Skip Navigation.
Section 0

ChromaTalk Archives: January 2009

Re: Mal's eBay Items

Go to first message in thread, December 2008

Mal Meehan [21010182++] · Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:57:42 +0000

Looks like a few people got a bargain... especially the SPSU which was bought by a U.S. music store... so expect to see that back on ebay at 3 times the price!

Still, better then me junking it all now that I'm without a Chroma (first time in many years).

I might be on the look out for another Chroma in the NY area in the near future... should anyone on the list know of one going.

Thanks to all who purchased, these items will be shipped out in the New Year, as I'm currently in Venice, Italy for the holidays.

Chroma Expander case for sale

Mark Smith [2103-PT-002] · Sun, 4 Jan 2009 11:53:39 -0800

Hi -

Here's an empty Expander case for sale. Hand made pre-production model. No power supply, no circuit boards, no cables except rear panel is complete. Best offer by Jan. 12 - suggest $250.

Mark Smith [2103-PT-002] · Sun, 4 Jan 2009 12:04:53 -0800

Chroma Expander addendum

Hi -

Some stuff I forgot -

User pays shipping which will be calculated point to point. Probably not worth international shipping.

Earth tone colors.

White artists tape is stuck to the right switch panel - old, difficult to remove. Probably better to cover with new white tape.

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:03:41 +0100

Re: Chroma Expander addendum

Panels? or what? Any price? I'm interested if we're talking earth tone panels. :)

Mark Smith [2103-PT-002] · Sun, 4 Jan 2009 13:16:18 -0800

Re: Chroma Expander addendum

Hi -

The panels are pretty firmly attached to the aluminum frame. I suppose with the right amount of patience they could be separated. I'd like to sell the whole case but I will separate. Make an offer.

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:05:44 +0100

OK, now it made more sense. Sorry for the confusion!

Mike Jaynes [21030638+] · Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:56:46 -0800

Mark:

I would offer you $200 plus the shipping. I probably have enough parts to build it up into an expander. How would you want to be paid? Paypal, Money order...?

I am in Applegate, calif. 95703

Let me know.

Mark Smith [2103-PT-002] · Sun, 4 Jan 2009 14:15:22 -0800

Hi - Great! I'd like PayPal. I'll know the shipping cost tomorrow.

Several more messages were exchanged before it was pointed out that the negotiation was being held publicly.

Safe temperature for Chromas

Joe Porter [21030058] · Mon, 5 Jan 2009 19:54:59 +0000

Hi,

I have heard (or read but can't remember where) that you shouldn't turn the Chroma on in an environment below 18 celsius, as causes the chips on the voicecards to break. Is this true? If so I need to put a thermometer in my studio.

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:05:41 +0100

Mine is working. It's often 15-16 when I start. It soon rises because of all the analogue warmth. :)

Mal Meehan [21010182++] · Mon, 5 Jan 2009 21:48:46 +0000

I believe it was Chroma techy Martin Straw [21010093+] that suggested the 4XXX multiplexer chips do not like to be powered up cold, here is an extract from an email he sent to me some years ago:-

Each voice board has three multiplexer chips that run under comparative stress and eventually fail.

The chip type numbers are 4051, 4052 and 4053, so I suggest putting a few of them in a drawer somewhere for when you need them. They take a few years to fail, but don't like being switched on from cold. 18 degrees is fine, 16 slightly dodgy, 14 very dodgy, 12 is asking for lots of trouble.

A couple of other chips are worthy of note. Each voice board has an unusual and slightly hard to get chip type 4011U, with the "U" meaning "Unbuffered". This is the ring modulator and a common 4011 just doesn't work. The lack of buffering makes it more prone to fail - expect one failure every couple of years over the whole Chroma, so pop a few in a drawer.

Finally, the Chroma's oscillator chip is a very rare RC4151N high stability charge pump voltage to frequency converter. They very seldom fail, but the voice board is stuffed without it. Expect one failure per Chroma every 5 years, so pop a few of them in a drawer too.

(I have lots of great Chroma emails from Martin - a wealth of Chroma Knowledge that man!) I always had a thermometer by the side of my Chromas and often experience different errors caused by extreme temperatures in the studio... once I had leveled out the studio heating/ventilation it all worked fine.

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:58:30 +0100

OK, that explains the original post. If we're only talking these common IC's I'm willing to risk it... I've used plenty of them when midifying a Yamaha SS-30 and Siel Mono so I think I have spares around.

