From vance@netcom.comThu Apr 6 14:23:11 1995 Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 14:09:31 -0700 From: Vance Gloster To: map@cs.washington.edu Cc: analogue@hyperreal.com Subject: Re: synthesizer of the week: the Chroma i know there's been a lot of chat about the Chroma, but no real description or review that i remember seeing. someone want to go through the architecture a bit, what it has, what it can do, stuff like that? i intend to ask these synthesizer of the week questions periodically both for general interest and to fill in parts of the machines archive that i think are missing. so i'm looking for some nice general info, specs as well as your reviews and impressions. let's hear it! :) one question i have: who made the chroma? who made the polaris? "Rhodes" is the short answer. The long answer is that when Arp imploded (they had bet the farm on the Avatar, a guitar synth whose pitch-to-voltage never quite worked), CBS music hired much of the former staff. Since the Fender Rhodes piano was the only well-known electronic keyboard they made, CBS decided to use Rhodes as a brand name for the new venture. It was pretty short-lived, but quite innovative. Like any pioneers, some of their experiments were less than successful (the front panels for instance), but many were. -Vance Gloster vance@netcom.com