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ChromaTalk Archives: December 2004

Registration of my Chromas

Jerry Leonard [21030100++] · Fri, 3 Dec 2004 11:27:59 -0800

I'm finally getting around to registering my Chromas. I have 3 Chromas and 1 Expander that I have bought over the last five years. I'll list them in the order of purchase. This is only as accurate as my memory serves me. (scary thought)

21030402 - Bought from JD Music in the Philadelphia area for $300. It didn't work. So, I bought another, hoping to interchange the parts to make one good one.

21030399 - Bought from J. Lewis in Baltimore. This unit also had problems. I believe I paid $400.

21030100 - I bought this unit from someone in California about 2 years ago. I believe he had two for sale at the time, one good one and one for parts. I bought the one for parts. It was missing the I/O board and computer board, but had everything else. I restored this particular unit, refinishing the wood, put in a new power supply with new circuitry (not Tillman's) and it works great.

Expander - I haven't been able to find the Serial # on the expander, but I haven't looked that hard yet either. It's not on the outside where it should be. Anyone know where to look inside? When I find it, I'll provide the number. I bought this unit from M. Smith in Oklahoma for $350.

I have also obtained 2 additional I/O boards and a computer board. One I/O board and computer board came from a guy in London, Ontario, Canada. I don't recall his name. The other I/O board I think I bought from somewhere on the east coast, but from whom or where escapes me. Someday I'll put all this stuff back on the market. I hope to at least get one more unit up and running, then will probably let the other one go with parts.

Chris Ryan [21030691] · Fri, 3 Dec 2004 17:41:00 -0800

I'm finally getting around to registering my Chromas. I have 3 Chromas and 1 Expander that I have bought over the last five years. I'll list them in the order of purchase.

Thanks! These will be in the new site, which is getting pretty close to done.

Expander - I haven't been able to find the Serial # on the expander, but I haven't looked that hard yet either. It's not on the outside where it should be. Anyone know where to look inside?

See FAQ: Where do I find the instrument serial number?

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Sat, 4 Dec 2004 09:10:44 +0100

Hell - those prices are really disgustingly cheap!

Congratulations!

Murray Macdonald [21030276+] · Mon, 6 Dec 2004 09:31:08 -0800

I paid $400 Canadian for each of my two Chromas, both in good working condition. Ahhh the good ole days before ebay and http://www.prepal.com

Chris Ryan [21030691] · Mon, 6 Dec 2004 11:46:54 -0800

Seems to me the Chroma prices on PrePal's Rhodes page are low. I wonder where they get their data.

Murray Macdonald [21030276+] · Mon, 6 Dec 2004 11:56:12 -0800

From the prepal site:

Once every night, the PrePal service goes out and retrieves any new items from several sources, including news groups (NNTP), auction sites, music sites with used gear boards, etc. After it creates a list of what it thinks could potentially be music items for sale, it tries to eliminate duplicate entries (ie; someone posting a forsale post on two different newsgroups, or on the newsgroups and a message board as well). After it's satisfied with the intermediate data, it attempts to identify manufacturers as well as products; if it's finds a sufficiently accurate match, it's added to the products entry in the database.

Olli [21010284] · Mon, 6 Dec 2004 21:28:56 +0100

oh yeah,

very low, too low just as for ARP 2600s...

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Tue, 7 Dec 2004 07:29:31 +0100

I paid $400 Canadian for each of my two Chromas, both in good working condition. Ahhh the good ole days before ebay and http://www.prepal.com

Good for you - to me one chroma is enough though and I still consider mine a bargain.

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Tue, 7 Dec 2004 07:33:59 +0100

Once every night, the PrePal service goes out and retrieves any new items from several sources [...]

Ie, it hasn't found a good chroma match since 1992 then or? ;)

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Tue, 7 Dec 2004 07:32:38 +0100

Seems to me the Chroma prices on PrePal's Rhodes page are low. I wonder where they get their data.

Old stuff from classifieds at synthsite I guess? Anyway, I guess you over there is finding yourself missing auctions on ebay now and then because if us europeans snatching the good stuff because of the good exchange rates all of a sudden. I have friends who's bought ARP 2600, Moog Voyager and similar recently and on Ebay... That wasn't possible just a few months ago but with the dollar dropping 30% or more to the swedish kronor we're not complaining. ;)

Well, I do a little since my record shop isn't visited that much by americans anymore... Woops, getting off-topic now I guess... sorry...

Jack Colburne [21030142+] · Tue, 7 Dec 2004 13:15:24 -0500

Murray Macdonald wrote:

I paid $400 Canadian for each of my two Chromas, both in good working condition. Ahhh the good ole days before ebay and http://www.prepal.com

Ha... (chuckle)!

