Spark Improvements!

[koochey]

working a lot live at the moment and would love the feature if i could switch projects during my performance.
for example "select" and than push bank A-D for 4 different kits & patterns !
cheers

[HamHat]

It would be nice if you could quantize the length of samples in the spark software, my reverse hats almost never match up.

[mixalis]

knobs calibration routine should be added...some of them behavior is strange

[dancetech]

i've got a few


the six parameter pots right in the centre of Spark - the floating channel strip - they dont send out midi controllers! - they should.


pad midi note number settings are NOT saved with a project - they should


pattern export is broken - always exports in 'spark' drum-map format.


make it so pattern-switching from midi notes onlyu needs ONE note to trigger - not a bank AND pattern note - why cant spark simply assign it's possible 64 patterns to 64 notes?


when writing controllers for sparks fx-pad in host sequencer  - if you choose TAPE slicer effect - 8 bars tape-slowdown in spark is only 4 bars in host; 4 bars in spark is 2 bars in host; 2 bars in spark is only 1 bar in host etc.


pad lights dont trigger properly when spark is triggered from patterns on spark plugin track in host-sequencer. pads dont flash on/off quickly/accurately, pads get left ON until next note in patterns turns them off. Also when you hit stop, pads get left lit. (using logic)



the fx pad doesnt write controllers to host sequencer - it writes for 1/2 second then stops writing. (using logic)



roller effect: mp1, mp2, mp3 all move the s/w gui channel-strip pots, but when moved as a pair from the matrix pad they do NOT write controller data.... but they do if moved individually with the mouse. odd.




when attaching a midi master keyboard to sparks midi IN, when you switch instrument-track in the host sequencer, the master keyboard midi IN becomes 'detatched' - so the first note you play doesn't trigger correctly. You must always touch the keys once first before recording to fix this. (using logic) It's not a massive problem but you must remember always to touch one key before recording on the new track. Never seen that happen in Logic before with any midi keyboard or usb midi keyboard.



Make Spark NOT send out midi from pads when switched to TUNE MODE.



and finally:

PLEASE PLEASE  PLEASE add a 'SONG midi-file export' - so you can simply export the 'song' out of spark as one long midi-file containing all the patterns in the song in the right order - then we can quickly dump spark-created songs onto our spark plugin track.

[stikygum]

For Spark LE, it would be nice to access 'Swing' from the hardware controller. Maybe using the combination of the Select (shift) button and moving the Tempo knob could instead affect the Swing.

[cires78@gmail.com]

Hi all,

There are 6 parameters to a sound and 3 assignable knobs. You could split them into a bank "a" & "b" and a shortcut to toggle between so that all parameters can be accessed quickly.

cheers,
Eric

[sparki]

- loop recorder for external audio (minibrute!)
- more than 2 effects per instrument
- external plugin support
- abbility to set one (or more) instrument tracks as midi out to sequence external hardware

[kcearl]

not sure if Ive asked for this before but please, please, please, let Spark recall what bank and pattern are saved in a project...its a small thing but it gets on my last nerve

[sparki]

its also very frustrating that, if you use all multioutputs, you always have to route them again if you change the kit.
could there be an auto route option from 1-16 or the possibility to save the mixer state as a default template?

[noCore]

When using the unit as a plugin - synced to clock of the DAW (ie, Ableton Live) and in HOST mode... the tempo knob doesn't really serve any purpose.

Could it be re-allocated to control the SWING amount, while being used in this way?

[noCore]

another idea...

while in TUNE mode - the 16 buttons are all just one semi-tone each...

Would it be possible to have scale templates... so rather than just the straight up 16 notes... it offers notes just within the selected scale (major, minor, etc...)

or like the Push says: "Select a scale and the pads light to show you the notes in that scale. Other notes are unlit - or can be hidden altogether for purely diatonic playing."

[mute]

Beta's Sample browser:
The new browser is going to be nice for changing samples, but why not also next/previous sample functions via buttons or ctrl+L/R arrow keys while instrument is selected?

Problem being with the browser (while still being an improvement) is that you can't tweak and change the sample simultaneously while hunting for the sound you want, so you have to browse, pick, close, tweak, browse, pick, close, tweak, browse, pick, close, tweak, etc. - When you have hundreds, or thousands of say, kicks, to go through and you have to re-tune or change the cutoff every time you pick one to see if it'll fit, reopening/closing the browser between each try is frustrating. Way better than the old pop-up context menu style of choosing, but still frustrating.

-OR-

Fix a couple things with the browser and it would be just as good as prev/next:
1) spacebar plays current highlighted sample. that way auditioning can be done with arrow keys and spacebar
2) let the gui of the browser be resized SMALLER, not just larger.
3) allow access to the Spark editor while the browser is open.
4) 2+3 = resolves the issue mentioned above about not being able to quickly audition and tweak samples simultaneously.

Main Spark/SparkLE interface:
Make it so shift click (or something) = select + function, so we don't have to press select all the time.

Controller:
How about a faster way to select a instrument for editing on the hardware rather than Select + Pad. I find that totally frustrating/cumbersome and would really like to have a quicker way to switch between instruments. How about making it an option/preference to lock in to simultaneous pad select/play instead of just one or the other? Using select slows things down so much. I (and I believe most people) use Spark's h/w as a x0x type sequencer with editing abilities rather than like a MPC/Finger drumming interface.. so an option for this type of behavior would be great for us.

[stikygum]

Because Spark can play polyphonic synth sounds, it would be nice if you could use a controller keyboard to record in notes into the sequencer. This would make things much easier instead of using the pads or x0x buttons.

[joepardo]

The loop recorder for external audio in standalone mode will be a nice feature...

[bass]

saint joe at sounds and gear has a great idea for the volume .    he said arturia should make it so you hold   select and turn the  master volume to change the volume for the individual sounds