Fairlight CMI

The Fairlight CMI (Computer Musical Instrument) was a groundbreaking Australian digital sampling synthesizer introduced in 1979. One of the first instruments to allow musicians to record real-world sounds and play them back at any pitch across a keyboard, it featured an advanced touchscreen interface and became one of the most sought-after studio instruments of the early 1980s. Greg Hawkes and Ric Ocasek used the Fairlight CMI extensively on The Cars' Heartbeat City album, using it for orchestral hits and textural sounds including on the track "Hello Again." Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, and Stevie Wonder were among its other prominent users.