Re: [LAU] Fairlight

On Thu, October 25, 2012 6:41 am, Gene Heskett wrote:
> On Wednesday 24 October 2012 15:37:31 Patrick Shirkey did opine:
>
>> On Thu, October 25, 2012 5:16 am, Kaza Kore wrote:
>> >> Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:57:10 -0700
>> >> From: len@email-addr-hidden
>> >> To: looplog@email-addr-hidden
>> >> CC: linux-audio-user@email-addr-hidden
>> >> Subject: Re: [LAU] Fairlight
>> >>
>> >> On Tue, October 23, 2012 8:14 pm, michael noble wrote:
>> >> > This hasn't come up on list yet. It seems Fairlight's new flagship
>> >> > workstations are Linux based:
>> >> >
>> >> > http://au.fairlight.com.au/product/quantum/technical/
>> >>
>> >> And yet "Full integration of VST plug-ins and instruments". I suppose
>> >> that
>> >> could be "full integration of the ones that work".
>> >>
>> >> It would be interesting to find out more.
>> >>
>> >> Not that I have any VST plug-ins to play with :)
>> >
>> > The Lionstracs I mentioned in the other mail also states the same.
>> > Probably more related in this discussion.
>> >
>> > "
>> > Beyond Standards
>> >
>> > Virtual instruments and effects that you are used to from the
>> >
>> > studio, should not be missing on the road. Copy your VST plugins from
>> >
>> > MS Windows onto your instrument and load them with the dedicated VST
>> > control interface, directly from the touchscreen.
>> >
>> > Analogue to any other sound engine in your instrument, your
>> >
>> > VSTi plugins are assigned to the instrument's patch selector pads,
>> > allowing to switch among your VST instruments quckly during your live
>> > performance.
>> >
>> > Besides the virtual instruments, you can assign a chain of
>> >
>> > VST effect plugins to each instrument. When switching among your VST
>> > instruments, the respective chains of VST effects are automatically
>> > restored along to the virtual instrument."
>> > and also ASIO applications from Windows:
>> > "
>> > Windows ASIO applications
>> >
>> > Even though the Lionstracs instruments are not MS Windows
>> >
>> > computers, they can host all your Windows audio applications for you.
>> > This is especially handy for virtual studio tools that are not
>> > available
>> >
>> > as VST plugins. Thanks to an efficient implementation of the ASIO
>> > audio interface standard, your ASIO applications can even reach
>> > lower
>> >
>> > latencies on the Groove OS than under MS Windows.
>> >
>> > Each Lionstracs instrument provides 10 ASIO app hosts, that
>> >
>> > is you can run up to ten Windows ASIO apps simultaniously and
>> > immediately switch among them during live performance with the
>> > instrument selector pads on the touch screen and by the sound selector
>> > buttons on the chassis. All MIDI and audio connections to your ASIO
>> > application are automatically established by the Groove OS for you, so
>> > your favourite Windows audio applications are automaticallly,
>> > seamlessly
>> >
>> > integrated into the overall system of your Lionstracs instrument,
>> >
>> > allowing them to utilize all features of your Lionstracs instrument,
>> > e.g. applying the builtin audio effects.
>> >
>> > Integrating another Windows ASIO application in your
>> >
>> > instrument, doesn't need more than copying the software onto your
>> > instrument and selecting the executable (.exe) file from the dedicated
>> > ASIO control interface, again directly by the integrated touchscreen."
>> > From: http://www.lionstracs.com/groove/
>> > Surely there is no way they can truly claim to be able to handle all
>> > and everything when nobody else seems to have managed that at home.
>> > Leaving themselves open for lawsuits of false advertising??
>>
>> Are there any people or companies that would undertake a lawsuit over
>> this claim?
>>
>> If that was the case 90% of music hardware advertising in the past 30
>> years would be liable for action because of exaggerated claims.
>>
>> Or to put it another way the bar for marketing BS in the audio hardware
>> and software industry has been set pretty high by other companies over
>> the past 30 years or so why point the finger at companies that claim to
>> provide full support for VST plugins on Linux based systems?
>>
> While I'm 100% in agreement Patrick, I'll have to confess that my first
> thought was the question of a GPL violation. Fairlight or Farlight has if
> my memory can be trusted, a rep for keeping their code locked well away
> from prying eyes even when it was running on some M68k hardware that
> looked
> a lot like a big box amiga.
>
> I'll get me coat...
>

I'm not the best person to make contact with them directly but that
shouldn't stop anyone else from asking them to release their Open Source
code if they haven't already done so.

My advice is to explain the positive aspects as well as the legal aspects.
Gene is right that their reputation proceeds them (unfairlight ?) but they
have a new CEO who may not be aware of their legal obligations in regards
to the GPL and open source. Just don't expect them to move quickly as they
have a fairly glacial internal culture and they are pretty combative if
cornered and poked.

--
Patrick Shirkey
Boost Hardware Ltd
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