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Spark - Smart Practice Guitar Amp


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Anyone seen this?  Know anything about it?  I certainly do not.  But at first glance it appears interesting. 

Spark.jpg.ddfd8052dcf7eeba8a158107f95b1eaf.jpg

From the web page, " the smart amp and app that jam along with you using intelligent technology. Play and practice with millions of songs and access over 10,000 tones powered by our award-winning BIAS tone engine. "

It appears to, among a lot of other things,  use an app to grab just about any song from Spotify or Youtube or Apple music.  It will then display the chord chart and you jam along.  Or you can tell it, "Follow my guitar" by voice command and it will provide drum set and bass to your playing to  jam with.  And it has USB output to plug into your DAW.  Plus what they call "Hyper-realistic amp modeling and effects".

I am not in anyway recommending this because I just told you everything I know about it.  But it seems to have a lot of potential as a learning tool. And, at $224 (US), I was somewhat surprised.  I expected it would be more.   Link to the product page.

Your thoughts?

 

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I think it was just introduced at Namm .  There is another video from channel, Steve from Boston, on youtube . interesting amp

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I think you're right.  I believe I saw it was introduced at NAMM.

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So much technology makes me wonder where the human fits in this equation... 

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15 hours ago, NeilES335 said:

So much technology makes me wonder where the human fits in this equation... 

 
"All this machinery
Making modern music
Can still be open-hearted"
 
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Right Neil, so much technology. I could envision using this unit through the Aux In on the MX-80. The idea of practice songs with background track and visual chord diagrams reminds me of the old RIFF station site which was purchased by Fender. For me the main draw back is that this is a monthly subscription based service. So it’s a no go.

Henk

 

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2 hours ago, Oldjock said:

 For me the main draw back is that this is a monthly subscription based service. So it’s a no go.

Henk

 

Henk,

What monthly subscription are you referring to?

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20 hours ago, NeilES335 said:

So much technology makes me wonder where the human fits in this equation... 

Neil, I'm not so much wondering about where the human fits into this.  I have software that slows down a song that I am trying to learn.  That software will loop a section.  It will combine these.

I have software that will change the key.

Now this, Spark, will download the song and display the chords for me.  I don't even have to try and figure out the chords.

I have GuitarPro to play the song for me and I will try and play along, again slowing and looping.

Who knows what other learning tools I have on my hard drive that I've forgotten about. I haven't tried it but I've seen the guitar with lights on the fretboard that actually show one where to place fingers when playing a song!

All these tools and I'm still struggling to learn!😲🥵

Remember stories of Clapton and others playing the lp on the turntable and then moving the needle back to the start of the section he was trying to learn?  Repeating it over and over.  The old days analog looping😉.  They were able to learn having to do it like this and I struggle with all my tools?

It gives me pause.

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I remember seeing the Fretlight guitars.  I thought they were cool initially, but then I figured that I'd end up looking more at my fingers when playing more than anything else.  So, I just stayed away from that one.

Nice to see another Guitar Pro user on here.  I also have Presonus Progression (pre-version of Notion) that I can use with my Tripleplay on guitar to record midi into my computer.  So, I can see how I'm playing and also record music notation with just playing the guitar rather than having to manually insert notes.  That's one feature I wish GP would put into it's software.

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As a follow-up, the July issue of Guitar Player Magazine has a review of this.  I wouldn't buy it solely for the review but itlooks like some other interesting articles.  Layla, Joe Bonamassa ( @Eracer_Team-DougH ?), Robbie Krieger, etc.

gup_p1(49).jpg.17cd702f2ff2e5c4cb4b3e0153d4b0d9.jpg

 

 

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@matonanjin I have just jumped in and pre-orderd a Spark amp in the "Last Chance" sale.

Although there have been delays in the manufacturing and shipping earlier this year (mainly due to Covid-19) the word on the street is that it is worth the wait. Positive Grid seem to be trying to keep updated about deliveries now and there is even an online order tracking feature which gives me an estimate of when my amp may ship. What fun!

One thing that (out of many!)  I am not doing is jamming to guitar tracks or playing with bands so I am hoping that this amp will at least get me starting to play with tracks. I quite fancy the "follow my guitar " feature as well and the fact that you can just search for a guitar hero's sound and instantly get the simulation of their setup that would sound a bit like they do (if I could play like them that is 🤓). 

 

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1 hour ago, Nutty 1 said:

@matonanjin I have just jumped in and pre-orderd a Spark amp in the "Last Chance" sale.

 

Mandy, after you have worked with it for a while give us a review, please.  I heard lots of grumbling on some other forums about the shipping delays.  But the ones that have received it seem to sing very positive praise.

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2 hours ago, matonanjin said:

Mandy, after you have worked with it for a while give us a review, please.  I heard lots of grumbling on some other forums about the shipping delays.  But the ones that have received it seem to sing very positive praise.

I will do Ron.

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Positive Grid may still be experiencing problems with the shipping for some orders. 

When I first ordered the amp PG’s tracking system said it would be shipped “around 17th to 20th August”. Yesterday morning it said “around 9th August”. I thought WOW they may post it this week. Yesterday evening it had changed to “before 31st August”.

