11/10/2023 0 Comments New positive grid spark amp![]() ![]() What’s more, a quality set of built-in practicing tools can help you write new songs or decode your favorite music, after you’re done picking the perfect tone. With the Spark, you can easily approximate any of your favorite players, even in that cramped Harry Potter bedroom under the stairs. But through the magic of modern digital signal processing, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth upgrades in small speakers, shoebox-sized amps like the new Positive Grid Spark are changing things for the better. You’d slip on the perfect Led Zeppelin T-shirt and distressed jeans, pretend the crowd was chanting your name, plug in your guitar, and out would come thin, muddy sound. Unfortunately, for anyone with a small living space (or co-inhabitants with functional eardrums), achieving an inspiring guitar tone at low volumes has been tough. If you like playing electric guitar alone (or with a small band) outside of your bedroom or studio, this is the way to go.Every music teacher I've ever had has given me similar advice: Try to buy an instrument that aesthetically inspires you to play more often. I wish that it got more than eight hours of battery life, but otherwise I can’t find much not to love. (Pardon my noodly blues playing and out-of-tune barre chords, I’m a drummer first!)įor under $200, it’s really tough to name a guitar-playing tool I like more. ![]() I’ve included a few sound samples so you can get an idea of what I mean. For studio sessions, I’d still reach for my Universal Audio OX and a real tube amp, but lead lines or single-note stuff from the Spark Mini could totally make it onto a final track. Still, it’s good enough to hear yourself (and has decent tone at lower volumes).Īs an interface, it offers stereo outs, and the recording quality is solid. Having cool electric guitar tones (and actual songs to play along to!) makes me feel much less like a poor man’s Jack Johnson.īass players will like that this is a solid option for them, too, though low end from the small included woofer is somewhat limited. A change of place can often be the key to finishing a song I’m struggling with, or for letting go after a long day at the keyboard. It's a welcome respite from the windowless room I usually practice in. You can even swap the standard gold and black speaker grill for a red one if you want it to look a bit more metal.īeyond that, it doubles as a guitar interface for recording, via the USB-C port or line-out jacks on the back, which is hugely helpful for sketching out song ideas if you’ve got a laptop in tow (see below for some basic recordings).Īs the weather has been getting nicer here in Portland, Oregon, I’ve taken to playing with the Spark Mini out on my patio toward the end of the day. It comes in white or black, which is a nice touch for matchy-matchy people with white guitars. The little amp has feet to steady it and guitar strap holders on each side to tote it around, with anything from a string to an actual leather strap. It’s a simple, elegant system that will have you playing in under a minute. Now you’ve got yourself a great little stereo Bluetooth speaker, with volume controlled by a knob on top that's labeled “Music.” Plug your guitar into the quarter-inch jack on top, pick between one of four amp presets, and you can play along to your tunes, using a “Guitar” knob to match the music volume. Press a power button on the back and hold the Bluetooth pairing button to connect to your phone. ![]() This newer version is smaller and has a battery. Much like its predecessor, the full-size Spark ( 8/10, WIRED Recommends), it was designed for practice and recording use in bedrooms and small studios. Unbox the 6-inch cube, charge it up, and the small amp (which really does look like a shrink ray hit your favorite Marshall) is ready to rock. The Spark Mini has a ton of functionality available inside Positive Grid’s app, but the device itself is very plug-and-play. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |