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yoTrakkz « classic »
Published on 10/06/11 at 22:33The spark is a great forward thinking idea put forth by Arturia. I wasn't sure what to expect considering this was Arturia's first walk in the park with a drum type machine and it was to be my first drum machine, but I have been very happy with the results. At this price point, I am very pleased with my purchase. The spark boasts some big time features as well as emulations of the famed 808, 909, and more. I wasn't expecting much from the content that came with the machine, since I already have so many sample drum packs, but I was floored by the quality of the included samples.
The manual was very clear and sufficient. I really didnt even need it!
The quality of the samples caught me off guard. The interface looks a bit tricky and confusing at first, but within minutes I was jamming. The way everything integrates is very easy to understand which was a concern of mine. Spark is a unique instrument and approach to building drums but it is also a very straight forward and easy to understand instrument. Basically, you can create up to 16 tracks, each with up to 64 steps. These tracks are numbered 1-16 and placed in a circle.
Overall, I can sit and play with Spark for hours and have so much fun. Bringing back the tactile feel of a drum machine that’s been missing from my arsenal for so long, but adding features that are very cleverly thought out and making them easy to get to.
Spark ships with a great array of sounds and as I mentioned, it’s easy to change banks or individual sounds within a bank and add your own sounds.
Probably the most amazing thing about Spark is the price. I had to look a couple of times to realize that at $599 retail, the hardware controller comes with Spark. How Arturia does this with such a great piece of hardware is nothing short of incredible.
The manual was very clear and sufficient. I really didnt even need it!
The quality of the samples caught me off guard. The interface looks a bit tricky and confusing at first, but within minutes I was jamming. The way everything integrates is very easy to understand which was a concern of mine. Spark is a unique instrument and approach to building drums but it is also a very straight forward and easy to understand instrument. Basically, you can create up to 16 tracks, each with up to 64 steps. These tracks are numbered 1-16 and placed in a circle.
Overall, I can sit and play with Spark for hours and have so much fun. Bringing back the tactile feel of a drum machine that’s been missing from my arsenal for so long, but adding features that are very cleverly thought out and making them easy to get to.
Spark ships with a great array of sounds and as I mentioned, it’s easy to change banks or individual sounds within a bank and add your own sounds.
Probably the most amazing thing about Spark is the price. I had to look a couple of times to realize that at $599 retail, the hardware controller comes with Spark. How Arturia does this with such a great piece of hardware is nothing short of incredible.