There is a good bit of modeled gear on provide: one noise gate, six compressors, 14 drive pedals, 39 amps, 13 EQ items, six delays, and 9 reverbs. Most of those have quite a few choices. It isn’t almost as overwhelming as a package deal like Amplitube for PCs and Macs, but it surely’s nonetheless a whole lot of stuff.

To run all of it, Constructive Grid has beefed up the computational energy of the Spark sequence. The corporate advised me that digital sign processing energy has doubled for the reason that authentic Spark lineup, which permits for “smoother transitions between tones, richer results, and an expanded reminiscence for presets and loops.” The system runs on an M7 chip “developed particularly for expanded processing energy and exact tone copy,” and the additional energy has allowed Constructive Grid to run extra advanced fashions on-device, enhancing their preamp and amplifier sag modeling.

Regardless of the DSP improve, the outcomes right here simply do not examine with the type of scary-precise tube amp and results simulations you possibly can run on a pc or a much more costly {hardware} modeling rig. I might by no means get clear and “fringe of breakup” tones to sound something aside from synthetic, although among the distortion sounds have been fairly good. Reverbs and delays additionally sounded stable.

However the Spark 2 wasn’t actually designed for studio-quality recording, and Constructive Grid is candid about this. The fashions operating on the Spark 2 are impressed by the corporate’s laptop work, however they’re “optimized for an all-in-one, mobile-friendly taking part in expertise,” I used to be advised. The Spark 2 is supposed for “apply, jamming, and fundamental recording,” and people in search of “studio-level management and complicated setups” ought to search out one thing else.

This tracks with my expertise. In comparison with a daily amp, the Spark 2 is loopy transportable. When testing the unit, I’d haul it between rooms and not using a second thought, looking for a spot to play that would not annoy some member of my household. (Headphones? By no means!) Due to the optionally available battery, I did not even must plug it in. It was a easy, enjoyable solution to get some electrical guitar apply in with out utilizing a display screen or a pc, and its sound might fill a whole room. In comparison with the burden and trouble of transferring a “actual” amp, this felt simple.