New Upgrade for the Spark app for both iOS and Android!
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There's a new update for the Spark App, which includes the ability to film ourselves (not that I care about that) but within that part of the app we can now access our own accompaniment files! On iOS devices it's not quite as straightforward as it might be because it doesn't access the files you might have loaded through iTunes into the iOS Music app the way that an app such as AnyTune+ does. So you need to find some sort of other file-transporting app. I found MyMedia -- I installed that on my iPad and then used the iTunes app on my computer to copy over folders of my accompaniment files and the Spark App found them.
I'm confused as to why the programmers didn't simply make that ability use our own backing tracks a part of the Spark app Music page, but at least we have it.
Even though this ability to use our own backing tracks is part of the film ourselves part of the app (you get there by tapping the new camera icon at the bottom of the screen) we don't actually have to film ourselves to use any of our own backing tracks. Just tap the "Add Music" button then the "Import" button on the next screen, then the "Browse" icon, navigate to the tunes on your device (iOS or Android) tap on the tune you want and then click the play button NOT the "Use" big red bar. If you simply tap the white triangle play button the music will start and you will be able to play along.
Very convoluted.
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My Spark app on Android shows it updated 6 hours ago. I tried to find some release notes and the only thing I can find is a blurb on my phone that talks about the video recording feature that was added. I was hoping for better auto-scrolling when playing the predefined songs and the ability to rotate into landscape mode, but no such luck. If somebody finds some official release notes detailing the changes, I would love to take a look at those.
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I'm not sure I understand.
What prevents anyone playing any video or music file off their fone and streaming it through the spark already?
I havent updated yet, but I'll have a look -
Just tried this out quickly on my Samsung S9.
2 comments:Default camera mode is front facing camera (selfie mode). After a recording, the preview display is inverted!
The saved recording against a local backtrack shows significant latency between the guitar sound and the visual.
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@mig yes... latency.
I think they should sort the chord syncing and looper functions before adding new stuff.
it seems like the developers like inventing all the fancy stuff but don't like to get their hands dirty and code it correctly to suit the platform. -
@crystalpit That's nothing new. I work in a company with a huge dev team and the projects that have money associated with them get priority, which is not bug fixes, but features that they can use to sell products.
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Have they fixed the screen rotation not working on android or just added a video function!?
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it wasn't broken to fix.
it just wasn't implemented in the app features.
And as mentioned, developers follow the money not the repairs/modifications/bug fixes route -
@crystalpit Nothing prevents a user from using a separate app to stream audio to the Spark. But people have been asking to be able to stream their own backing tracks through the Spark app, which hasn't been possible until now. Some people don't want to have to switch between apps to accomplish that. Now they don't have to.
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@mig I haven't tried the video recording (I already know what i look like and what I sound like and am not about to foist that off on the world through sharing videos) but unfortunately through that part of the app is the only way to play with our own backing tracks. But if we just click the white triangle "Play" button instead of the read "Start" button there's no video recorded.
Personally I am not impressed with these additions of points to help sell the amp but which don't really get to the heart of solving issues that many people have complained about.
Using AnyTune+ in addition the Spark yields much more useful results in my opinion.
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@dhbailey again, why don't they fix the bugs first like syncing the chords and the useless looper.
To me thats what they have been advertising since day one, but its substandard as it is now -
@crystalpit Because fixing bugs does not bring in as much money as adding new features in general. You never see an Ad for "We fixed a bug that was causing something not to work that should have worked! Order now!" :)
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FYI -- there's another update to the app this morning (at least on Android) that says "Video recording orientation has been fixed".
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@blueingreen yes .. just checked and they have fixed the "front camera" selfie picture orientation. Its not upside down now and better, the video isn't mirror image so thats good.
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You have got to be kidding me! Where the hell have my "recently played" and "Liked songs" gone?!?! I use this feature daily during practice to play over downloaded Jam Tracks and this update erased them all. So apparently when Barnham and Bailey went under PG hired the f@#&% clowns as coders to program their App! Who in the hell programs an update that erases all user data?!?! It's like they never pass up an opportunity to Fail to Excel! Now we have Clown Coders, Lousy Logistics, and just plane Customer Disservice! I'm guessing these are the same folks that keep erasing your tones and won't provide a way to save them outside the Tone Cloud.
Update: Got my list of Recently Played back after loading a track from the predefined list. It seems my "Liked Tracks" are still marked but the list no longer exists.