Rhodes Chroma Polaris

hi all
looking at the previous posts i think it is
i know a shop that wants 650 uk pounds, i was considering it before i 
looked here... :-) maybe its too much.
can anyone pinpoint what kind of sounds the polaris is mainly for, i 
looked on the web but it only had some in bluesynths - can anyone point 
me to another demo site please?
thanks justin

At 08:18 PM 8/11/2005, you wrote:

>can anyone pinpoint what kind of sounds the polaris is mainly for, i
>looked on the web but it only had some in bluesynths - can anyone point
>me to another demo site please?
>thanks justin

That's a good point. There aren't too many demos of the Chroma Polaris on 
the internet. Maybe someone on the list has a few short MP3 excerpts handy? 
It wouldn't be very handy for me to record any this time. My "studio" is in 
a state of total chaos at the moment.  ;)


take care,
McLilith

Hey there...yeah, 650 pounds sounds pretty hefty...thats probably like
1500$ US or something...I would maybe pay that if it were new in the
box ;)

In any case, here is a track I did a few months ago that is 100%
Polaris. It was multi-tracked, but it nearly played full on in
multi-timbral mode...just the end of some of the pads would get cut
off here and there. No effects were used...I don't think i even
compressed the kick drum at all (which is also the polaris, yes)

http://www.mindsetstudio.com/downloads/iv-Interferon_192.mp3

I've used it in alot of tracks ever since I bought one, quite heavily too. 

In this track, it layers part of the pads, plays a quirky resonant
organ thing in the back ground, does lots of analog brass swooshy
things and high ptich bends, and the huge analog lead solo in the
middle of the song is also the Polaris...

http://www.mindsetstudio.com/downloads/Songs/iv_CoupDeTea.mp3

So, with that, I would personalyl say it's strenghts are #1 for making
analog sounds....it makes great pads, strings, etc...and does damn
good leads too, although it's portamento is wierd to implement without
a foot pedal, which is the only thing that bothers me. It does good
bass to, but I wouldn't call it a strong point. Sound effects are easy
and great as well.

ByronIV

-- 
For your electronik listening pleasures 
http://www.limbikfreq.com
---
Mindset Studio Music and Media
http://www.mindsetstudio.com

thanks for the demo links - super cool/very good.
the polaris is odd, both thick and thin at the same time. and would 
like to get my hands on one but think the 650 ive seen it for is too 
much in todays climate, but your good demos do turn my head so dunno 
maybe i'll get it. do they go on ebay often ( how much ? ) or are they 
rare and unreliable?
thnks justin

At 12:07 PM 8/12/2005, you wrote:

>thanks for the demo links - super cool/very good.
>the polaris is odd, both thick and thin at the same time. and would
>like to get my hands on one but think the 650 ive seen it for is too
>much in todays climate, but your good demos do turn my head so dunno
>maybe i'll get it. do they go on ebay often ( how much ? ) or are they
>rare and unreliable?
>thnks justin

They appear on eBay once in awhile, but certainly not on a regular basis. 
As for problems, they are pretty reliable -- except for their membrane 
switch panels. Fortunately, those membrane panels can be repaired in the 
majority of cases. In fact, they can be repaired to the point of being 
"better than new", because it's possible to eliminate the most vulnerable 
aspect of the membrane switch panels altogether. It involves some minor 
surgery on the connectors and ribbon cables which attach to the membrane 
switch panels, and relieving the stress which they are normally under. (The 
factory has the cables bent into a tight "hairpin" shape. You can modify 
things to make the cables lay flat and not be under such extreme stress.)


take care,
McLilith

>... do they go on ebay often ( how much ? ) or are they
> rare and unreliable?

I can certainly support the comments made by the others.  Aside from the 
membrane switch issues (caused by the internal connections), once a Polaris 
is working it tends to stay that way.

In terms of eBay availability and pricing, most times you can find one up 
for auction.  From my recollection, they seem to go for about $500US or so - 
although sometimes a bit higher (or lower).

If you can't find one on eBay, you might want to try some of the on-line
music stores (Daddy's, Rogue, etc.) - or you might have more luck with the 
"Ads" section of the Rhodes Chroma web site (which also hosts on 
Polaris-specifc files).

Check out:

http://www.rhodeschroma.com/?id=ads

thanks for all the responses and great advice
i think my 650 uk pounds is mmmm little too much now, never mind, i'll 
wait till i see one for cheaper, they look sooo cool
thanks justin

Hello polarized friends,

I have a problem with my CP: when I try to load patches (using 
computer) the synth hangs...

precisely:

I start the load mode
start the audio file
the synth react and the led walk, but suddenly stops on "F4" led, and 
synth need a restart

what do you think ? I suspect a ram chip, am I correct? What procedure 
I have to do to check the memory ?


thank you

antonio

At 10:03 AM 8/18/2005, Antonio Tuzzi wrote:

>I have a problem with my CP: when I try to load patches (using
>computer) the synth hangs...
>
>precisely:
>
>I start the load mode
>start the audio file
>the synth react and the led walk, but suddenly stops on "F4" led, and
>synth need a restart
>
>what do you think ? I suspect a ram chip, am I correct? What procedure
>I have to do to check the memory ?


Hello Antonio,

It's entirely possible that your Polaris is not broken. Have you had it 
long? Have you ever tried to load patches into it before?

The Polaris is notorious for being VERY PICKY about the exact level of 
audio signal you feed into it for the patch loading procedure.

Also, the signal source needs to be able to drive a low impedance load, 
such as a small speaker. If your signal source is only designed to drive 
line-level audio inputs, you can have lots of problems. The original patch 
loading procedure was to load the programs from cassette tape. The manuals 
made a point to recommend using the headphone jack of cheap portable 
cassette player, because the headphone output would be capable of driving a 
lower impedance load than the typical line-out jack of a high-quality 
stereo tape deck.

I have my computer connected to my home stereo. The last time I loaded 
patches into my Polaris, I connected a "guitar patch cord" between the 1/4" 
headphone jack of my stereo, and the 1/4" input on the Polaris. I then 
played the WAV file on my computer, letting the signal play through my 
stereo, out the headphone jack, and into the Polaris. I had to experiment a 
couple times to get the proper volume level on the stereo, but it worked 
fine otherwise.


take care,
McLilith