Fairlight CC-1 and SX-20

[jkrummri]

Can someone please have a look
and can you ask what the MIDI ports on the SX-20 can be used for.
and if any other company’s have asked about using it as a OEM card
After looking at the fairlight site this could really change every thing when it comes
to Digital Audio.

I might be getting ahead of myself but that is the fun of it
Finally a company has really looked DSP differently

[jkrummri]

I'm sorry about the wording on the title it look's like I have info on it
I am just trying to get info.

[structuredloud]

You owe me a drink okay?

The SX-20 midi ports are for midi time code since it's a sync I/O box, however since it's going in a PC they didn't see any reason it couldn't carry standard Midi data.

And, yes. It's only two hours old but apparently a lot of people have been approaching them about the CC-1 as OEM.

[jkrummri]

Drinks on me
sitting here in my house in Akron Ohio I have a feeling this will be the talk of the show.
So please load up this thread with info.
and if anyone was here I would buy the drinks.
Thank You.

[structuredloud]

Drinks at the lime spider? Maybe I can take you up on that, I'll be in Oberlin, OH in November to do some tech for an opera they are doing.

The CC-1 looks great. 8 accel cards worth of power in one two space pci-e. And it drives the system whether or not you buy their large format console.

They said macintosh compatibility is not likely, but I guess we can dual-boot if need be.

[jkrummri]

Sure let me know, it would be cool to hang out with Gearslut.
Hopefully I will have a CC-1 and SX-20 by then
I just sold my Sony DMX R100 and I think that would be a good start as a replacement

[Ziggy!!]

Yeah, can someone get the individual prices of the CC-1 and SX-20?

LED who started the thread in the new products section said the CC-1 was about $5000aust, but in the FAQ's section on the fairlight website it says the base system starts at $20,000US. That makes the SX-20 $22,000aust


Im positive that they just haven't updated their website and are referring to a control surface turnkey system... but can someone check?


Pleeeeeeaaase!!!


Are they madi connects on the CC-1? or workclock?

[PlanB]

I'll ask tomorrow, but I have to say I was underwhelmed by their presentation. The demo was pretty cheesy and the new features I saw well... with all due respect, and I worked a lot on the dream system and love it... but what they showed, like the reason integration via re-wire and the plugins... well I kinda have been doing this for years with my PT rig (and every other native sequencer too). And their claim that their new card with the acronym I forgot already... being as powerful as a system with 8 PT HD Accel cards... I would really like to see that. Their I/O is great though, very flexible with MADI integration, something I wish for in PT for years...

Cheers
Arthur

[Ziggy!!]

I don't spose you got a chance to ask, Arthur?

[jkrummri]

Any word yet on price I have tryed to get ahold of Fairlight and no luck.

[mikesilence]

As far as I've read in the web the card will be around 5000 AU$...

Greetz,

Mike

[DrDeltaM]

Originally Posted by mikesilence

As far as I've read in the web the card will be around 5000 AU$...

Greetz,

Mike

Really? That'd be very cheap compared to Digidesign

[jkrummri]

I saw the 5000. AU but only one time by LED and it was on this site

mikesilence
Did you see it someplace else?

[WTMNMF]

That's what they told me at the booth. They come paired as a unit.

[Led]

As far as I know the CC will be able to go in your PC and you can run the system without the SX-20 but you will still need some form of i/o, but I will have to clarify that. The card will be around 5K OZ. I'm mixing with one of the owners this arvo so I will ask the horse and get it from his mouth. The beauty of the setup is you can partition the card however you want - 50% audio, 50% video, or say 10% video and 90% audio etc. Not to mention it has the capability to run at higher sample rates than we are using now. I don't know that I'd be holding my breath waiting for a MAC version.

[True North]

Any specifics on latencies for software monitoring while tracking?

The PR peice states lower latencies !!!

Lower than what ?

That card looks pretty amazing

[True North]

Did a little digging and pulled the information out of their literature.

0.5 ms latency with full plug in processing- WOW!!

[PaddyMac]

I have been reading with interest all of your responses to the new technology shift that Fairlight has delivered into the world. Whilst some of these posts are clearly out there as a desperate plea for more information I thought it might be a good idea to distil a few facts that seem to have gotten lost amongst all of the excitement.
Fairlight has shown how a new generation of a proven Silcon technology…FPGA to be precise…. can accelerate the execution of complex DSP processes in applications that have up to now only had support from a Host CPUs or expensive DSP cards using dedicated DSP chips mounted on proprietary PCBs.

I only want to tackle the host CPU argument in this post…

The fact is that whilst host based platforms get occasional benefits from the increased clock speeds from newly available CPUs they still have to compete with the Host OS for computing time. They cannot do parrallel processing required for truly realtime performance.. Imagine what will happen when Vista and Intel powered MACrosoft OS comes along. All of a sudden you are back to some point you were before you started.

FPGA is clearly in the ascendancy…CRAY super computers use a CPU partnered with an FPGA to deliver the real computational grunt need to drive complex heavy mathematical operations and power the financial industry.
Fairlight has shown a way to commoditize this technology for their own creative applications and in doing so has opened the door for other 3rd Parties to hop on board.

