Fender Chroma Polaris | The Synths That Time Forgot

Comments · 84

• AS

  @asoundlab · 4 years ago (edited) · pinned

  Special thanks to Jack Zimmerman with Vintage Synthesizer Solutions in Sacramento - you can check out content from them at their YT channel - he turned us on to this particular model and sold us one fully serviced.

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• AL

  @AlexBallMusic · 4 years ago

  To answer the questions..<br><br>The Chroma Polaris was designed by Paul DeRocco formerly of ARP Instruments. It was developed in Woburn, MA with some input on the colour scheme from CBS on the west coast. (It began life in red, orange and yellow).<br><br>For cost reasons the production was done in Japan. This is the same as the Sequential Circuits Prophet~600, Drumtraks and some Oberheim Xpanders.<br><br>The Polaris II has some component tweaks and improvements but no functional differences. It also had later firmware, but this could be added to the original Polaris anyway.

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• SA

  @Sam_Utah · 3 years ago

  This was the most advanced analog synth in its day and I played it for over 10 yrs. It had everything the &nbsp;Juno 60 lacked, Velocity, sequencer, split, layer, midi.... it set a high bar. The ring modulator was a break through and gave it the digital type edge. It had a motion sequencer, truly advanced for its day. I made 3 home brew albums with this synth back in the day. Main limitation was 6 voices... hard to allocate with split and sequencer. Moved on when after touch arrived in an affordable synth. It lacked an arpeggiator but with an Akai Sequencer/Arp and an Oberheim Strummer I could make it do tricks. &nbsp;Bladder membrane switches were funky.

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• DA

  @davewalker8519 · 2 years ago

  I bought one of these back in the 80s. Used it on stage for a while. Then, after we moved, it sat in its case for, literally, years. I recently pulled it out and I was shocked to find that it still works and sounds great.

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• CH

  @chrisdeitzel · 4 years ago

  My older brother had one when I was a little kid. &nbsp;These sounds are the sound of my childhood. &nbsp;I remember every single one of them.

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• KE

  @kevinlbrockway · 2 years ago

  Just for laughs, there is one of these in the 80&apos;s movie, HE-MAN: Masters of the Universe with Dolph Lundgren. &nbsp;You can see it sitting on a Rhodes in the high school scene.

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• MR

  @mrbeats7434 · 2 years ago

  I just watched Masters of the Universe movie and this synth was in the shop

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• OS

  @OscillatorCollective · 4 years ago

  I can tell I really like the Curtis chipset…and of all of them, this one sounds unique.

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• GO

  @gordon2402 · 4 years ago (edited)

  🎹nice playing at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4cilykYBfY&amp;t=730">12:10</a> dune 2 ( dos )<br>Also a Gem synth !!👍🏻🎶

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• RO

  @roguedev33 · 4 years ago

  For some reason it gives me Alesis Andromeda feels as if it would be it&apos;s ancestor... &nbsp;Or a Sequential offshoot joint venture with Oberheim or Linn from the Era... &nbsp;Nice find for sure!!!

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• SC

  @ScottFrye000111222 · 3 years ago

  I have one of these in my shop and , it does have some aggressive patches. &nbsp;The issues it had when it got here . No normal boot up. ( A BUNCH of LEDs turn on with no actions to select) &nbsp;One fix was to tweak the power supplies on the PS board . There are 3 pots to help with that. &nbsp; Another was : The unit not always coming up in working mode. &nbsp;The fix was : take the processor reset chips out of their sockets and put them back in.

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• FE

  @ferenclucas2842 · 4 years ago

  Love that chroma Polaris I remember it new in the music store and me thinking it&apos;s the coolest

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