A Devil Between Mirrors

Chris Ryan [21030691] · Mon, 5 Jan 2009 19:36:04 -0800

This month we have some new original music for the site. A Devil Between Mirrors is, according to Richard Willoughby [21030348], one of the performers, "a spontaneous attempt at psychospiritual affirmation and adoration, and the ritualistic use of the synthesizer to manifest subconscious potentialities." More conventionally speaking, we have eleven tracks of Chroma and Alesis Andromeda performed by Richard and Greg Miner. Enjoy--and thanks, Richard!

Richard Willoughby [21030348] · Tue, 6 Jan 2009 06:00:25 -0800

the perfect music to put on at the end of a party, when you want to clear a room... ;)

Controller

Richard Willoughby [21030348] · Thu, 8 Jan 2009 17:09:04 -0800

cool idea [see Touchram controller] ...... be nice sitting atop the Chroma

Chris Smalt [21010280+] · Fri, 9 Jan 2009 05:13:36 +0100

This is a great example of what I had in mind when we talked about this a couple of months back. But is this photo a mockup, or are this guy's hands really transparent???

Matrix [21030220] · Thu, 8 Jan 2009 20:38:04 -0800

It's real apparently. A one off DIY job: DX7IIFD Controller?

Chris Smalt [21010280+] · Fri, 9 Jan 2009 05:56:37 +0100

Fascinating, espcially the way the led-like display and white stickers shine through his hand!

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:34:22 +0100

cool idea...... be nice sitting atop the Chroma

And, you'd need a hell of a lot of those sliders to make use of it when programming. OK for live control of cutoff, release and similar.

Nice and nerdy tech thingy though! :D

Andrew Dalebrook [21010180] · Sat, 10 Jan 2009 09:19:04 +1300

If anyone is interested in a DIY option for those controllers, try the Stribe.

Careful, there's some large pictures!

From the same site:

Very cool indeed!

Update on Site Expenses and Donations

Chris Ryan [21030691] · Fri, 9 Jan 2009 00:00:08 -0800

Back in the fall of 2005 I solicited opinions on, and subsequently set up, a PayPal donation system for the site. I really appreciate the donations that have been sent! They have continued to come in, occasionally but fairly steadily. As I renewed the domain registration and hosting a few days ago, partly to increase the amount of storage available, I thought I'd let everyone know where the fund stands.

Since my previous email on the subject in April 2007, I've done a more detailed accounting of donations and expenses. As my expenses are in Canadian dollars, I've used the Google Finance CAD-USD history graph to convert funds received based on the exchange rate at the time of donation.

Since the fall of 2005 when I started the donation system, my expenses have been CAD$724.91, and donations received have totalled CAD$580.76. The expenses include domain registration, hosting, and professional large-format scanning for the Service Manual schematics (which happen to be one of the most popular pages on the site).

This is a "shortfall" of CAD$144.15. But that's misleading, as I have just recently prepaid for the domain until January 2011, and hosting until October 2011. Put another way, if you subtract me and the seventeen contributors to date (not all of whom are subscribed to the mailing list), there are about 130 people on the list who haven't contributed. If each of those people sent just one US dollar some time over the next two and a half years, I'd end up even before the next hosting renewal!

To be clear, contributions are completely voluntary. I'll continue to run the site even if I don't receive another penny, but it has been very encouraging to see how willing people are to help out with this.

Thanks, and as always, please let me know if there's something you would like to see on the site.

Peter Forrest [21010096] · Fri, 9 Jan 2009 09:36:26 -0000

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the gentle reminder. The work you do is much appreciated, and the quality of the site is superb. You're truly a Knight of the Holy Chroman Empire......

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:06:16 +0100

I second that and did something to ease my lousy conscience. :D

Ron Joseph [21030042+] · Fri, 9 Jan 2009 15:04:08 +0000

I try to donate once a year or so and I'm grateful for the reminders every now and then. I'll donate by the end of the month...

Matrix [21030220] · Fri, 9 Jan 2009 10:58:01 -0800

I'm in. Ryan, I said it before and I'll always say it again, you run the best site dedicated to a specific synth out there. It would be a HUGE loss if the resource were to be lost. You deserve to be supported in this.

Lars Johansson [21030632] · Fri, 9 Jan 2009 20:21:59 +0100

I'm in too !

WT - and I don't even own a Chroma ( yet )

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Sat, 10 Jan 2009 08:34:25 +0100

Is the broken one in the garage fixed yet? :D

Mark A. Lange [21030459+] · Sat, 10 Jan 2009 06:19:04 -0600

There's no better site for any synth that I've ever found, Chris. You should be proud. I'm in - and thanks to you and the community for all the sharing and support!

