Fairlight-CMI

Hi Philip,

a little off-topic here, but I think I should clarify my point of
view...

> Strange - I bought a fully restored Series IIx from John Hill 
> @ Synhouse (as well as many spares and accessories)

You're in his references in the eBay offer, BTW. I hope he asked for
permission.

> and he 
> stikes me as one of the very few NON 'over-exaggerated, 
> marketing-oriented' people I've dealt with - IMHO quite 
> definitely one of the hardest working and most honest people 
> in the synth world.

Look at the descriptions of the Synhouse MidiJack for an example what I
mean. I don't mean to criticise the quality of his work, far from it,
but how WOULD you qualify statements like:

"Since the introduction of MIDI, users have suffered from slow response
time and "MIDI lag". For this reason, Synhouse has developed Accelerated
MIDI for use in professional music applications. Accelerated MIDI
utilizes a combination of digital sampling techniques and computerized
numerical data filtering processes to separate critical MIDI data from
unusable redundant MIDI data, process it, and implement it
instantaneously. This creates a new type of MIDI processor that is
dedicated to the specific applications of the Analog User, without ever
allowing the CPU (Central Processing Unit) to be interrupted by useless
data such as MIDI clocks and commands sent to other MIDI slave
instruments on other MIDI channels. With the MIDIJACK, the analog note
sounds while the slow-moving MIDI message is still in the MIDI cable!
This allows the analog synthesizer to instantly respond to the players
note action, preserving the finest rhythmic nuances. No other brand of
products has ever achieved this level of timing accuracy."

Now we're talking about a little device here that simply converts MIDI
Note On/Off into CV/Gate for an analog synth. Monophonic, as I might
add. I got one, and it works well in my SH-101... but what's this, if
not over-exaggerated?

Or: "The MIDIJACK is precision made from the finest materials, well
exceeding the quality of the synthesizers it supports." from the same
page. Yeah sure... JFTR, it's a US$100 device. A nice, small, capable
one... but isn't that a bit far-fetched?

Or: "The Synhouse MIDIJACK utilizes a unique software algorithm that
causes a RAM (Random Access Memory) buffer to store the 4 most recently
played MIDI notes that have not yet been released." from the User Manual
of said device. Oh, great, a 4-note buffer. Really unique. Once again, I
won't say a word against the quality, but that's simply marketing
hype... as a programmer, you should know that when you see it.

Bye,

  Hermann