I guess it depends how old you think "old" is. :-)

I paid about $3400.00 US for my first Chroma when new, and $110.00 for the second. ... I think of them both as "good old days", albeit one was a bit older than the other.

hmmmmm ... I hope I've also gotten "gooder" as well as "older" :-)

Chroma Parts For Sale

Arti Haroutunian [21030388] · Fri, 3 Dec 2004 14:24:35 -0700

I recently sold my Chroma and have extra parts left over that the buyer wasn't interested in. I was actually trying to acquiring enough parts to build another complete Chroma, but I never found a case or power supply, so I've decided to sell the remaining parts.

(6) Voice cards. I tested these and they work fine. One of them has the ARP logo. Asking $95 each.

(2) Voice cards. These tuned up fine and seemed functional, but they wouldn' t track the pitch properly over the entire keyboard range. Whenever they were played in unison with other cards they would be slightly off in pitch as you deviated from middle C. Asking $70 each.

(1) Motherboard. This one is dead. It's complete, with a full set of R14 eproms. It originally had some battery acid damage, and I replaced some sockets, but that didn't help. All socketed parts have been tested good. Asking $65.

A full set of keys. In great shape and uniform in color. I'll only ship these within the US. Make me an offer.

I think that I also have a transformer and a handful of other boards, but I can't find the box I stored them in. I'll list those items when I find them.

Shipping is extra. I'll ship within the US via priority mail, and to Canada and Europe via Global Priority Mail (airmail). I won't ship anywhere else. I'll charge whatever the US mail website comes up with for your address. Payment is accepted through Paypal only.

I've described everything as best as I can, but everything is sold as is. First come, first served. My ebay username is 'arti' if you need a reference. And yes, whatever is left over after a week or two goes on ebay.

WTB: Chroma I/O board

Ben Vehorn [21030757] · Sat, 4 Dec 2004 02:52:27 -0500

Does anyone have a Chroma I/O board for sale? Mine's not working and I want to swap it out.

Yay, my Chroma works now

Ben Vehorn [21030757] · Tue, 7 Dec 2004 19:44:55 -0500

Just got my Chroma up and running... bought it several years ago working and it died after a couple of months. Just swapped the I/O board and all is well again.

I am now getting this message after autotuning " ERR 4". Does this mean voice 4 is not being tuned properly? All voices sound like they are in tune.

Thanks.

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Wed, 8 Dec 2004 07:46:27 +0100

I am now getting this message after autotuning " ERR 4". Does this mean voice 4 is not being tuned properly?

Sounds like it. Last weekend my chroma showed ERR 1, but then after a new power-up yesterday it wasn't there so I guess that oscillator (card?) is just within the margin and could use a manual tune...

All voices sound like they are in tune.

Well then, doesn't the chroma automatically "shut down" the non-tuned voice like many other polysynths? Or do you really have all 16 tuned?

Ben Vehorn [21030757] · Wed, 8 Dec 2004 02:05:40 -0500

Not sure if the voice disables automatically, but that would explain why it's in tune. I turned it off for awhile and then back on for another hour and had no more error messages, so I guess the tuning is on the margin like you said. But it sure sounds great to me! I'm not going to worry about it, I'm just happy to have it running.

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Wed, 8 Dec 2004 08:36:26 +0100

That's the spirit of a true Chroma owner! :)

Have I mentioned that my only other polysynth was sold a few weeks ago? It is a Korg PS-3200 and even though many consider me wacko for selling it I haven't missed it since and the Chroma fills the "polyphonic space" so good that I probably never will...

Keep in touch if that ERR 4 appears again. I'd like to hear about tuning procedures etc if my ERR 1 comes back one day...

Olli [21010284] · Wed, 8 Dec 2004 09:50:17 +0100

hi

if i recall correctly, the defectious voice is switched off. but with one of the setsplit commands you can switch it on again to experiment.

just check in the service manual.

Werner Schöenenberger [21010114] · Thu, 9 Dec 2004 18:15:58 +0100

Hi all,

yes this is true. The board which cannot be tuned are switched of. There is hidden command (check the service manual) to switch on even the voice cards which could not be tuned. Also there is a manual tuning procedure described in the service manual to bring back the "out of tune" boards if there is no hardware fault.

By the way, as I noticed, the tuning sometimes might depend on temperature and humidity. So sometimes it helps to run the Chroma for about 10 minutes and tune it again.

JL Cooper Chromaface crashes my Chroma

Ben Vehorn [21030757] · Thu, 9 Dec 2004 11:09:56 -0500

Hi all,

Just got my Chroma working after years of being broken and it works fine now.

I have a JL Cooper Chromaface that came with the unit and I've never used it. I powered the Chroma and the interface off, plugged them both in and fired up the Chroma. It goes through the autotune routine (lights flashing) then... nothing, no display, no sound, no buttons work, the machine crashes. If I power it off, disconnect the Chromaface and reboot, it comes up fine. I tried to boot it several times with and without the interface and the behavior is consistent.

