE'S cost. Good luck, you could make this work with feature and price point resets.

NO WAVE FILE EXPORT...YET. I used to have great enthusiasm for the old fairlight and it was a childhood dream to have access to its mystery.That quickly went away after meeting with the company at NAMM and it's president who wasn't very friendly to answer some legit questions.It is my stupidity for even buying this APP when it is clearly for nostalgia and a blatant marketing tool for the company's snobbery mindset and bad PR for an overpriced anniversary model.I feel bad for anyone expecting real support for the 20k anniversary edition over it's lifetime.

$50 Toy. It's interesting that the iPhone has considerably more processing power than the original Fairlight CMI but the iOS app has none of the original instrument's unique character. Unfortunately, the app does not tune the samples in the same manner as the IIX which is a key factor of the Fairlight sound. I understand that nascent digital technology gave the original Fairlight it's sonic character, but with modern component modelling algorithms the sound of vintage electronics can be recreated and at a fifty dollar price point should have been. Page R also doesn't swing like the original program - again, an important component of the Fairlight sound. Page D with its 3D waveform display is clever but worthless. Where is the waveform drawing and additive synthesis of the IIx? Fifty dollars basically buys a ROMpler, skinned to look like a Fairlight, with no synthesis functions and a basic sequencer that has none of the character of the original. My main complaint, though, is dropping a fifty on a sound app that does not offer .WAV or .AIFF export. A MAJOR BLUNDER! If Fairlight can't fix any of the real problems they should at least eliminate the demo songs. Their presence in the app are insult to injury. 'Locust'????....WOOF! So basically it's a fun app (read 'toy') to get an 'idea' of playing on a Fairlight and it should be priced accordingly. Slapping a 'Pro' label and a high price tag on this incomplete app feels like a cash grab by Fairlight who appear to be simply trading on their pedigree name and the enthusiasm of nostalgic musicians and producers. Yes, at fifty dollars the application costs 1/1000 the price of the original IIx but it's also 1/10 the price Logic Studio. Korg and other developers have amply demonstrated that iOS music apps can be more than toys and games. If this app is an indication, I suspect anyone who has placed the required $10,000.00 deposit on a Fairlight 30a is having a severe case of buyer's remorse.

Excellent!. Faithful reproduction of this classic sampler. Bought the pro version immediately afterwards.

Historical interest only. The sound quality of the Fairlight may be accurately recreated but by today's standards it is not surprisingly archaic. The price for the ability to play back 2 songs and instrument sets is ridiculous, only surpassed by the Pro price to add features such as record and edit. At $40 you could buy 2 or 3 better apps at the same time. Revised...after accessing the library of instruments I add one star... Sorry

Legendary. I mean I’ve gotta admit, this thing right here is the sound of the 80’s. Best synthesizer available on the App Store! I do plan on buying the pro version until I get enough money. Though I do think that $49.99 (Basically $50) is a lot just for one app, but y’know, the CMI III was literally used to create a whole entire soundtrack for a movie, (Terminator II: Judgment Day), so I guess it gets a pass. Overall, this app is very amazing and I enjoy it. Thank you.

Awesome!!!!. Welcome back Fairlight!

Great. I think they did a great job. A great recreation. Works exactly like the original. A great way to learn how music was made. The sounds are classic. I great way to learn music. And inspiration for music a different way to work. This was weird at first. Now that I have had all day to decide if it was worth it. Also the midi part worked before I upgraded.

Fairlight for iPad. Cant play multi timbral. I thought one could play 8 tones on a MiDI channel. Or load 8 separate mono samples. I really wanna know what to do. It seems that one can only use the 2 demo songs to change sounds on the 8 tracks. I understand an upgrade let's you edit samples,& play along to a composition. Do you use one Midi channel to play 8 sounds. Or do you use 8 midi channels ala general midi & it's sounds. Help

iPad instrument with a ton of personality. Interesting the reviews complaining that they don't tell you certain things up front, ie. that the standard version only allows for song playback. It is stated clearly in the app description. The app is a bit on the pricey side, but, the pro quality music apps tend to be. What you gain is an instrument that seems, in my mind, to have a very individual character. The limitations placed on the samples, the "sounds" of the sample library itself, contribute to it's character. This instrument will appeal to people that want an iPad emulation of a Fairlight CMI. That is what it is supposed to be, and that is what it does. I wanted that, so I bought it, and I'm very happy with it. I'm also sure that some of the things people want will be added in updates. Some things were left off, to get the app out. That's pretty typical with iPad apps. And also, support for core midi with the Camera Connector exists in the Standard Version. The description is not clear. However, I hooked it up, and it worked fine. I think it's the Akai keyboard and midi mobilizer that require the upgrade. And check the settings, I think some of the cute things can be eliminated. I decided to leave the sounds, and even the disc loading percentage. Oddly enough, for know, I really like both. I think it contributes to the character of the instrument. It would be really easy for everything on the iPad to start looking "cookie cutter", but building something that retains a distinctly different personality is not so easy. Congrats on a cool app!

Issues with the newest iOS. Hi there, Love the app and was having fun composing after the in app upgrade. I later upgraded to the most recent iOS 8.1.3 (12B466) and am now having functionality issues, especially when sampling voices in an instrument as well as in page "R" composition. Entire voice panel Greyson out and gets stuck on one voice.

