That One Time That Fender Made A Synth...
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- Опубликовано: 27 окт 2020
- In 1984, Fender put out a synthesizer - the Chroma Polaris.
This short film explains why and how that happened.
With thanks:
Paul DeRocco (original designer and ARP and CBS employee)
Mary Lock (original ARP and CBS employee)
The Alan R Pearlman Foundation alanrpearlmanfoundation.org/
Richard @ retrosynthads.blogspot.com/
Marc Brassé www.brassee.com/
Midera: • Chroma Polaris various...
www.rhodeschroma.com/
www.muzines.co.uk/
Nathan @ synthchaser.com/
…and the owner of the featured Polaris II.
Social:
Facebook.com/AlexBallMusic
alexballmusic
Nerdy details (from left to right)
Sequencer:
Play, record, stop buttons, although a tempo tap footswitch is also required to operate it.
The polyphonic sequencer can store up to 12 sequences and a total of 650 notes, although the sequencer memory is shared with the patch memory.
Keyboard:
Stack, unison and split modes, plus range selection.
Oscillators:
6 voice polyphony with CEM3374 dual VCOs.
Each oscillator has "saws" (as described in the video) and a pulse wave with manual width and bi-polar width modulation of both shapes. In fact, there's no mixer section and so to lose an oscillator you set a pulse's duty cycle to 0% so that you can't hear it.
VCO 1 has a ring modulator and VCO 2 can be phase synched to oscillator one.
There is a discrete transpose button for each oscillator. You select it and then press a key on the keyboard to do this.
Sweep:
LFO with sine or square waves with a continuous rate. There's one per voice and the sine waves are always free running and different for each voice allowing for LFO modulation with different phase.
Filter:
4-pole CEM3372 with cutoff, resonance, bi-polar sweep depth, bi-polar envelope depth and bi-polar keyboard tracking depth.
Noise on/off is also found in the filter section.
Filter Envelope:
Attack, decay, sustain, sustain decay and release. Touch sensitivity on/off.
Volume (Amp) Envelope:
Attack, decay and release. Touch sensitivity on/off.
Assignable Control:
Modulation section that is uni-polar on the left and bi-polar on the right.
As well as five external pedal or switch parameters, there's (monophonic) glide, volume, mod lever and bend lever ranges, vibrato delay, VCO 1 and 2 vibrato amounts, envelope modulation of oscillator 2 and detune.
Bank select / Program select:
Here you'll find 132 memory slots (A - K and 1 - 12), advanced sequencer commands, external sync settings, midi channel setting and cassette backup utilities.
Midi:
In + Out / Thru
Good midi implementation with control of parameters via CC, although some weren't available at the time of the mkI (e.g. program bank selections and NRPNs).
Chroma Interface:
Parallel port for a proprietary system.
Connectivity:
Headphone out
Audio out low / high
Sync in / out
Pedal in
Sus footswitch in (this also allows you to freeze a note and then use the bend lever to create pedal steel-like effects)
Cassette din
Metronome footswitch in
Processor:
16-bit CPU Intel 80186.
Release:
1984 
Видеоклипы
![Cordae - Saturday Mornings (feat. Lil Wayne) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/z2GYJua09F0/mqdefault.jpg)
Polaris I vs Polaris II
As a lot of a people are asking the same question, here's the answer from its designer:
_"There were some tweaks and mods to the circuitry, but no functional changes._
_They probably have later firmware, but the latest firmware can be used in the old units as well."_
Proud owner here, the diagram in the top right is different on the version 1.
@@geographyman562 my V1 doesn’t have anything written there - does yours?
Also, I’ve read that the V1 had midi speeds that were 2X, but they thought that the V2 may have dropped this for cost savings.
Found the spot, might not be true, considering you spoke with the designer.
www.gearslutz.com/board/showpost.php?p=13533095&postcount=17
That digital sound starting at 04:23 ...... I've heard that somewhere before on some sci-fi soundtrack or cartoon possibly Ulysses 31.
It's making use of the ring modulator which was a staple of the 70s and early 80s.
Used on the opening of the 80s version of the Dr Who theme.
ruclips.net/video/pX5teAVGKlE/видео.html
@@MIDERA nothing
Good story...