Their website today boasts that they are now in stock and worldwide shipping is 5 to 7 business days.

I have filled in their contact form asking for clarification of the situation regarding my order.

 

86B13E65-234A-48C1-8226-5DC04B8FF8B7.png

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I have just received my reply from Positive Grid, they apologised and said

"I've checked on your order and expect it to ship to you on or before August 31, 2020. Guaranteed!"

Feeling a lot more positive now (pun intended!) I like the word Guaranteed! I like the fact that they answered too.😎

Incidentally while reading their website I saw a suggestion that those of us who are waiting for our amps could install the Spark App and take a look at it. 

I am pleased to tell you that there is a feature in the app that allows you to unlock the functions by typing in your order number. Bingo! 🥳

So far I am impressed. I can open up songs and see the chords and play along and I have also got the smart jam to work using an acoustic guitar. You can even edit the chords and change the tempo or transpose the smart jam track you have created. I discovered lots of this in other people's Youtube videos and have got it to work on my iPad app.

It almost feels worth it just for the app!🎸🎸🎸 I looked at an app for Mac where you had to pay £1 per track so the same money would buy me 120 tracks (this was one of my thoughts before purchasing the Spark). Spark gives you all of the Youtube video tracks plus your own iTunes tracks. I have not looked into Spotify yet. 

If you are really unlucky I may make a video to show you.😆

 

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My Spark arrived yesterday. So far I am impressed. It sounds great to my untrained ears.😁 I am very happy with it in spite of a few things in the app that need a bit more development.

Here are a few thoughts about the app (I shall update this when I think of more).

1. The auto chord detection only works on Youtube videos. If you are an apple music user then you can select a track from your music library, the app will then search Youtube for that track. The same happens with Spotify, you export a playlist to the Spark App and when you select a track from it the app searches Youtube for the track. 

2. Some users report that the auto chord detection puts in chords that are not really there. I compared the Spark chord analysis with Chordify and Chordu with the Official Bryan Addams Summer of 69 video. I found that the Spark App analysis was more complicated and did have more different chords in it.

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Seems the Spark has the same issues as other chord detection apps I've tried.  

Its probably an unavoidable issue when the technology is trying to pull out the chords for one instrument from the mix.  It seems to me it would be very difficult to refine the algorithm enough to pick out every passing tone, quick suspensions, chord variations and not detect the random bass or keyboard note from a fully mixed recording.  The ones I've seen have been good enough to get you close and to at least clue you that there was something going on besides a standard chord.  You could then go find a cover on youtube and try to suss it out from watching the players hands.

On the subject of having both your guitar signal and the backing track signal through the same source, another GG'er pointed out to me long ago it was very easy to fool yourself as to how well you were playing.  Based on that warning I experimented and found that I was indeed fooling myself.  Therefore, I took that advice to heart and I've made it my routine to have the backing track through one monitoring system, and my guitar through another.  I balance the volumes so I can move myself around to hear more or less of one or the other.  That way I can be sure if that awesome vibrato is mine or Eric Clapton's.  The awesome one is still Clapton's, but being able to clearly determine what I was sounding like has allowed me to get a lot closer with just a few years work on that one sone.  lol

 

Edited by Six String
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@Six StringThank you for the tip about separating the original track from my own playing. 

I think it can be done because the app makes 2 different bluetooth connections to the amp. 1 to transfer the information about the amp and pedals etc and the other to transfer the audio from the Youtube video.
 

Thank you also for telling me that you have found the same issue with other auto chord detection apps. I do like the way the Spark app is set out as you can see it bar by bar as well as having the chord boxes that light up when you need to play the chord and the red cursor that moves along the song chart as you play. 

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If you really want to hear how YOU sound, make your own "backing track" with you playing the rythym part.

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12 hours ago, NeilES335 said:

If you really want to hear how YOU sound, make your own "backing track" with you playing the rythym part.

I subject you guys to my rhythm playing just about every month.😆

I am using the Spark to inspire me to learn different rhythm patterns and to encourage me to play at faster tempos (while my arthritis is having a good patch). I think playing along with the videos is a good start, just like the disappearing metronome trick I will know I have made some progress if I can’t hear the bands rhythm guitar part. Yes my playing is that bad! When I reach that stage I will record my rhythm playing to a drum beat and see what it really sounds like. 

Thank you for the great advice guys. 😎

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An interesting thing happened yesterday which highlighted the nature of the Spark App.

People started to get error messages like the one below, this one was when someone was trying to use the Smart Jam.  My own app wouldn't let me play videos.

It turned out to in fact be that someone had let PG's certificate expire.

So this means that if PG give up and pull their server we will all just be left with a nice amp. I asked this question of the other Spark Amp owners and they said yes.

I still don't regret my purchase because there will always be something like the Tonebridge App and ChordU etc which will do some of the stuff that the Spark App does.

It is all working again now,  I found the smart jam great for practicing chord changes as you can slow it down and speed it up. I am having fun!

 

 

 

4D80FE48-B295-4104-B43F-AD824654D26E.jpeg

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I received this email today containing a discount voucher for use on the Positive Grid website. If anyone out there reading this would like to use this code it is only valid for a short period of days.

1B531142-26E9-4ED1-B9CE-68A6FC110AA0.png

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