spark video tutorials online

[dancetech]

Apart from the fact you totally panned it

no i didnt? i haven't done the summing up video yet have i? no

so this what i think:

if they fix the bugs and sort out some issues (note-number export wrong, no song position pointers, note-numbers not saved with projects etc AND if they added song midifile export), then spark would be one of the greatest electronic music products of the last 15 years. After they get that stuff fixed they can just go on to add improvements and make it even better.

that's my opinion.  I mean c'mon! for just over 200 quid you get a great 'drum & sounds' machine, chock full; of sounds contemprary and classic,  which'll work as a multi-out plugin, but which can also function as basically a 'TR-707' style sequencer  which will ALSO trigger and write patterns for any of your hardware or 3rd party s/w? (and it can functions as a controller unit too)

no brainer!

i think you are too used to lousy SoS & Music Radar 'reviews' which are safe as houses and dumbed down.

[stuey]

Was somewhat pulling your leg,  I liked your non biased view of it. (As I sit here listening to your Spark run through) Although i've used Spark for a few years now there's things i've learnt about it in the last day.   

I agree with a lot of what you dislike about it, there are certain things that are just so great, then other things let it down. Which based on the great things about it don't make sense. I'm finding it a bit buggy with Pro Tools yet I've learnt to workaround stuff that I find annoying.

But also I'm not getting the midi delays you get, nor do I get the odd midi bugs with pads staying on etc. But this is all how one chooses to set up midi, the minute you start running midi gear 'thru' other boxes you get all kinds of crazy midi crap you don't need. 

I don't read gear reviews as a rule and I would rather try a piece of gear out before I buy it as I'm sure most people would, even with it's obvious foibles, i'm glad I bought it. Yes it crashed my Mac on a more than frequent basis, it occasionally looses automation but i'd still use it everyday. It only really crashes when you have people standing behind you in my experience

Stuart

[stuey]

Anyway, a Karma point flying your way. Nice in depth videos.

[stuey]

But also for certain things. To say it just doesn't work is a little unfair. Plug ins are going to behave widely different between formats.
Spark seems to be more consistant when using VST, unfortunately for me I'm using RTAS. AU works different altogether.

Maybe a standard 'wrapper' plug in that can incorporate all functions needs to ne implemented with Spark

After some teething problems, I've found it works best in Ableton. All parameters seem to do what they were designed to do, some things are still reliant on using the GUI to write data, but in most of these cases other rotary knobs can be assigned to fulfil that function.

It's not ideal in any case, I now have to rewire Ableton to Pro Tools with Spark on a Midi track in Ableton. Crazy huh!? But it gets round some of my issues so hey ho

Best, Stuart