I bought mine back in '86 when Fender saw they were no longer desired and bombed them out for $500. I brought it home and immediately realized it didn't sound right. Had a weird faint distortion that I figured shouldn't be there. I lived in Orange, CA at the time and took it to Fender's main service center in Brea. Now, these had been out for some time but they'd never heard of my complaint and after an extended listening test the service guy thought I was being picky, but to appease me said they'd order some new oscillator and filter chips to try.
A week later they called to say the chips had come in and for me to pick it up. I walked in to see mine (with the new chips installed) sitting next to another new unit. This time there were two engineers there and they said 'you need to hear this'. We played them side by side and the difference was night and day. Mine now was alive and sounded like it should. Their other new one (their factory reference) sounded like crap. I was quite surprised of their willingness to do that demo.
The problem was with the Curtis CEM3372 filter chips. Turns out they had a bad batch that went in lots and lots of Polaris's. The new filters had a "D" designation. I even called and spoke to Doug Curtis about it and he gave me the lowdown on the issue and sent me a bunch of spec sheets on all their chips. Nice guy.
Whenever I see one of these for sale, I always wonder how many of them out there have the bad chips in them and how few of them, if any, were updated.
That synth is actually super impressive sounding -
Only 1.250- 10,000 + USD online - YIKES
I think so, yeah.
They're worth about £1,700 / $2,200 in this kind of condition with everything in working order. Not seen any advertised for $10,000?!
tomblaze2 dang, I think I paid $120 for mine used in 88 or so.
@@tomblaze2 You think that's bad? A CS-80 is around 22 grand in moderate working condition. Some sold even have issues with wiring or hardware components.
@@squeebbb it's not a CS-80 though. It's not worth 10k, not even close to that price range.
I owned one of these in the late 1990s. Given to me by a customer in NY because he didn't want it any more. I gave it to a musician a few years later, thinking it was not worth anything. OH MAN I regret that.
It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all*
*I'm lying
Thats amazing man! I love that story! I was given 3 of these synths! I used one as a backup and played on the other one and gave the 3rd one to the mailman. To my surprise, on one special afternoon the mailman arrived with 5 more Chroma Polaris that were given to me.
@@NathanHassall Some people are too lucky. Have you found that your nose gets injured if you turn round too quickly without checking first? 😳
@Igor Kravitz There are no idiots in this comment thread...only good people who like synths man.
Hahahahaha!!!! I love you man!!! Awesome video!!!
👊
hey your the shit too love your channel, I knew i should have started a channel, I have the studio and music, and equipment, congrats on new studio havent seen yet but knowing you its proper Jolly
HI DOC
cameo drop from Dr. Mix!
Nice
Mega-fat analog sound... check; plenty of sliders.... check; look that belongs in the sequel to "Logan's Run".... check; phenomenal presentation of the synth... check; stellar job as ever, Alex!!!
Cheers Paolo. An interesting one for sure. Hopefully covering some more oddballs soon. 🙂
word this guy is genious
One of the most characterful and powerful sounding synths I've tried. Filter can get very growly and aggressive, but also sweet. Lovely hi-fi tone and the Arp sound and influence is unmistakeable. Thanks for shining some light on this underrated classic Alex!
Yeah, it's like an ARP that's not an ARP. Both in terms of sound and in terms of its designers.
But then mixed with the whole Curtis thing, which gives it another twist.
Very cool.
I usched one of thesche on Romansching the Bone in 1985.
I like the part where the key tracking swings both ways!
didn't you also score Oh God! Oh God! Oh God - zilla?
I thought you first used it on The First Thrush of Youth
Rather arousing, dare I say.
There's only two kinds of people I hate in this world. Those who are intolerant of other cultures....and the DUTCH!
the 80's were so crazy, even Fender went synth*
Coffee machine, microwave, car, hoover, blender, toilet roll - all had built in synths in the 80s.
Yo. That opening chord progression was just gorgeous. Wow.
I have one - had to get new membrane switches recently. This is the synth that Behringer should copy. I moved the backup battery to the outside. All synthesizer manufacturers should have or should start to have the back up memory batteries accessible through a little door like it's done for standard battery operated devices.