Lars Johansson [21030632] · Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:49:46 +0100

Is the broken one in the garage fixed yet? :D

Almost, I recieved new parts last week. Need to recover from flu first......

Lars Johansson [21030632] · Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:43:25 +0100

Now it's working !!

A busted 4151 freq to voltageconverter.

So this long saga ends.......

WT - Time to tackle that Wavecomputer......

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:53:01 +0100

WT skrev:

Now it's working !! A busted 4151 freq to voltageconverter. So this long saga ends.......

Congrat's! Back to the owner now then? Or have you managed to snatch it at a decent price before fixing it?

WT - Time to tackle that Wavecomputer......

Good luck with all your blue steel. :D

Lars Johansson [21030632] · Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:58:32 +0100

Congrat's! Back to the owner now then?

Yes.

Or have you managed to snatch it at a decent price before fixing it?

No, unfortunately for me.....

Good luck with all your blue steel. :D

Aah, thanks. But this one is mostly black and white !

Chris Ryan [21030691] · Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:23:25 -0800

Donations: Thank You!

Thanks very much for all the generous donations that I have received. I'm overwhelmed by the support, and really encouraged that a site like this can become financially self-sufficient on a voluntary basis. I now have enough to keep it going for some time to come; I won't bother anyone again until at least 2011, probably later. Enjoy the site, and let me know if you have any feedback or there's anything you'd like to see, or would like to contribute. It wouldn't be what it is without your input.

Jerry Leonard [21030100++] · Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:58:37 -0800

Re: Donations: Thank You!

Chris,

I've been following the site from the very beginning and you have done a lot of work through these years making it an exceptional place on the web.

Truly a great job. We all thank you. Even though I don't write very often, I always read and enjoyed the correspondence and trouble shooting tips that are very interesting and helpful. I think we've all become a tech of sorts just through osmosis of all the discussion.

Thanks again for making the site possible.

Matrix [21030220] · Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:18:47 -0800

Awesome! Thanks for running a great site and list Chris. Count me in for 2011. ;)

Werner Schöenenberger [21010114] · Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:35:15 +0100

Re: Donations: Thank You!

I've been following the site from the very beginning and you have done a lot of work through these years making it an exceptional place on the web.

Truly a great job. We all thank you. Even though I don't write very often, I always read and enjoyed the correspondence and trouble shooting tips that are very interesting and helpful. I think we've all become a tech of sorts just through osmosis of all the discussion.

Thanks again for making the site possible.

Just can second that.

Lars Johansson [21030632] · Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:40:49 +0100

I'm in too !

Done

Chris Ryan [21030691] · Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:08:32 -0800

On 9-Jan-09, at 1:36 AM, Peter Forrest wrote:

You're truly a Knight of the Holy Chroman Empire......

I laughed out loud when I read this, and wished that I'd thought of it when I started the site or mailing list. It might have been a more worthy successor than "ChromaTalk" to Ken Ypparila's [21030229] Chroma Cult.

Fwd: Rhodes Chroma - Urgent Favor

Chris Ryan [21030691] · Sun, 11 Jan 2009 11:24:39 -0800

Message from Uro [21030401]:

From: Uro [Email address removed]
Date: January 11, 2009 7:59:41 AM PST (CA)
Subject: Rhodes Chroma - Urgent Favor

I wanted to ask a favor if you can post this to your message board (I'm currently not a member) or if you know someone who could help.

I'm recording an album of my material with my band over the next three weeks in New York and I need a big favor from you.

All my repaired synths are in a smoke-free studio called Wonderful Studios in Manhattan at Broadway and Houston St.

I've had all my synths repaired except one: The Chroma.

It was a mess, as the Power Supply, CPU 1 membrane panel need replaced (I have the all parts).

The repairman in Brooklyn was supposed to install everything before he left for vacation, but he didn't and I'm stuck.

Anyway, the Chroma is critical to my recording because I have over 8 songs that use it in different parts.

I can't delay recording as I have a producer from Europe, booked studio time, etc. etc.

So, I was wondering if you would be willing to loan one of your Chromas for use at Wonderful over the next few weeks and in return I would give you mine as collateral? I have a notarized written agreement with Wonderful that they are fully responsible for anything that happens to any of my synths there, and it is under 24-hr security.

We are beginning the synths line this weekend so if I could meet you Monday or Tuesday that would be fine.

