Cherry Audio’s Rhodes Chroma: An Unusual Classic Meets Modern Usability

Written by Bytemapper

The history of synthesis has some massive names behind it. Most electronic musicians know names like Moog, ARP, Roland, and so forth. As such, it comes as a bit of a surprise that one of the 1980s cult classic hardware synth that bears the same moniker as a line of classic electric pianos. 

The Chroma has an interesting legacy, and not one that I’ll bog down the length of this review recounting. At its core, it is very much an ARP design, through and through. Some financial woes led to the design of the Chroma lading at Rhodes in 1982. Few were produced, and they go for a mint these days. Thankfully, the folks at Cherry Audio have reproduced this hardware classic for modern computers. 

Architecture and Routing 

The Chroma is a polyphonic subtractive synthesizer at its core, but how it arrives at the same sounds as say a Prophet-5 or a Jupiter-6 is a little more akin to operating a F-15 Strike Eagle. The architecture itself is fairly straightforward, with a pair of oscillators, filters, envelopes, and so forth. 

However, designing sounds for the Chroma begs you to open the manual, which is well worth reading. Cherry Audio’s documentation remains a solid pick, which I’ve seen throughout most of the soft synths I’ve had the pleasure of using. 

The catch for Chroma isn’t so much that it does those bread and butter sounds we’re all so accustomed to, but rather its sheer flexibility. Chroma enables the user to choose from a selection of routings, each with its own distinct addition to the sound. 

You’ve got access to the likes of filter FM, ring mod, and a whole host of other goodies. Cherry Audio has even tossed in the Chroma Expander as part of the modeled suite, meaning you’re getting access to double the trouble if you’re looking to make some noise. 

I went into this with certain expectations, as I’ve never had hands-on time with a Chroma myself. However, my time with it has revealed to be a synth capable of those bread and butter sounds we’re so used to, but one that can go into shockingly modern territory with the right mad scientist behind the helm. 

How Does It Sound?

Cherry Audio seems to be divisive when it comes to the overall sound of their soft synths. I’ve never had an issue with their output, as my hardware instruments with analog filters and the bells and whistles will attest. The filter on Chroma is sweet and silky, the oscillators offer up the usual suspects of waveforms. 

At its core, Chroma sounds fantastic, whether you’re flipping through presets or simply designing something from scratch. When you factor in the oversampling, aliasing is simply not present at the higher registers. I certainly tried pushing it into uncomfortable territory, playing well above the note register I usually play in. 

Chroma sounds unique, but at once familiar. It has some of that ARP character to it, as you can push the filter into a snarling, punk rock screeches. However, it can play sedate, which is more much at home with my usual output. 

Sound wise, they’ve knocked it out of the park, as my discerning ears can’t truly pick out much I’d miss with my hands on a hardware unit. Plus, for the price, who can argue against it?

Buy Or Skip?

I think Chroma is certainly worth a look. I wouldn’t use it as the primary bread and butter synth if you’re looking to conjure up things like rich pads or those odd digital noises Serum specializes in. However, as a different color palette, there is something immediately captivating about Chroma. 

Perhaps it is the mystique of its hardware forebear, but this as a software instrument that is certainly worth a purchase. Cherry Audio had a long road to get to the point of release for this instrument, taking some 18 months from inception to release. However, I’d say the effort was well placed, as this isn’t another bog standard emulation. 

In a nutshell, I’d snag it without thinking twice. Paired with something like TAL-U-NO-LX or Cherry Audio’s own Mercury-6, and you’re cooking with gas for most retro-inspired producers. 

Chroma retails at $69, but you can frequently find it on sale for around $49. Give it a spin, you won’t regret it.