There’s a fair bit of modeled gear on offer: one noise gate, six compressors, 14 drive pedals, 39 amps, 13 EQ units, six delays, and nine reverbs. Most of these have numerous options. It is not nearly as overwhelming as a package like Amplitube for PCs and Macs, but it’s still a lot of stuff.
To run it all, Positive Grid has beefed up the computational power of the Spark series. The company told me that digital signal processing power has doubled since the original Spark lineup, which allows for “smoother transitions between tones, richer effects, and an expanded memory for presets and loops.” The system runs on an M7 chip “developed specifically for expanded processing power and precise tone reproduction,” and the extra power has allowed Positive Grid to run more complex models on-device, improving their preamp and amplifier sag modeling.
Despite the DSP increase, the results here just don’t compare with the sort of scary-precise tube amp and effects simulations you can run on a computer or a far more expensive hardware modeling rig. I could never get clean and “edge of breakup” tones to sound anything other than artificial, though some of the distortion sounds were quite good. Reverbs and delays also sounded solid.
But the Spark 2 wasn’t really designed for studio-quality recording, and Positive Grid is candid about this. The models running on the Spark 2 are inspired by the company’s computer work, but they are “optimized for an all-in-one, mobile-friendly playing experience,” I was told. The Spark 2 is meant for “practice, jamming, and basic recording,” and those looking for “studio-level control and complex setups” should seek out something else.
This tracks with my experience. Compared to a regular amp, the Spark 2 is crazy portable. When testing the unit, I would haul it between rooms without a second thought, searching for a place to play that wouldn’t annoy some member of my family. (Headphones? Never!) Thanks to the optional battery, I didn’t even need to plug it in. It was a simple, fun way to get some electric guitar practice in without using a screen or a computer, and its sound could fill an entire room. Compared to the weight and hassle of moving a “real” amp, this felt easy.