That's a good call, that does make me nervous. I've heard horror stories of Korg Polysixs leaking and stuffing whole boards of components.
A friend had the battery in his LinnDrum leak through its case and just miss the 808 and 909 below due to the angle of the stand. Too close 😬
Yes! I haven't bought a few vintage machines precisely for the difficulty of changing the battery, and all the related horror stories.
I had the batteries drain on mine, causing it to revert to default sound, which was either very high or very low, I don’t recall, either way, I couldn’t hear anything. Was so sad.
Then, after a few months of occasionally turning it on, and seeing if I could get sound out of it again, I tried changing the base tuning, and BANG! It was back.
But I still had to reload all the presets, which was a major pain.
100% behind this. If modern keyboards can have wifi, the backup battery should be user accessible.
awwwwwwww man that would be sweet!
The Polaris has one of the best MIDI-specs of a vintage analog. It responds to polyphonic aftertouch over MIDI (not even the Xpander does that). The proprietary Chroma port is designed to hook up to a custom Apple ][ interface but can also be used to control the Chroma (and in fact could be used as a MIDI to Chroma interface, albiet a very expensive one!). Pitch bend works opposite to most other synths, oddly (pull the lever towards you to raise pitch).
Memories. I bought this the first month it was released and took her on the road for years. Having a midi keyboard with the ability to split the keyboard and have a programmable sequencer all playing simultaneously was years ahead of anything else at the time. And dynamically allocating the oscillators basically allowed it to function as 2 synths. I still have the custom road case in storage. Lol.
Although I've been a guitarist for decades I love drums, bass and all manner of keys. I've learned so much from Alex's videos and this was yet another complete mind-blower. I never knew that CBS/Fender made a synth, especially one with the lineage and unique properties this has. Outstanding brother, really dig your channel.
YMO vibes with that closing track. :)
6:18 is one the prettiest things I’ve ever heard. Reminds me of Disasterpiece’s FEZ video game score.
Yeah, never played a synth that does that. I play those "selective" bends on guitar, so was nice to try them on a keyboard instrument.
Instantly put on the list of synthesizers I want but can never afford or get
I bought one of these from a Salvation Army in Chicago about four years ago for $400 (plus the nasty Chicago sales tax). I'd never heard of it before, but after some quick web research decided it was a good buy. One side of the membrane panels was non-functional, so I had them replaced by a pro who also loaded the original voice programs. I'm primarily a guitar player who loves synths and ended up selling it early this year for $1200 because I really needed the money, but it definitely sounded great and was a lot of fun to build sounds on.
Glad you salvaged it and restored it and ultimately got some money back for your services.
Yeah, interesting poly. Underrated.
What a beautiful sound
Huh, I’ve known of the Chroma Polaris for years, but never knew if was Fender!
Indeed it is. Quite a unique moment in synth history.
I always wanted one of these! It was like a polished, (meaning we added membrane buttons and sleek panel graphics) 80s version of the Rhodes Chroma. You never hear anyone crediting a Chroma Polaris on any liner notes or see them on many stages. It seems like a synth that would have been huge if it was released just 3 or 4 years earlier, but 84 was post DX-revolution, so I guess it was just one of those synths that got rolled over in favor of digital. Fantastic video, as usual, though I feel this goes without saying.
Yes, has aged well sound-wise, but wasn't widely used at the time by the looks of it. A shame as it's got some unusual functions that are very clever.
Not to mention the 1983 ensoniq esq 1 filling the same role but smaller and cheaper
@@floppydisk921 ESQ-1 came out in 86
Missing Persons Keyboardist was using one live in some clips I've seen, probably what they recorded with too.!
@@kgbinfo Yeah youre right. I even own one and forgot
Ahh that last piece is phenomenal
Cheers.
This magnificent beast was used (along with the Ronald MC202) by Peter-John Vettese to make Jethro Tull’s Broadsword and the Beast, Under Wraps, and Ian Anderson brilliant solo album, Walk Into Light.
Stunning instrumental.
Liking the sound of that Fender, man.
5:17 sounds pretty good!
Got some beef if you want it, yeah.
