How Many Amps Does A Vacuum Use

Looking for a Positive Grid Spark Amp review? Certain you are. Although guitar amps sit pretty low on the normy public's shopping list, the new Spark Amp guitar amplifier from Positive Grid has been creating as much of a buzz equally a new Apple production. At the time of writing, the Positive Grid Spark Amp has bagged an incredible 77,423 pre orders and that figure looks like it's only going to increment in the coming weeks.

Positive Grid is best known for its exceptional BIAS guitar amplifier and effects modelling software and that very same tone engine is hidden under the bonnet of this remarkable small-bodied exercise amp which, to all intents and purposes, looks and behaves like whatever standard guitar amp. In fact, there's nothing on the amp's fascia to hint that it does annihilation else other than serve as a trivial practise amp with knobs for book, tone control, reverb, delay and seven prefigured guitar sound styles. Simply download the accompanying iOS or Android app, sync it via Bluetooth and it's like opening the wardrobe to Narnia.

If you're a pro, you'll find much to love near this amp and if y'all're a complete apprentice, it may just change your life. As brilliant little music-making tools go it's up there with the Roli Songmaker Kit beat creator and the Izotope Spire Studio eight-track recorder. I'm a pretty seasoned musician, and I think a lot of u.s.a. can only regret that vivid devices such as these weren't bachelor when we started out!

And so, without beating nearly the bush, allow'southward accept a look at the hardware in closer detail and dig beneath the surface to the nuts and bolts of what this amp is actually all about.

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Positive Filigree Spark Amp review: hardware design and features

The Spark Amp has a power rating of 40 watts so information technology can go enough loud enough to handle a low-key band rehearsal or a busking session. It would exist prissy if it had a rechargeable bombardment in it for actress portability but it doesn't, then that's that.

For an amp that costs less than $225, the build quality and cease is astoundingly skilful. Clad in black faux snake skin with gilt trim and speckled front grill, the Spark Amp looks only like a classic amp from the '60s; indeed, its design is most reminiscent of the globe-acquisition Vocalism AC30. In a nutshell information technology looks fantastic. The craftsmanship of the chiffonier is exemplary across the board – the taut tactile covering fits like a glove, the trim is superbly confederate and the control knobs experience smoothen, sturdy and durable. If anything, the whole thing looks and feels over engineered, so hats off to the chiffonier designers and factory fitters for doing such a sterling job.

Measuring 35x18x19cm (or 13.78 x 7.08 x vii.48 inches for our American friends) and weighing in at a very manageable 5.two kg (11.46 lbs), the Spark is a perfect size for tabular array height and travel utilize. Its twoscore watt Class D amplifier punches way above its weight while its two four-inch custom designed speakers deliver crisp clarity and rich bottom end grunt, in full stereo if necessary.

Heading to the height of the amp y'all'll detect the usual raft of controls, including three for tone, iii for book and another three to command modulation, delay and reverb. Over to the left is an amp-modelling selector for audio-visual and bass guitars plus presets for v basic amp sounds: clean, glassy, crunch, how-do-you-do-proceeds and metal. Simply fiddle with the gain and master volume knobs to arrange for diverse levels of distortion. The hardware is topped off with a tuner and mini headphone output with its ain separate volume control.

On the surface, so, there's nada specifically groundbreaking about this amp. In fact, you would most likely be very happy just using information technology without any prior knowledge of what information technology's actually capable of doing.

And past capable I hateful doing everything just brand the tea.

Positive Filigree Spark Amp review: Spark app

So, you've set upwards the amp, plugged in your guitar and fiddled with the controls and you're happy with it. It sounds great, it's loud, easily controlled and does what a guitar amp's supposed to practice.

Merely then you reach for your phone or tablet, launch the Spark app (iOS and Android) and sync information technology to the amp and, holy mother of pearl, you've suddenly left planet Earth as y'all know information technology and entered a whole new kingdom of guitar wizardry.

To help quell your marvel, I'll cutting straight to the chase and tell you in bullet points what this matter tin practice. Yous set up?

•Fingertip access to thousands of amp sounds and effects, including amp emulations of your hero guitarists

•Play forth to a diversity of pre-ready music genres while following the scrolling tablature

•Play along to a rhythmic bankroll of your own 8-bar chord sequence

•Tell the app to analyse the chords of your favourite vocal from Spotify and Apple tree Music and then play forth to the tablature

•Utilise the amp as a digital music interface for your Mac or PC

Has that got the juices flowing? Allow's intermission it down a petty more so.

