The Fairlight Audio Interface is the I/O for a Fairlight audio post system. It requires the Fairlight Audio Accelerator, connects with a supplied proprietary interface cable, and powers on and off automatically with the accelerator, so the whole rig behaves as one machine.

High-headroom analogue I/O

Two remote-controlled XLR/TRS microphone and instrument preamps offer 48V phantom power and a 50dB gain range from +21.5 to +71.5dB, with a mic EIN of -127dBu unweighted. Twelve balanced analogue outputs deliver up to +24dBu with mute protection. Line inputs 1-2 measure 108dB dynamic range at 0dB gain, inputs 3-10 measure 110dB, and line outputs measure 109dB, with input frequency response within +0.05/-0.05dB from 20Hz to 20kHz.

AES digital I/O with built-in sample rate conversion

Digital I/O runs nine fully transformer-coupled AES stereo inputs and 11 AES stereo outputs, with sample rates of 44.1, 48, 96 and 192kHz and built-in sample rate conversion. Reference sync locks to Tri-Sync or black burst on a 75-ohm BNC input and loop output, at any standard frame rate.

Machine-room control, built in

Timecode input and output with regeneration, an RS-422 9-pin machine control input, and GPI/GPO connections for cough and on-air switching cover the machine-room side, alongside a MIDI port reserved for future use. Power is an internal 100-240V AC 50/60Hz supply with an IEC C14 input, drawing 40W.