The reverse keyboard trick was something you could do with the ARP 2600. Joe Zawinul had a pair onstage at some point, and he'd play the tune "Black Market" with one set normally, and the other with a reversed keyboard.
just saw waveshaper tweet about this, i only saw the buttons on the right because of the camera angle of that vid and didnt realise that this had so many sliders. Ace.
Thanks for this great description video. You should have mentioned, that the envelopes have some specialities too: If you set the decay parameter to maximum, then ADR envelope becomes an ASR envelope. If you set release to maximum then the actual envelope level is held forever (valid for both envelopes). That way you can let the synth hold a note or a chord and then continue playing normal melodies over it.
One of the most underrated synths
This thing sounds stellar - especially in your hands 🙌
Thanks. Yes, its off the beaten path of "classic" synths and yet it holds a candle to many of those.
Alright - I finished watching the vid - very awesome!
Here's a follow up of my notes regarding the Polaris:
1) The PWM of the saw wave is highly underrated - it's what gives you the most beefy and MASSIVE sounds I've ever heard in a synth. It's just glorious.
2) The manual is insanely thick and all of those parameters on the right side of the synth should be touched on. There are two buttons on the synth, such as Lower Function and Upper Function. There are words written above and below many of the buttons. Lower functions activate the item written on the bottom when you press "Lower Function" and the Upper does the same to the top words. So, for saving a patch, you would press "Upper Function" then button 1. Then you'd press either A-K for the bank (or don't press it if you're on the bank you want) and then press 1-12 to save it. You use these functions to tune your synth (Lower function).
3) On to tuning your synth, I personally have to do this every time I turn the synth on, BUT, I've come to realize now that I own the Moog Matriarch that I've been tuning the synth while it's cold, so it goes out of tune once it warms up. I probably just need to leave the synth on till it warms up. But the unique thing here is that the tuning also checks the voices. If there's an issue, it stops and I believe, deactivates that chip. In the above item, you use the Upper functions to deactivate voices too.
4) Following up on #3, you can deactivate 5 voices so that you can get a monosynth! I often do that for some of my tracks.
5) People sometimes complain about the envelopes cutting off abruptly - this is fixable. Read the manual and you will learn how to adjust the envelopes so they decay naturally.
6) If you hear a click every time you press a button, you can turn that off too! It's in the manual (sorry, I can't look up where at the moment, but it IS adjustable).
7) The sequencer sucks. I've never figured it out. Avoid.
8) You can set up up to 8 parts multitimbral. I've never done it... but you can if you want to.
9) I HAVE linked two parts. This is fairly simple to do and interesting in its approach. Unlike the DSI P08 and REV2 whereby creating split patches halves the voices, the Polaris has the voices dynamically linked. All 6 voices are available for both parts, similar to how the Analog Four/Keys does things. So you could hold a 5 note chord on one part in the lower octaves if you split the parts, and then a lead voice on the top (though if you only hold 4 voices at the bottom, you'll hear up to 2 voices on the top portion). I've done this trying to make a massive 3-voice part, but haven't found it to sound great (gets a bit too muddy for me). But if you want to set this up, it's not very difficult and can be interesting.
10) Ring mod and sync can be used to great effect, transpose one or both voices in strange ways to get sounds you never thought possible.
11) There is no oscillator mix section, turn off a voice if you wish by throwing one oscillator into pulse wave and putting PW to zero or 100%. Oscillator is now silent.
12) Sadly, there is no random LFO - I use this almost as much as I use a sine wave, so that's a bummer. Shame on you Fender, lol. Someone online once mentioned how you can get a pseudo random LFO, I've never gotten it to work. I could be dense.
13) Square wave LFO, sync, and ring mod go together in an interesting way. Try it.
14) The synth uses 4 D cell batteries for storing memory. Nice.
15) The synth is HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY. Word on the interwebs is that this was because there was a metal case version and a plastic case version designed, and they sent the design for the plastic case that was never made instead of the metal design and it was manufactured with metal and much thicker walls than it was supposed to. Could be hearsay, but that's what I heard, maybe someone from the original team can chime in some day!
That's it... that's all I have to say.
I appreciate the time and effort put into making the video here Alex!
That's a great list - thanks.