Positive Grid Spark Amp review: Amp models and effects

The Spark Amp app features amps and effects galore

Using the Spark app opens upwards a whole earth of fun. There are 30 different amp models, v compressors, nine overdrives, 10 modulation pedals (including some lovely tremolo furnishings), half dozen delays and nine reverbs. Yous tin can mix and match them anyway you lot like, make numerous adjustments on each effect and save your favourite presets to the amp itself or Positive Grid's ToneCloud service.

Fancy emulating the guitar sounds of Dave Gilmour's 'Shine on You Crazy Diamond', Slash'south 'Sugariness Child O' Mine' or Hendrix'south 'Little Wing'? Simple, just tap the ToneCloud icon at the top of the screen and search for an iconic sound style of your choice.

Positive Grid Spark Amp review: Play along functions

This is where the cleverness ramps upward considerably. Ostensibly designed for beginners, the Spark Amp's 'Smart Jam' section provides a raft of backing tracks in dissimilar genres to jam along with. Just plug in your guitar, cull a sound and select a genre – pop, rock, blues, funk or any amount of pre-recorded backing tracks – and jam along, post-obit the scrolling on-screen tablature. You can also alter the tempo of each and even transpose the chords to a key that is easier for you to play.

Alternatively, select Automobile Chords, choose a favourite vocal from Spotify or Apple Music and the app will analyse the vocal's chords before playing it dorsum through the amp'due south speaker with full scrolling tablature. This feature blew me away since we all like to play other people's material from fourth dimension to time and, although any competent musician can work out the chords for themselves or look them up on Google, having an app work them out for yous is a major plus. It'southward not 100% correct all the fourth dimension, heed, because some songs have strange inversions in their chord sequences, causing the app to extract some incorrect chords. Some popular songs have already been checked and verified by Positive Grid but there are millions that oasis't.

As an experiment I chose Bon Iver'southward glorious 'Hey Ma' and was surprised it managed to analyse whatever of the chords at all. I'd say information technology got about threescore% of the song correct – and that'southward a large tick in my opinion given the complication of the song's soundscape.

Aside from playing to other people's songs and backing tracks, you can also play along to your ain chords sequences. Only tap the plus sign, play an 8-bar sequence of your own and the app will analyse it before playing it back with total bass and drums backing. Now, it has to be said that this particular feature isn't anywhere near as accomplished equally the similarly-styled Digitech Trio+ guitar pedal. Where the Digitech follows your chords in realtime before playing back an amazingly coherent backing track with fluid drums and melodic bass lines, this one is very clunky and simplistic. In fact, if you were thinking of buying this amp for this feature alone I'd recommend getting the Trio+ instead. Just, hey, mayhap Positive Filigree will rectify this outcome in a time to come software or firmware update.

Positive Grid Spark Amp review: Claw it up to your Mac or PC

The Spark Amp ships with PreSonus Studio Ane Prime recording software so you can plug the amp into your Mac or PC via USB and use information technology equally a digital music interface for your workstation. To be honest, this element merely adds extra complexity and isn't, in my mind, a especially groundbreaking selling point. Still, nice to know it can easily exist done should the demand arise.

Positive Filigree Spark Amp review: Glitches and bug

I only experienced two issues with the system during the examination. On at least three occasions while I was stabbing at the screen to change an amp model before the iPhone's processor had time to carry out the previous process, the amp all of a sudden emitted the most horrendously loud loftier-pitched feed-back howl that no amount of knob twiddling seemed to rectify. In fact, the only way I was able to stop the racket was by turning off the amp. This is not what you want to happen when playing quietly while anybody else is in bed, only I'm certain it's rectifiable with an update of sorts.

Another small simply valid complaint is the lack of clarity on how to update the amp's firmware. The wording on Positive Filigree'due south website is similar the instructions for splitting the atom and, for a writer who likes stuff that is Steve Job's simple, this was a frustrating Microsoft-type moment. I got there in the end past using Google.

Positive Grid Spark Amp review: Verdict

Equally a practise, rehearsal and songwriting tool for pros, the Spark Amp delivers in spades – it sounds swell and the wealth of amp sound options opens the door to all kinds of experimentation. Equally an amplifier for beginners just starting out on guitar it's a brilliant digital accompaniment that really does assistance teach the basics in a fun and informative way.

Given the exemplary build and sound quality of the hardware and the surfeit of the app's astonishing features, a toll of just $250/AU$339 seems nearly too good to be truthful. In fact, its price is correct in the 'I tin can afford that' range for both beginners and pros alike and for that reason alone the Spark Amp comes highly recommended.

• Pre-society the Spark Amp now from Positive Filigree (aircraft to the UK)

• Order the Spark Amp now from Positive Grid (shipping to AUS)