Positive Grid makes some of the best practice amps out there with impressively compact models like the Spark Mini and the Spark Go. Their newest amp, though, looks to leave the bedroom studio and accompany you straight to your local shows with the Positive Grid Spark Live.
More than a guitar amp, their newest rig is a portable PA system that allows up to four input channels, allowing you to hook up your entire band’s instruments to a single box. That means, you get a full-featured amp and speaker system for live performances all in a single box that easily fits into the boot of any car.
The Positive Grid Spark Live has a main channel that’s dedicated to guitar, which gets full access to the same modelling technology found in their previous amps. This allows you to play around with 33 different amps models, 43 effects, and over 50,000 tone combinations, along with eight programmable presets, so you can easily bring up your most favorite combos. The second input is designed to take a microphone, a bass, or an acoustic guitar, offering a number of preamps and effects that you can store to another eight programmable presets. The last two input channels, on the other hand, are designed for anything else you want to hook up to the rig. Neither one has any models or effects onboard, but you can plug in straight from an amp, a PC, or whatever other audio source you want to mix in to the performance.
You get full volume control for each individual input channel, allowing you to dial in the perfect mix of sound for your live performances. It also integrates the outfit’s Soniq IQ computational audio engine, which uses signal processing and acoustic engineering to enhance the overall sound for a more precise and immersive audio experience.
The Positive Grid Spark Live comes with a 150W four-speaker setup, so it should have enough power to fill a small crowded room with your musical stylings. As you can imagine, this has a heck of a lot of knobs both front and back, since it offers individual controls for the channels and even onboard mixing, so it’s one of those gear you’ll probably have to get to know well to use properly. Of course, they also offer a companion app that you can use in place of the physical controls, all while adding more presents, more effects, and a more robust channel mixer, among other features.
Apparently, you can set up the box either upright or sideways, with the system automatically adjusting its EQ based on its orientation. When upright, it’s supposed to deliver a more direct and punchy sound, while switching to a wider, softer stereo field when laid on its side. Other features include an optional battery pack (for cordless gigging), wooden construction with tolex and piping, and Bluetooth streaming. Along with the PA system, the outfit also announced a six-switch wireless foot switch and a wireless guitar system that can be used alongside the rig.
The Positive Grid Spark Live is available now, priced at $549.