Rather than bag Fairlight for taking a proactive and lead role in the hi-tech race why not ask your other application developers some really simple questions like-

Can you lower the latency to less than 1.0mS?
When I control a parameter can you give me a real analog feel and take out the jerkyness?
Can you please deliver REALLY nice sounding filters that are integrated into the application instead of me having to go and buy someone else’s DSP card to lower the tax on my CPU and give me the control of NICE co-efficients that make an EQ or reverb sound really great?
Can you tell me what processors and filters my system will actually deliver without having to analyze my host hardware on board memory and deactivating every other application that may compete with your application?
Can you make it work like multi-track recorders used to work with seamless Punch in and out so I can work with live musicians and build really great solo performances?
Can you assure me that EVERY track in my project will start playing at the same time if I jump back to a cue and instantly roll the transport?

And now I am just talking about audio….

Imagine being able to paint like an artist would with a paint brush and a canvas in Photoshop with zero lag time as you moved the brush?
Imagine getting a Gaussian Blur to be effected in a few Miliseconds?
Imagine rendering or flattening a large file is seconds rather than minutes.
I could go on forever……

A truly great computer application should be able to deliver the execution of a creative maneuver to a mere instant. That’s the essence of what Fairlight is showing us with their invention.
You can read all about the power of FPGA assisted processing is all about in the electronics trades and you can see already what the Billion dollar silicon manufacturer’s are doing with their latest and next generation silicon devices. Check out their product roadmaps!!
It’s all about accelerated DSP!!! Yipeee…

Here are a few links to get you started.
http://www.cray.com
http://eetimes.com
http://www.nallatech.com
http://www.linuxelectrons.com/articl...06032009585692
https://www.cmpevents.com/ESCw06/a.a...11&SessID=2693

Also-

XtreamData Inc

AND…

DRC
The co processor company

The stuff that is REALLY interesting is when you find out what AMD has to say about FPGA offload….hmmm me thinks they know what Fairlight is all about and are on the same wave length so to speak.

If you really care about higher standards and getting more power to work with ask your preferred application vendor to deliver this step change by either talking to Fairlight or just by insisting get their arse into gear so you can enjoy TODAY the best computers have to offer for your creative endeavors. Fairlight's whitepaper indicates they are ready and willing to open up and the development has already been done to allow it to happen. As consumers we can only ultimately benefit from the advances this technology promises to deliver.

In the meantime hats off to Fairlight because they are showing us there are new technologies already available that are ready to change expectations of what we might think is acceptable performance and in doing so raise the performance bar forever.
The high speed technology train has left the station. Lets get more and more application developers on board. The sooner this technology paradigm is a commodity, like your expensive 3D graphics card already is…the better off we all will be.

[PaddyMac]

The silence is deafening!!

[Mr.Maniac]

Originally Posted by PaddyMac

I have been reading with interest all of your responses to the new technology shift that Fairlight has delivered into the world. Whilst some of these posts are clearly out there as a desperate plea for more information I thought it might be a good idea to distil a few facts that seem to have gotten lost amongst all of the excitement.
Fairlight has shown how a new generation of a proven Silcon technology…FPGA to be precise…. can accelerate the execution of complex DSP processes in applications that have up to now only had support from a Host CPUs or expensive DSP cards using dedicated DSP chips mounted on proprietary PCBs.

I only want to tackle the host CPU argument in this post…

The fact is that whilst host based platforms get occasional benefits from the increased clock speeds from newly available CPUs they still have to compete with the Host OS for computing time. They cannot do parrallel processing required for truly realtime performance.. Imagine what will happen when Vista and Intel powered MACrosoft OS comes along. All of a sudden you are back to some point you were before you started.

FPGA is clearly in the ascendancy…CRAY super computers use a CPU partnered with an FPGA to deliver the real computational grunt need to drive complex heavy mathematical operations and power the financial industry.
Fairlight has shown a way to commoditize this technology for their own creative applications and in doing so has opened the door for other 3rd Parties to hop on board.

Rather than bag Fairlight for taking a proactive and lead role in the hi-tech race why not ask your other application developers some really simple questions like-

Can you lower the latency to less than 1.0mS?
When I control a parameter can you give me a real analog feel and take out the jerkyness?
Can you please deliver REALLY nice sounding filters that are integrated into the application instead of me having to go and buy someone else’s DSP card to lower the tax on my CPU and give me the control of NICE co-efficients that make an EQ or reverb sound really great?
Can you tell me what processors and filters my system will actually deliver without having to analyze my host hardware on board memory and deactivating every other application that may compete with your application?
Can you make it work like multi-track recorders used to work with seamless Punch in and out so I can work with live musicians and build really great solo performances?
Can you assure me that EVERY track in my project will start playing at the same time if I jump back to a cue and instantly roll the transport?

And now I am just talking about audio….

