#13 - Rediscovering Fairlight!

 #13 - Rediscovering Fairlight!

In 2001, I embarked on a brief stint as an in-house audio engineer with a channel that had just unveiled two state-of-the-art studios in Mumbai, dedicated primarily to mixing promos. These studios were equipped with cutting-edge Fairlight MFX3 plus systems.

For those unfamiliar with Fairlight, a brief historical backdrop is in order. Two visionary Australian engineers initially set out to create a synthesiser capable of generating any sound, but their efforts ultimately led to the birth of the world's first sampler, known as the Fairlight CMI. Upon its launch in 1971, it revolutionised music production. In 1989, Fairlight ESP (Electric Sound and Picture) was established to produce products exclusively for the post-production market. Fairlight ESP developed standalone DAWs (the MFX systems) tailored for audio post-production in video and film. These systems found widespread use by esteemed entities like NHK in Japan, BBC, NBC, Skywalker Sound, Universal Studios, Todd-AO, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and several post-production studios and television broadcasters in Australia.

In the early 2000s, Mumbai's Film Mix and Dubbing studios embraced Fairlight MFX3 plus systems, including renowned studios like Mukta Arts, Famous Film Labs, B. R. Films, Jyoti Chitarbon in Guwahati, and Verve Recording. In 2011, a landmark event took place when Ramoji Film City purchased 14 Fairlight systems, including digital audio mixers, marking the country's most extensive fully digital networked system at the time.

Returning to my experience with Fairlight in 2001, the two MFX3 plus systems were networked to a colossal 50 GB HDD data storage RAID. At the time, this storage capacity was staggering, considering my home PC had a mere 2 GB HDD.

However, my tenure at the studio was short-lived as I transitioned to work on multi-camera television shows, consequently bidding adieu to Fairlight and DAWs in general.

Over time, Fairlight systems in Mumbai slowly faded into obscurity, replaced by other industry-standard DAWs. It seemed like Fairlight had met an unfortunate end, with few in Mumbai using it anymore.

So, what did I find appealing about the Fairlight MFX3 plus system? It was an exceptionally robust system, never causing us to lose any recorded tracks due to crashes. At the time, it could handle playback of 24 tracks from a single HDD. Though I cannot recall if it supported any plugins, I distinctly remember being able to edit audio swiftly, despite the absence of a conventional keyboard and mouse. Every DAW function was conveniently mapped to dedicated keys on the MFX3 plus console. The jog and shuttle wheel operated flawlessly, and it featured an ADR setup that simplified recording voice overs, ADR, and language dubs.

A representational photo of the Fairlight MFX3 plus system I was working on in 2001. 

Working on the Fairlight MFX3 plus system felt akin to operating a high-end 24-track 2-inch tape machine while harnessing the advantages of cutting-edge digital audio recording and editing.

After my year-long experience with Fairlight, I found it nearly impossible to work on other DAWs that relied on a keyboard and mouse. The need to memorise countless shortcuts for both Mac and PC proved cumbersome. I had nearly given up hope of seeing Fairlight make a comeback.

However, when Blackmagic Design acquired Fairlight in September 2016 and integrated it into DaVinci Resolve at NAB in 2017, I was elated. It meant that former users like me could once again work with the Fairlight DAW.

While most DAWs excel at recording and mixing music and also handle audio post-production for video and films commendably, Fairlight MFX-based systems were designed from the ground up with a primary focus on audio for video and film. Now, it is seamlessly integrated into DaVinci Resolve.

The integration process is nothing short of brilliant. You can import your picture and audio files, sync them instantly (if time code was used on location), edit your film, and effortlessly switch to the Fairlight tab to start working on your audio. No need for exporting or round-tripping to other software, no exporting AAF or OMF files—just a click, and you're ready to work on the audio.

This setup is tailor-made for film schools and a no-brainer for corporate filmmakers. In media institutes and film schools, where aspiring sound engineers learn their craft on DAWs, students are typically taught basic sound editing tasks. However, for dialogue editors in feature films, the job involves various tasks such as trimming clips, adding fades, cutting, copying, moving, adjusting clip gain, aligning clips frame by frame, and more.