Please let me know if you can help out a fellow analogue synth musician :). Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Regards,

Uro

[Phone number removed]

Chris Smalt [21010280+] · Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:46:19 +0100

Sure, forget the collateral, just cover my travel expenses from Rotterdam, Holland to NY and put me up in a nice place for the next three weeks. I'll even bring two Chroma's if you want, if you'll pony up for the 260 pounds of excess luggage. ;-)

Enrico Dibennardo [21030494] · Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:44:03 +0100

Hi Uro, I'd be pleased to help and assist you in your recording sessions. if you give me your address in NY I'd bring my Chroma with me. I really wish i could MEET YOU IN PERSON (Please notice that this old sicilian gentleman didn't yet put you to shame in the various lists but is still curious to see the end of this story)

Screws

Lars Johansson [21030632] · Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:32:42 +0100

I need to locate a few screw for the backside of the Chroma. 4 to 6. Preferably in Europe if possible.

Any hints on where I can find some ?

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:45:11 +0100

No clue, but are we talking metal chassis screws or the kind that sits in the wood on top? If so, I need a few too. :)

Lars Johansson [21030632] · Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:51:39 +0100

Strike that, I had it all wrong.

What I really need is, 3 screws to hold the frontpanel ( controlpanel ) and 1 screw to attach the top panel through the wood into the frontpanel.

Where could I possibly find those ?

It will hold up for transportation but it would be nice to get them anyway.

David Clarke [21030085++] · Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:40:14 -0500

Any hints on where I can find some ?

If you don't need 100% identical replacements, you can generally get quite close with items you'll find at a local hardware shop.

Relative to the pictures in the service manual (xref: Service Manual: Disassembly):

The screws that go through the wooden strip to the control panel (screws 11-14) are:

  • approx 3/4" (19mm) long
  • 6-32 thread
  • 1/4" (6.5mm) oval head
  • Phillips drive
  • Brass/Bronze

The screws on the back panel (#'s 1-9) are

  • approx 3/8" long
  • 6-32 thread
  • 1/4" (6.5mm) pan head
  • Phillips drive
  • Black

The screws holding down the control panel (15-18) are:

  • approx 1.1" long (28mm)
  • 6-NC32 thread
  • 1/4" (6.5mm) button head
  • Phillips drive
  • Black

Lars Johansson [21030632] · Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:15:27 +0100

Thanks

Chroma in old test magazine

Jesper Ödemark [21010135] · Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:29:31 +0100

Ran across this on german ebay. Something for the collector or already on the site somewhere?

Item #220347132658. Picture from the auction:

Chris Ryan [21030691] · Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:38:57 -0800

I'm not sure I've heard of this before, though I can't gather from a computer translation exactly what it might be. Can anyone read between the lines? If it's of any interest or value, I wouldn't mind bidding for it; as it is apparently not open for bidding from North America, if anyone is interested in bidding for me, or acquiring it and providing the content for the site, please contact me off list.

Sustain pedal and pitch change

Joe Porter [21030058] · Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:05:22 +0000

Hi all,

I continue getting my Chroma back to full glory. Since I last posted I have replaced the broken card (failed autotune), got all keys working (except top G), and got hold of the dual sustain pedal.

Oddly enough one of the previous problems I mentioned (notes a minor 2nd apart in chords not always playing, ie G, B, C, E - where the B or C would not always play) seems to be less frequent since installing the new working voicecard. I've also noticed the display seems to flicker a lot less when playing.

I still have some odd "background" noise coming from the Chroma. I use the XLR output (the one that bypasses the EQ card) and still have what looks like a ground loop at 50Hz, which I'm confident I can remove with a decent DI. However, there also seems to be an oscillator continually on (at about 60dB below the others). With some patches it seems more obvious than others. I will attach a spectrum analyser view of it when I next can. The really wierd thing is that since using the sustain pedal, I have noticed I can shift the pitch of this note from F sharp (below middle C) to G (below middle C) when the pedal is down.

Has anyone come across this before? And any ideas what I can do. The pedal sustains fine.

Chris Smalt [21010280+] · Tue, 27 Jan 2009 05:15:06 +0100

I still have some odd "background" noise coming from the Chroma. I use the XLR output (the one that bypasses the EQ card) and still have what looks like a ground loop at 50Hz, which I'm confident I can remove with a decent DI. However, there also seems to be an oscillator continually on (at about 60dB below the others). With some patches it seems more obvious than others.

I had this with one Chroma long ago. Reseated all voice cards and did the manual VCO trim procedure. Can't say what exactly resolved the problem, but it was fine afterwards.

Go to next post in thread (February 2009)