Fairlight. As cool as this can sound i am disappointed in the small number of sounds it comes with. I should have read more about this so I could have saved $9.99. It works just fine but most of the sounds are not my style.

Fun but crashes from time to time. The other folks whining about the title post-upgrade should know that Apple doesn't let the app change its name after purchase, but the functionality is still there. In any event, the app itself is fun and nostalgic, and it's great to play with those classic old sounds. However, it's not too hard to get the app to crash. I've probably seen 3 crashes in an hour or so of playing. Scrubbing through a single instrument line on Page R definitely caused one, not too sure about the others. Also good: accepts midi input via the camera connection kit trick, provided you have a suitable low power interface to attach (e.g. Midisport 1x1)

Nice But!. Nice Update! but this just over wrote the $39.95 in App purchase that I just bought! And when I tried to download the Pro version, it wanted to charge me again!!! Please Fix This! don't want to pay $50 for this App again!s

Faithful to the original!. I not-so patiently waited for this outstanding recreation of the original sampling workstation, the Fairlight IIx. I love it and if you love synths and samplers you will love it too. From uber-producer Trevor Horn to Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush, everyone invested in the Fairlight workstation and created some of the best music to come out of the 80s with it. Product support is incredible. I emailed product support and received a reply within 30 minutes from Fairlight Instruments in Australia. These folks are on top of their game! Please support this legendary company and purchase the Pro Version of the product. Enjoy!

Needs ability to record samples!!!!!!. Was very surprised to find the only way to create your own samples is via WAV or AIFF import, which is not conducive to my mobile creative needs. Would give 4-5 stars when sample recording feature is added. Hard to compose via on-screen keyboard, will be able to get more out of it with a MIDI interface. P.S. Opening easter egg actually made me laugh.

Not working in iOS 7. When I first turn it on it gives me an audiobus error so it disables it, the first loaded instrument plays fine but then I choose another instrument and D2 on the digital keyboard is the only one that sounds...please fix... Thanks.

Give it a chance!. Tip: you can disable the sound effects and "loading time" although I thought that was a cute option. This isn't Garageband nor should it be for heaven's sake. As a Synclavier owner this software is a blast to use! Pure fun, useful and exciting! I gladly paid.

amazing. This is just great. the interface is creative and does everything I want it to. The sounds are hauntingly good and the sequencer produces fine results. I bought the demo and then upgraded to pro and the upgrade has unlocked functionality well. It would be nice if it transformed to a labeled and recognized (i.e. The app is still labeler "player" after upgrade and restart & store will only let me review the lite version) pro version. Also, if I put it on my other iPad, do I download the lite and then upgrade? Well, I just did that and it worked for my other ipad. Those are minor issues, though. I hope the people who deducted stars come back and five star this once they realize that the app store just works this way. Also, I did have one crash. Make that two. Also, allocating voices to instruments needs to be a bit easier or much better explained. Other than that, this is a sheer delight to use. I have seen and heard and used Fairlights and Arps and Kurzweil K250s and Moogs and Rhodes Chromas and crazy Casio CZs and most of the synth and drum apps that are any good (korg ms & strange agency stuff & Nanostudio & etc. So am pretty demanding. This is very well-worth the money and is a professionally useable instrument. The few crashes I had were in edit mode yet it has been stable w/ performance and midi and importing user sounds etc. All I need now is a good Rhodes Chroma app and I'll be all set.

App quits on open…. iPhone XS iOS 14.6

Bummer. Page 6???? Why is the pro upgrade I purchased now labeled player?? Unhappy. Very. Please fix it ASAP. I paid for the pro upgrade and it should say pro on my app, not player. That's just lousy.

Freezes.. This app needs an update. It worked for a couple of days and now it is stuck on the disk image/loading screen. Each time I launch it, it just shows the disk as if it is loading, but never does.

100% pure awesomeness!!!. I dreamed for years of owning a Fairlight back in the 80s. The $20,000 price seemed insurmountable. Now I have on on my IPhone! I see some people complaining about the price - I guess those people are too young and green behind the ears to understand the value of this app. Those who complain about not enough sounds, they are in there, its just a little hard to find, go to the Disk control page and tap All Voices. Need wav export? Use the headphone output, and record into your workstation!

Excellent for simulation, Bad for my wallet. You load up the sim, and it feels like sitting down at the keyboard. The buttons click, the background hums, its great. But when I pay $10.00, I expect the full thing. If you think I'm unlocking the full thing for $50.00, you're crazy.

Concept != Execution. This is a fantastic concept, but the execution leaves something to be desired. First of all, you tell a bit of a fib in the description, as it says MIDI is a "built-in feature," when in fact the majority of the MIDI features are only available via the "pro" version, which is an extra $39.99. It took me a bit of fiddling to understand that I could actually access the entire IIx library in the $9.99 version (go to P2, then press the "ALL VOICES" button in the upper right hand corner.) The layout doesn't make sense there. So, for $9.99, you essentially get a library of a couple hundred short samples that you can play via the on-screen keyboard or MIDI, and two not-very-interesting demo songs, best I can tell. The $9.99 version is essentially useless. So why have it? Just charge $49.00 for the whole thing, rather than tricking people. We all know what it sounds like already.