Working on a DAW with a keyboard and mouse allows engineers to become faster at their tasks, particularly when dealing with repetitive audio cleanup work. All the aforementioned tasks can also be executed on the Fairlight using a keyboard and mouse, but what sets it apart is the Fairlight Audio Editor Hardware Control panel developed by Blackmagic Design, specifically designed to expedite sound editing tasks.

The current Audio Editor Hardware Control Panel available from Blackmagic Design for the Fairlight. 

This hardware control panel is a unique addition, not typically seen with other DAW makers. It's a larger, improved version of the MFX3 plus panel I worked with in 2001. One might wonder why invest in an expensive editing panel when every DAW function can be performed with a keyboard and mouse. The answer lies in speed—speed that the Audio Editor panel delivers in spades. Since it operates without the need for a mouse, it eliminates the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, a common ailment for sound editors who spend long hours with a keyboard and mouse.

The hardware required for filmmaking is becoming increasingly affordable, with desktop computers and laptops growing more powerful. The trend of remote working in film production, accelerated by COVID-19, is gaining prominence, and Blackmagic Design has introduced a cloud-based workflow to accommodate this shift.

Resolve, as a software, continues to evolve, and Blackmagic Design's philosophy of making filmmaking affordable ensures that creativity is not stifled by budget constraints. While major Hollywood and Bollywood studios may continue to favour industry-standard equipment, young filmmakers fresh out of film school can experiment within the DaVinci Resolve ecosystem, creating finished films at a fraction of the cost.

There is a Studio version of Resolve that is highly affordable and offers additional features compared to the free version. The free version of Resolve is a capable NLE and DAW, making a compelling case for media institutes and film schools to incorporate it into their curriculum.

No software is perfect, including Fairlight, but the key is to keep an open mind. The studio version of Resolve is reasonably priced and comes with lifetime upgrades—an attractive proposition for those considering the Resolve platform.

The Fairlight Audio Editor is a marvel of hardware engineering. Each button on its qwerty keyboard features a mini screen below, referred to as self-labelling keys, adapting to the audio editing task at hand. Whether you're in ADR mode or pure editing mode, the buttons transform into shortcut keys based on your desired function. While currently exclusive to the Fairlight page, envision the possibilities if Blackmagic could extend the Fairlight Audio Editor's functionality to other tabs like Cut, Edit, Fusion, and Color in Resolve. With an LCD screen and rotary knobs, it could surpass the Speed Editor and Editor Keyboard in effectiveness.

Seven years since its integration into DaVinci Resolve, Fairlight has evolved continuously, and the latest version at the time of writing this article in September 2023 is Resolve 18, featuring numerous enhancements to Fairlight. The software continues to advance, with Blackmagic Design committed to adding more features.

Over the next five years, the number of Studio version licence holders for Resolve is expected to surge, and they will enjoy free upgrades to the latest versions. Although newer and more robust computers may be needed to run future versions of Resolve, editors and sound designers purchasing the software now won't have to worry about additional costs for software updates.

With a growing pool of trained editors and sound engineers armed with licensed software, the established players in the industry may face stiff competition. As history has shown with the rapid decline of once-dominant giants like Nokia and Kodak, innovation can swiftly alter the landscape.

A few years ago, Netflix and Amazon were not considered major contenders at the Oscars, but times have changed. DaVinci Resolve, similarly, has the potential to bring about a paradigm shift. Young filmmakers should embrace this ecosystem, and who knows, in the near future, we might witness an Oscar-winning film shot on a Blackmagic Design camera, edited and colour-corrected using Resolve, and mixed on Fairlight in Dolby Atmos within the DaVinci Resolve system.

In my view, Fairlight is poised for a gradual but sure resurgence. I encourage young filmmakers to embrace it wholeheartedly.

Let's reintroduce some magic into audio. Let's Fairlight!

E-mail: cheerag.cama@gmail.com
Twitter: @cheragc
Blog: www.thesoundblog.in
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