It is a special synth for sure, as well you know!
This is one cool synth! Now, I think that if Fender could do an updated reissue version of this like many other companies have been doing, they could capture some of the market's interest in some of these synths! :-)
Some say that Alex is still sat there revealing the Polaris' digital side.
Ps God I need those pitch sliders on the side!!
Cool isn't it! Makes me really want to try the original Rhodes Chroma.
Baffles me why we haven't seen a digital emulation, in VST format, of this beautiful synth...;)
Probably because there are 207348 VSTs that sound identical already.
Thank you for another in-depth look at a piece of synthesiser history Alex. You have really outdone yourself with that original piece to play out the video, absolutely stunning.
Thanks Chris. Was great to get the info from the original people, really helps.
Old school synth is excellent. Thank you for the love ❤️.
Thank you for this beautiful and well done tribute to an underrated synth. I was gifted one of these in non-working condition (membrane issue and some other problems to debug) and now it's a cornerstone of my studio! Really in love with it's sound, style and gravitas. It is an unparalleled synth!
Paul de Rocco is still manufacturing and selling replacement membranes to keep these beautiful instruments alive. What a great man!
Other notable users: Synthwave artist Waveshaper :)
I would love to get my hands on one of these.
Still one of my favorite synths
That's a really nice track.
That intro is just phenomenal
I played one of these in the 80's at a studio in NYC. Loved it.
man that pad at 10:19.... got to gem mine up and going.
TBF, there was Rhodes Chroma beforehand, love how the names got longer as in (Fender)ARP Rhodes Chroma then Fender Rhodes Chroma Polaris
Discussed from 1:06 as well as in my ARP documentary.
There was only the Rhodes Chroma and the Fender Chroma Polaris, there wasn't a name that contained ARP, Rhodes and Fender. That would have been hilarious though. 😂
Alex Ball - de fender of the polaris with another stellar performance!
Haha, de-Fender. Very good.
Love all the history you bring into your vids. Great stuff : )
I have a friend of mine that have a Chroma Polaris in the 80'S and I can say is that is a very unique sounding synth, defenetly has ARP soul in there and makes it more special also fits very well in today's music since the 80'S sound is coming back.
Another excellent video from no other than Alex Ball.
PS: In some point I would like to see a video about the history of SIMMONS drums, I think no one have something about and it's very interesting.
i second the simmons drums suggestion
Well, I did this: ruclips.net/video/LhwS2v0K1cs/видео.html
Very thorough, excellent production quality, great sounding synth. Thanks
Thanks!
love this old beauty - search one since 20 years or more - one day i have this godess synth in my center of life
I look forward to your videos and I loved the arp video as well great job!
Thanks very much.
Fantastic video! I regret not buying one when I had a chance in the early 90s.
Thanks. Yeah, a synth worth getting hold of if you can.
I have to say, you are really a fantastic point of light and inspiration in a dark sea of noise. Thanks for all you do!
What a lovely and unique sounding synth. Great play-out at the end all that panning right at the end made my eyes go funny. Ace
The movie The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid used some those sounds :)
And a great synth it is too.
excellent as always
Why do I have the feeling this beauty is really valuable now? It sounds absolutely awesome BTW. Love the unique sound profile it seems to have. Awesome demonstration as always Alex 👍
@5:15 Sounds exactly like a Commodore SID chip! :-D
Just a big fat pulse. You can get them at your local supermarket.
That patch at the opening was spectacular ....
Cheers. Pretty simple to be honest, just has a nice sound to it.
Wow that intro was beautiful! ( and everything else you were playing... love those chords with those sounds )
Thanks!
4:24 was EPIC!! Hilarious and killer vid as always Alex!
Very soulful and timeless synthesizer. I am certain I've heard it on a number of Detroit techno tracks but I could be wrong!
Could well be, it would integrate into a techno setup very well and I imagine some were knocking around cheap. In fact, I know they were as people have told me prices they bought them for in the late 80s / early 90s.
Would be interesting to know.
the best synth documentaries!! genius alex!! saludos desde Argentina
Thanks Gaston.
