You can stream a range of backing tracks from YouTube inside the app, but Smart Jam uses your smartphone or tablet's mic to generate a backing track based on what you’re playing. This amp can really sound expansive and loud, with modelling tech that offers valve-like dynamics in a digital practice amp formatĪs well as offering control over your tone, the Spark app offers two key and potentially game-changing features Smart Jam and Auto Chords. It might take a while not because it’s difficult, but it is easy to get carried away with so many tonal possibilities.

You can design your own signal chain then save those choices into one of seven amp voices across the four preset banks. In terms of tone, you have 30 different amps, five compressor pedal models, nine overdrives, 10 modulation pedals, six delays and nine reverbs to play with. When you couple it with the Spark app, all new possibilities are presented.

Play it at house-friendly volumes or through headphones, but if the mood takes you, this amp can really sound expansive and loud, with modelling tech that offers valve-like dynamics in a digital practice amp format. This is the little amp that could, and did, offering 40 watts through a stereo speaker setup, and making its respectable wattage count for a lot. The amp comes bundled with PreSonus Studio One Prime recording software. Hook the Spark up to your computer via USB and it as a recording interface. The Spark's tone recipe is additive – we were having too much fun playing to go experimenting at first. It is nice to get a taste of what’s on offer without too much searching. This amp is ready to rock-and-roll as soon as you plug in. Modulation, delay and reverb controls each have their own knobs. With their own controls, you can quickly dial an organic blend of effects in and out to your taste. The controls are familiar enough, with three-band EQ, gain, master and output. There are channels to choose from – including bass and acoustic. The finish is high quality and there is a leather removable carrying strap for porting it about (at 5.2 kg, it is very portable). It looks good all that black and gold, and a piping, grill and control panel that should look reassuring to any player. It is a table-friendly format, but it isn’t trying to masquerade as a piece of hi-fi equipment to appeal to the home gadget fanatic. The Spark looks like a proper guitar amplifier.

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