ARP Rhodes Chroma (1981)

Analog/digital hybrid polyphonic synthesizer developed by ARP and marketed by Rhodes, introduced in 1981.

Overview

The Rhodes Chroma is an analog/digital hybrid polyphonic synthesizer. ARP developed it in 1981, and it was sold under the Rhodes brand because of ARP's financial difficulties. The keyboard has 64 notes, is velocity-sensitive, and has piano touch. Polyphonic aftertouch is an option. The sound is regarded as rich, creamy and fat, and the instrument is expressive to play. The architecture was innovative, with extensive modulation and sound design capabilities. It entered a market dominated by the Sequential Prophet-5, Minimoog, Jupiter-8, and OB-X. Players still favor it, even with its difficult user interface.

Specifications

Year	1981
Made in	United States
Polyphony	Configurable for 16-voice (1 oscillator) or 8-voice (2 oscillators)
Memory	50 user memories

Design

Audio generation is fully analog, using XR4151 VCOs, Curtis filters, and VCAs. Digital control handles envelopes, routing, and modulation. Each voice has two oscillators, a multi-mode filter with digitally controlled resonance (7 steps), two ADSRs, and a VCA. Signal routing can put the filters in parallel or in series, and the VCA can sit pre-filter or post-filter. The internal computer enables 16 virtual patch configurations, so the VCOs, VCFs, and VCAs can be reconfigured deeply. The ADSR envelopes are digitally generated, and 16 LFOs with multiple waveforms handle the more advanced modulation. The user interface is a membrane panel, often criticized for usability and reliability. Sound data is stored on cassette tape, and the original system used a specialized Apple ][ interface.

Context

ARP developed the Chroma and Rhodes marketed it. It was introduced in 1981 into a competitive market led by the Sequential Prophet-5, Minimoog, Jupiter-8, and OB-X. It is considered relatively rare and was influential on later synthesizers. Herbie Hancock is among the notable users. The Chroma Polaris and Chroma Expander are related models, and the Expander can increase the voice count to 32/16. The instrument is multitimbral and supports voice layering and keyboard splitting. It can be upgraded with the CC+ MIDI retrofit and the StereoPing controller.

Market

The Rhodes Chroma is discontinued, and used prices currently run $8,000 - $9,000. Common problems are flaky power supplies, failing membrane panels, leaking batteries, keyboard action problems, voice failures, and uneven keyboard response. It is a maintenance challenge. It is also large and heavy. A 25-pin Chroma interface connects it to the Chroma Polaris. Modern control options include iPad/Lemur, Behringer BCR2000 sysex templates, and custom controllers from StereoPing and Red Shift.

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