Really nice content! Nice story telling, video shots, and of course music and sounds. Subbed
wow...this was a really well done documentary...thanks for putting all of that work into it! great background informations! e.g. found it quite interesting what the magazines in that time wrote about it. also I like your synth play very much. both thumbs up for your work!
Cheers Wolf. Yes, great that Mu:zines have archived all those online. Gives some nice context
Great video. Paul DeRocco is something an unsung synth design genius and deserves more recognition. I think I'm correct in saying that he designed the entire original Chroma, as well as the Polaris - concepts, hardware software and all. Quite an achievement!
He's been incredibly helpful to me (as have a lot of the ex-ARP people). Both humble and incredibly smart, it's a bit sickening isn't it. 🙂
I replaced the old membrane panels on my Polaris about 5 years ago with Paul’s new ones. Can’t state enough how happy I am that he took the time to make these. The old Mylar ribbon connectors had cracked, as is notoriously inevitable with this synth. Now after recapping the power supply, it functions almost like new. It’s a beautiful and unique sounding analog poly, hosting an incredible feature set, and full MIDI implementation. Probably among the best in its day.
this mixture of analog warmth and digital artifacts.... nice sounding synth for sure.. the interface seems nice too
That intro ❤️❤️❤️
great job man!! I have one since '90... I think one of the best synth ever made!!
Beautiful sound!!!
Very inspiring stuff Alex!
Glad to have one ! Thanks for your Music !
What a soundmonster, great video, thank you 4 the music 😄👍
Not enough synth videos actually tweak the knobs for us.nice job
That intro!! :)
Excellent and concise summary, thanks!
Thanks Alex, informative and awesome as ever! 💪🏽
Thank you.
Excellent video! Great music!
I loved those long notes you played on it! Sounds pretty cool.
Thanks. Yes, you can drone it indefinitely with the envelopes.
Synth like this is just good as man who is using it. You need to be real master to get nice sound of synth like this. It is not easy at all.
I just love the track at the end
sounds so good...as well as your playing!
Thank you.
Just got round to watching this, great job as always dude.
Why thank you sir.
Great piece on a unique synth, brought back some fond memories of my unit. BTW, one cool trick is to use the service mode to disable 5 of the voices, so you are left with a monophonic synth for some great solo lines. I remember calling the one guy left from the team still working at Fender for support and he kindly sent me the last version of the ROMs, which had different velocity curves, if I recall correctly.
That's a really NOICE synth, innit?
Noicey, noicey zoo-zoo.
Damn it, been trying to get my hands on one of these for ages. Looks like my search just got a lot harder(and more expensive)
I have seen these in the past but this is the first time I have heard one. They sound pretty good (especially when you demonstrate it Alex)
Thanks Markus. Yes, it's a mid-80s "cold" Curtis poly. I like the sound, but seems to divide people a bit.
So if you find one out at a boot sale definitely pick it up
I like this, you had me hooked with the intro.
Such a lush sounding synth, had no idea it existed.
This sounds amazing
Wow! Didn’t know that fender made synths. Learn something new everyday.🤨🎶👍🏾
0:41 *1984 perfectly on beat*
Inadvertent rapper.
Even as a cost-reduced version of the Chroma it still sounds fantastic. I love the Chroma and this one has the same charm :D. Man, looking at these instruments makes me feel so bad for Arp. They had some real talent in that company :/. Great video, Alex!
Man Alex, you surprise me with this one. I really really like the Chroma Polaris. I didn't know it had a Fender label. Also the track at the end, excellent. I have the UVI version. They added the Chroma Polaris last year. Oh, loved the video too. So nice had to watch it twice!
Amazing, I love fender guitars and I love synths. I never knew this existed.
I love geeking out to your videos Alex, lol! As well as that analogue/digital hybrid sound, the Space 1999 graphics really do it for me, lol! ;)
Thanks. You've gotta have the vintage looks when covering vintage synths. :)
Shoutout to the Apple 2 computer at 7:52!
Men I LOVE You videos. You show me even synths that I was searching... I dont even know the names... One of them I saw in Berlin...
I love bizarre relics like this.
Absolutely. Off the beaten path!
Going to cover some others like this.
the filters sound like magic
It has almost an Oberheimy-ish kind of sound to it.