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This site has from the beginning been dedicated to the original Chroma, not the Polaris. I don't own a Polaris; I've never even played one! However, with a lack of resources on the web and the obvious "family relationship," I've received a steady stream of questions and requests, and there are occasional Polaris-related posts to the ChromaTalk mailing list (see below for some highlights). Dare I get into another instrument as I have the original Chroma? Is this the beginning of a new site? In the meantime, here's some of what I have collected over the years. Send me more information and I'll post it here.

In addition to the information on this page, see Patches & Sequences; Advertisements; and the Polaris Instrument Registry (send me info on your instrument, and I'll add it). For the technically minded, there is Polaris Sysex, EPROM Code and RAM IC Types. See the Price History page for known Polaris prices.

Mailing Lists

The ChromaTalk list is dedicated to the original Chroma; posts related to both instruments are acceptable. There is a Polaris mailing list that has been going since 2002. It's not terribly active, but it exists. Also, you might want to join Analogue Heaven.

Manuals

See Chroma Manuals: Sources for a few potential places to order Polaris manuals in print. I've only listed sources that also have Chroma manuals there; do a web search to find other sources.

There is also a different version of the Owner's Manual on the Polaris mailing list page: Chroma_Polaris_Owners_Manual.pdf (4.3mb). It is not clear which is more recent.

Service & Technical

Try the Chroma Service Centres page; many techs should be able to repair the Polaris as well as the Chroma.

Mario Faelli writes: "I found the Casale Bauer near Bologna city, that was the Italian seller/repair. I get to that company and contact Mr. Reatti, who is the master in repairing Chroma, and Polaris synthesizer. I also contacted the Lemi company in Turin (Torino city) , they are the best in Italy on repairing vintage Synthesizer!" E-mail service@casalebauer.com [January 2001]

Ben Kuris [301383+] supplied the following wiring chart and instructions.

The article Chroma to Chroma Interface Lead contains wiring information for connecting Chromas, including the Polaris.

FAQ

Questions that seem to come up from time to time.

What is the Polaris II?

See Polaris Rev's, a discussion with pictures from Doug Terrebonne [21030114] in ChromaTalk in May 2003. See also Mike Jaynes's notes on Polaris 500530.

What is the "orange" Polaris?

See answer from Tony Williams of ARP/Fender (ChromaTalk, August 2001).

General Information

The Keyboard Magazine article The Synth That Survived ARP's Fall has a photo and brief blurb on the Polaris. There are a number of mentions of the Polaris in the interview I conducted with Philip Dodds (Chroma product manager, who left CBS/Fender before the Polaris was begun) and Tony Williams (one of the main designers of the Chroma, who did some early work on the Polaris).

History

David Gowin [21030611] led the Polaris User Group in the 1980s, and provided a couple of interesting documents.

Polaris-related Posts to ChromaTalk

The Polaris is mentioned from time to time on ChromaTalk. You may find some useful or interesting information in these threads:

Links

Credits

Thanks to Ben Kuris [301383++], David Clarke [21030085++], David Gowin [21030611], and Paul Hackett-Evans [21010094] for providing information on the Polaris. Polaris keyboard images from Choke Slam Media, and from chez.com circa 2003.