AudioMedia - February 2009 - (Page 42)

FAIRLIGHT XYNERGI Media Production System With reletively recent big advances in core technology, Fairlight has been busy spreading the words of power, flexibility, and value. ALEX JOSEPH visits Xynergi with an open mind ike most other Pro Tools users, I’m happy with most aspects of the platform. I and other colleagues have asked for various updates and extras to be implemented over the years – sometimes we’re nicely surprised, and sometimes we’re ignored. Anyway, healthy competition was, for me, the main attraction of reviewing the Fairlight system. There’s nothing wrong with looking at an alternative, and there’s always the possibility that you’ll be pleasantly surprised. To showcase its system, Fairlight had rather cleverly employed the services of an award-winning Mixer – Cliff Jones. What better way is there? I remember a particular demo I once attended where the designer was at the helm. Most of the audience left with no better idea of the product’s capabilities than they had when they went in. To be clear, this review is focused on the Xynergi Media Production System. While the ‘Xynergi’ label is most commonly applied to the controller, it’s difficult to seperate it from the other necessary parts of the system. Thus, a full Xynergi Media Production System incorporates the Xynergi desktop edit and control station, the core processing technology, and Fairlight’s PyxisTrack Video system. Past that, larger Fairlight post production systems L “Xynergi’s confirguration can adapt, depending on the user. It can cater to a freelancer like myself, who needs a fairly minimal set-up, or to a full-on mix facility. The bits you need to buy depend on what it is you want to do.” THE REVIEWER ALEX JOSEPH is a high profile UK-based Foley Editor, Sound Designer, and Mixer, with fingers in film, TV, and game sound. Most recently, he was Foley Supervisor on Quantum of Solace. (Constellatio XCS variations) incorporate Xynergi at their heart. As such, Xynergi’s confirguration can adapt, depending on the user. It can cater to a freelancer like myself, who needs a fairly minimal set-up, or to a full-on mix facility. The bits you need to buy depend on what it is you want to do. The system I reviewed was somewhere in the middle ground. The system can run on any standard PC, as the Xynergi system isn’t dependent on the PC’s processing power. It does all the clever stuff with the allimportant CC- card (Crystal Core technology). Of course, much of the processing in Pro Tools|HD is done on the DSP cards, so why is Fairlight special? Well, the company has been clever and developed its system around a massive field programmable Gate Array (FGPA), all architected into a custom-built chip. To give you an idea of the power that this chip has, Fairlight claims that one CC- card delivers more audio processing capabilities, with low latency ( . milliseconds if using all channels, with EQs, etc ), than other systems using up to of the most powerful floating point DSP chips. 42 AUDIO MEDIA FEBRUARY 2009

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AudioMedia - February 2009 Contents Recording News Post News Broadcast News GEO Focus: USA What's Up UK NAMM Review For the Record Project Profile: Hallelujah HHB CDR882 KORG MR-20005 Chandler Germanium Brauner Phanthera Final Cut: Lesbian Vampire Killers SE Electronics RNR1 The Royal Opera House Fairlight XYNERGI Limiting Loudness Product Sampler: Studio Consoles Video Guide AMSR News Stone Temple Pilots Fly Again Rode M2 Yamaha IM8 Series

AudioMedia - February 2009

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