Imagine being able to paint like an artist would with a paint brush and a canvas in Photoshop with zero lag time as you moved the brush?
Imagine getting a Gaussian Blur to be effected in a few Miliseconds?
Imagine rendering or flattening a large file is seconds rather than minutes.
I could go on forever……

A truly great computer application should be able to deliver the execution of a creative maneuver to a mere instant. That’s the essence of what Fairlight is showing us with their invention.
You can read all about the power of FPGA assisted processing is all about in the electronics trades and you can see already what the Billion dollar silicon manufacturer’s are doing with their latest and next generation silicon devices. Check out their product roadmaps!!
It’s all about accelerated DSP!!! Yipeee…

Here are a few links to get you started.
http://www.cray.com
http://eetimes.com
http://www.nallatech.com
http://www.linuxelectrons.com/articl...06032009585692
https://www.cmpevents.com/ESCw06/a.a...11&SessID=2693

Also-

XtreamData Inc

AND…

DRC
The co processor company

The stuff that is REALLY interesting is when you find out what AMD has to say about FPGA offload….hmmm me thinks they know what Fairlight is all about and are on the same wave length so to speak.

If you really care about higher standards and getting more power to work with ask your preferred application vendor to deliver this step change by either talking to Fairlight or just by insisting get their arse into gear so you can enjoy TODAY the best computers have to offer for your creative endeavors. Fairlight's whitepaper indicates they are ready and willing to open up and the development has already been done to allow it to happen. As consumers we can only ultimately benefit from the advances this technology promises to deliver.

In the meantime hats off to Fairlight because they are showing us there are new technologies already available that are ready to change expectations of what we might think is acceptable performance and in doing so raise the performance bar forever.
The high speed technology train has left the station. Lets get more and more application developers on board. The sooner this technology paradigm is a commodity, like your expensive 3D graphics card already is…the better off we all will be.

Howdy PaddyMac,

Thanks for this post. Fascinating ...

To try and affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.

So we know ... Microprocessors are generic chips that can be reprogrammed at will, but in order to do so they sacrifice a great deal of processing power.

and ... FPGAs are programmable chips that can be geared to specialist tasks, they don’t necessarily cost millions to design, and they also avoid the obsolescence issues is clearly a problem for microprocessor technology. FPGAs can provide 100 times the performance of microprocessors at 1/10th of the long-term cost.

--> FPGAs can execute specific applications 10-100x faster than CPUs, which provides a huge cost to performance benefit. And FPGA power consumption is typically less than 1% of a CPU for the same job, providing another large benefit. Lastly, FPGA performance will continue to grow with Moore's Law in the future; whereas CPUs have already hit the wall in terms of clock frequency.

So ... I'm with you ... hats off Fairlight ... however ! as you mention.

Dear Fairlight;

Can you please deliver REALLY nice sounding filters that are integrated into the application instead of me having to go and buy someone else’s DSP card

Can you make it work like multi-track recorders used to work with seamless Punch in and out

Can you assure me that EVERY track in my project will start playing at the same time if I jump back to a cue and instantly roll the transport?

Can you give me a real analog feel and take out the jerkyness?

Damn ... When and where can I get my hands on this kit to get a "feeling" of "what's under the hood".

Over and out.

Maniac

[PaddyMac]

Hi Mr.Maniac, I have heard that Fairlight are planning a special event sometime very soon ...to spill their guts so to speak. They will post details in this and a lot of other forums about when and where. I am going to wait and see what happens for now.

[Led]

They had it the other day on the Fairlight forums and it went apparently quite well. To answer an older question, non oem converters would need to be MADI enabled to work with the CC system.

[True North]

Originally Posted by Led

They had it the other day on the Fairlight forums and it went apparently quite well. To answer an older question, non oem converters would need to be MADI enabled to work with the CC system.

More details please

[beyarecords]

Hi,

some CC-1 info I got in the post today:

One FPGA-based CC-1 card provides the following audio/video features:

1. Up to 230 channels, 72 busses, support for 212 physical IO
2. Integrated 192 track disk recorder/editor
3. 8 bands of EQ and 3 stages of Dynamic ALL the time on ALL Channels - no re-allocation of 'DSP resoures'
4. Multi-format mixing and monitoring - up to 7.1
5. Lowest latecy in the business - less than 0.5ms through mix buss, including on-board EQ, Dynamics, Routing etc
6. Concurrent fixed floating-point bit resolutions - Dynamic Resolution Optimisation
7. High resolution audio format - 192Khz ready
8. Offline custom sound design tools for CC-1 - VocAlign, NoNoise
9. Additional 64 Channel audio bridge to VST plug-ins - Rewire Connectivity (Ableton Live, Propellerhead Reason etc), GigaSampler, Waves, UAD etc
10. PyxisTrack - integrated HD and SD video playback, with editing capabilities
11. Open platform - OMF, BWAV, WAV, MFX, AIFF, SD2, MP3, AVI, XML, QuickTime and more
12. Support for existing networking infrastructure (Windows-based PC) - Gigabit+, Fibre Cahnnel etc
13. Equivalent processing power of EIGHT HD Accel cards

Don't you just love advances in technology!!!