Using My Spark Amp Correctly
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I just received my Spark Amp. Its a bit overwhelming to me right now. So here's my question: When using the amp and I search for and find something from the tone cloud that interest me and I select it. What do I do with the settings on the amp? If it's a tone that has a lot of gain do I turn the actual knob on the amp say from "clean" to "crunch". Hope that makes sense. Thanks.
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Tone Cloud contains Presets created by others. If you tap the Play Button the Preset is temporarily loaded directly into the Spark 40 and you can use it. The Preset uses its own settings and ignores the actual knob settings; so don’t initially change any knobs.
You can change the Spark 40 Output and Music Volume Knobs any time without affecting the Preset settings. If you adjust any other knob on the Spark 40, it will change the Preset setting associated with that knob. I.e if you tweet the Bass Knob, it will change the Preset Bass setting. Changing the Amp Knob (left-most knob) will replace the entire Tone Cloud Preset with the selected internal Spark 40 Amp Preset.
If you like the Preset you can download (i.e. save) it and then change it to meet your personal needs or taste.
I found many of the Tone Cloud Presets were initially too loud or soft, and ended up adjusting the Preset Amp Volume and Gain to make it usable.
Hope that helps…
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@dan-lawrence
Thank you for your response. You mentioned "The preset uses its own settings and ignores the actual knob settings" ... I guess a better way to ask my question is once I decide on a preset what should I select on the knob that's located to the far left. The knob with Acoustic, Bass, Clean, Glassy, Crunch, Hi-Gain and metal. No matter the preset I select this will change how my amp sounds??? -
@snpfarm
Short answer, don’t select or change the left-most Amp Knob after loading a new Preset.The Amp Knob is tied to factory Presets stored within the Spark 40, and is not used to modify other Presets loaded from the App or Tone Cloud.
Don’t think of this knob as modifying downloaded Presets to your hardware or a music genre; think of the Amp Knob as selecting one of seven specific, internal factory Presets without having to ever connect or access the App.
Selecting a Preset from the App or Tone Cloud disables this knob and totally ignores the knob’s current setting. If you change the knob, the Spark 40 Amp replaces the downloaded Preset with the one identified on the knob.
For example, after connecting the Spark App to the Amp, you go to the App and select the “Silver Ship” Preset under Pop. This preset is automatically loaded into the Spark Amp. Just start playing, and you’re playing the selected Preset. Assume the Amp Knob was set to “Clean” when you initially selected “Silver Ship.” If you now change the Amp Knob to “Crunch”, you’ve automatically replaced the “Silver Ship” Preset with the Factory “Crunch” Preset. “Silver Ship” is gone, and you’re now playing the “Crunch” Preset.
Changing the Amp Knob didn’t give “Silver Ship” an added crunch sound, it replaced “Silver Ship” with a totally different Preset.