Rhodes have announced a collaboration with Cherry Audio that sees one of their popular virtual instruments rebranded as Rhodes Chroma by Cherry Audio. Available now through both companies, the plug-in is said to faithfully recreate the classic instrument and bring its distinctive sound to a new generation of musicians and producers.
Originally developed by ARP Instruments in 1979 and acquired by Rhodes in 1982, the Chroma was the first synthesizer to be released under the Rhodes brand. Boasting 16-voice polyphony, microprocessor control and a powerful modulation system, it became a popular choice among musicians and featured in the works of prominent artists such as Herbie Hancock and Joe Zawinul. It’s also a sought-after beast, with fewer than 3000 units made during its limited time in production.
Now officially branded, Rhodes Chroma by Cherry Audio sports a modern-looking GUI and promises to deliver a painstaking recreation of the original hardware instrument.
The plug-in version was initially launched by Cherry Audio in May 2024, but has now been rebranded through a new collaboration with Rhodes Music themselves. The instrument meticulously recreates the circuitry of the original hardware, emulating its oscillators, filters, VCAs, LFOs and modulation paths, promising to kit users out with a painstaking recreation of the Chroma’s iconic sound. It also benefits from a modern GUI design that provides an intuitive set of controls along with real-time visual feedback, and includes a total of seven built-in reverb, distortion and modulation effects.
It’s also compatible with SysEx patch data and WAV-format cassette data from the original hardware.
“We are immensely proud to announce the rebranding of the Rhodes Chroma plug-in, designed by esteemed plug-in makers Cherry Audio, and now brought to you by Rhodes for the first time since its original launch in 1982. This incredibly authentic plugin finally brings back this legendary and sought-after Rhodes polyphonic synthesizer, so that everyone can access its uniquely magical tone in their productions.” - Dan Goldman, Chief Product Officer, Rhodes
Compatibility
Rhodes Chroma is supported on PCs running Windows 7 or higher, and Macs running macOS 10.13 and above. VST, VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
Rhodes Chroma is available now, and is subject to a 30% introductory discount ($49.95£44.95 / €54.95 instead of $69£64.95 / €74.95) until 8 November 2024. GBP prices include VAT.