I'm guessing the easiest things to check/most likely suspects are the power supply and ribbon cable for the Chromaface. The cable is a flat grey ribbon cable, can I just replace this with a standard parallel DB25 cable like the Moog Voyager uses to the breakout box? Any other advice is appreciated.

Also, I was thinking about just replacing it with a Chromacult interface. Would this be worth the extra money, or is the Chromaface worth salvaging?

Thanks.

Chris Ryan [21030691] · Thu, 9 Dec 2004 09:37:34 -0800

I think the Chroma Cult is a worthwhile investment. It's a far more capable interface (see the manual), and is the standard--most of the Mac/PC software available for the Chroma assumes or requires it.

Murray Macdonald [21030276+] · Thu, 9 Dec 2004 08:49:35 -0800

My Chromafaces work fine. They just boot up and work. That said, they lack many features supported like the Chromacult including sysex patch dumps and support for continuous controllers. For this reason I keep intending to replace mine, but never find the time or money. From my experience and the nice things people say I say suggest you save your time and go for the Chromacult. If you really want a working chromaface, I'll sell you mine. ;-)

Ben Vehorn [21030757] · Thu, 9 Dec 2004 14:18:07 -0500

Would it be safe to try a standard DB25 parallel cable to see if this is the culprit? I'm going to get a Chromacult anyway, but want to use it w/ midi in the meanwhile.

Thanks.

Murray Macdonald [21030276+] · Thu, 9 Dec 2004 12:55:22 -0800

Hi Ben,

I don't know as mine are built in. I will look later tonight when I am at the studio, but if I remember correctly I think it is a straight crimped cable.

David Clarke [21030085++] · Thu, 09 Dec 2004 20:54:54 -0500

My thoughts are just about the same expressed by Murray Macdonald - namely that the Chromaface is a functional interface - but it really doesn't have many 'bells and whistles.'

I have have Chromacult interfaces on a couple Chromas - but I too have kept the JL Cooper box (for when I really don't need to do the sysex dump/CC work.

If money isn't an issue - then I'd certainly look at the Chromacult. If the budget is tight (and/or non-existant) I'd say poke at the JL Cooper interface a bit more (you've already got it - so it can't hurt to fiddle a bit).

Is the power adapter for the Chromaface OK? (I'm not sure how it would behave it was connected to the Chroma with no power asserted ... mine has been modified to pull power directly from the Chroma instead of getting it from an external cube).

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Fri, 10 Dec 2004 08:02:14 +0100

I won't join the debate of which is best (I have the EES/Wieschlock interface) but from what I've learned about instruments that doesn't work it's most of the time a short circuit... If you have a volt meter you should check just the flat cable and then maybe the chromaface for SC's...

If there is a SC it could very well behave like that and yes, a new cable _may_ help, but not if the problem is in the chromaface.

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Fri, 10 Dec 2004 08:07:39 +0100

Would it be safe to try a standard DB25 parallel cable to see if this is the culprit? I'm going to get a Chromacult anyway, but want to use it w/ midi in the meanwhile.

I'd say yes, if there's an SC and the cable is wrong there will be a new SC. But since it's a digital interface it should be very hard to break that way. I've messed with broken cables in my PC without frying anything... ;)

Thank God for analogue signals...

Chroma FS on ebay

David Clarke [21030085++] · Sun, 12 Dec 2004 12:16:23 -0500

[Item 3769112162]

This looks to be S/N 21030668 (listed in the registry).

See the registry entry for pictures.

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Sun, 12 Dec 2004 20:54:52 +0100

Damn, I wis the padding in my case was that fresh! ;)

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Mon, 20 Dec 2004 07:46:47 +0100

chroma sold at 2000 USD

I guess you've contacted the buyer already to keep track of the chroma...

More chroma parts for sale

Arti Haroutunian [21030388] · Tue, 14 Dec 2004 16:41:56 -0700

Hi Everybody,

I found three more chroma boards that I'm putting up for sale.

  1. IO board in full working order, comes with solenoid assembly and slider cap, asking $100.
  2. Channel motherboard, works fine, no bent or missing pins, asking $65.
  3. EQ board with slider caps, functionality unknown but looks good, asking $35.

Shipping is extra. Thanks to all of you who bought parts from my first post.

chroma voice card on german ebay

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Mon, 20 Dec 2004 08:36:50 +0100

Item 3769619247. A rough translation of the description: "For sale, one of eight voice cards, taken from a fully functional Chroma. Delivery to commercial users under exclusion of the liability for material defects. Photo on request."

Chroma update

Vincent Russo [21030433] · Wed, 22 Dec 2004 12:33:26 -0500

Hello Chroma Friends,

Well I pulled by Chroma out of Storage this week to get it in the studio and in use if possible. After a year or so in storage, (standing up-thx allot wife! : ( ) Its about 85% functional!!!! I think thats very good??

  • Voice boards 4, 5 & 7 Error upon auto tune and boot up. I am guessing that when I open the unit this weekend they just need to be re-seated and the board contacts cleaned ? and I hope to get 6 or 7 good voices at least. **What should I use to clean the board contacts? Is Caig Detoxit Ok or just Iso alchohol ?
  • I have 4 keys not working (The 3 top most d's and final g), despite exercising them as much as a I can (I got two to work this way) and will clean the contact this weekend. **Could someone tell me the correct procedure for cleaning contatcs again. It has been so long.
  • The battery seems good. I loaded some factory banks and all was well (Thx Olli!!). I am now going through all the sys ex file patch banks and picking my favorite. If your on Mac OS X, Snoize works great and is free here: http://www.snoize.com/SysExLibrarian **Does anyone have any favorite bank to work off of or play with ???
  • The Syntech Midi box Ken sent me last year works great.
  • ** Is the mailing list archive for 2004 going to be available ? I would like to get caught up on messages
  • In January, a friend will be refinishing mine a natural/light oak type look/finish for me. **Could someone tell me what type of finish I want to use ?

Overall , Im very happy to have the Chroma back in my rig. It has some very fat sounds and nice basses too. Not as good at pads or strings as I hoped, but ooh well. Thank you to Chris ands Olli for there recent help and Advice.

Chris Ryan [21030691] · Wed, 22 Dec 2004 17:56:17 -0800

** Is the mailing list archive for 2004 going to be available ? I would like to get caught up on messages

The new site, which includes the 2004 archives, is almost ready to go; there is just a pesky CSS layout problem (actually a bug in IE/Windows) I'm working on. I hope to post a "beta" in the next few weeks.

Vincent Russo [21030433] · Thu, 23 Dec 2004 23:25:34 -0500

Hello All,

Thought I would share my day of getting my Chroma up and running in the studio with everyone

Here are my tech notes from today. I have a fully functioning 8 voice Chroma now!! : ). looking forward to the new finish in January, adding a Cv pedal, and getting a solid tabel stand to hold it.

I pulled the Rhodes Chroma out. It had 3-4 voice boards booting up in error and 5 or 6 keys not triggering and the memory was gone.

  1. Replaced double A battery in Chroma, and loaded new sound bank through snoize midi sys-ex librarian. snoize.com/SysExLibrarian/ Went through about 100 sysex banks of sounds from Chris' website in the morning and settled on the Synasty3 set to work off. Really had forgotten how FAT and BIG the Chromas is, great for bass!!!!! Found a few nice pads in this set to help me. Nice percussive and bandwidth type sounds.
  2. cleaned all key contacts (3 strips of silver for each key), a couple still stubborn keys, bent the contacts to let them touch easier when key press. Fixed! A few keys are still iffy, but the more the board plays the better it gets.
  3. Re-seated problematic voice cards (1,3,4,5,7) and cleaned the contact pins on boards that slide holes underneath, 1st try all but board 4 working now. 2nd try, Recleaned board 4 pins and noticed a few pins not straight. Used needle nose to straighten bent pins. re seated board. Wholla all 8 voices now working!!! : )
  4. January a friend will refinsih all the wood for me in natural stain and wax.

Should be fun!!! This thing is Supa Fat! Not great for pads but for basses and nice filter sounds and percusssive stuff. Nearer the Ob Xpander IMO. More here: [see Reviews for the current URL].

Thx to JL and Juilie Yarbrough for tech notes regarding the problems.

Thx to Olli and Chris for other help.

Thx to Ken Y for the midi interface!

Thx to David Morley for talking about his Chroma. I hope you get another one day.

Chroma Questions

Vincent Russo [21030433] · Thu, 23 Dec 2004 23:25:58 -0500

Hi,

Hope some people can point me in the right direction on these remaining issues:

CV PEDAL

I would like to add a CV pedal to the Chroma, I do not have the origional. Mike Peake promised to send it, but it never came. The Roland EV-5 looks like it will work but is there something better out there thats not hard to get?

REFINISHING THE WOOD

I would like to get a more natural light finish similiar to Don Tillman's Chroma seen here: http://www.till.com/articles/ChromaPowerSupply/images/side-panel.jpeg Don, used Varathane Diamond finish any other suggestions for getting this type of finish ?

KEY FOLLOW

Any tips on getting a Key Follow effect despite there not being one on the Chroma ?

ASSEMBLING SOUNDS

What is a good way of assembling/organizing user banks?

See responses in January 2005: Chroma Questions

another (same?) chroma card on german ebay

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Wed, 29 Dec 2004 08:38:42 +0100

Said to be functional...

[Item 3771840069]

69 euro or 75 as buy it now... I don't know with rev it is though.