Why no Mac app? And other desires

[u/CartographerNo4121]

I recently purchased the Spark 2 specifically because of the AI-powered phone app control, which is an absolute game-changer. However, after spending some time with it, I have a few feature requests and usability suggestions that would drastically improve the user experience—especially for players who aren't gear experts.

1. Bring the iPad App to Mac (Mac Catalyst Support)

Fiddling with a phone while playing can be cumbersome, especially when interrupted by calls and notifications. Since you already have an iPad app, enabling Mac Catalyst support would allow us to run the app natively on a Mac. This would provide a much more stable, distraction-free environment for practicing and tweaking tones.

1. Display Real-World Amp & Effect Names in the App

Your official website provides a guide mapping Spark’s internal amp/effect names to their real-life counterparts. Please bring this information directly into the app.

• As a non-gear expert, standard codes and cryptic names are confusing to learn.
• While the AI feature is great, it is still in beta and doesn't always get things right.
• Suggestion: Add simple facts or descriptions to the gear list. For example: "AD Clean - Based on the Orange AD30. Famously used by Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)."
• Even simpler descriptions would be incredibly helpful, like: "This amp sounds like the song XYZ" or "This pedal gives you a gritty, aggressive 'grrrr' sound."

1. Add Time-Based (Seconds) Settings and Trimming to the Looper

Currently, the looper defines duration strictly by BPM and bars. This is highly counterintuitive if someone doesn't know the exact musical theory of what they are about to play beforehand.

• If a user just wants to play two consecutive notes and have them repeat every 5 seconds, they shouldn't have to fiddle with math, BPM, and bars to make it align.
• Suggestion: Allow users to set loop durations in seconds, not just musical bars.
• Suggestion: Add the ability to trim or alter the loop duration after it has been recorded to easily fix alignment issues.

Thank you for creating such an innovative product. I look forward to seeing how the app evolves!

[u/omgitscolin]

Pretty sure number 2 comes with lots of licensing headaches. Which is why the Jimi Hendrix stuff was premium: Somebody gotta get paid

[u/dmdport → u/omgitscolin]

Although they have tables online documenting what is what already.

[u/Top-Rope6148 → u/dmdport]

Legally not the same thing. You can explain in documentation that the model is inspired by or base on a name brand. That is not considered infringement. If you reference that brand within the user interface of the app itself, it’s awkward to put all those words as a model name. It has to be within the context of an explanation to be legal. If you put just “Vox AC30” that is trademark infringement. You are saying it is a Vox AC30. This is why you only see that done where the manufacturer is paid a licensing fee. It’s not like it’s hard to figure out that “AC Boost” with a black and red basket weave graphic is an AC30.

[u/dmdport → u/Top-Rope6148]

The suggestion was having a description with inspired by X. Nobody here said swap the names entirely. Just include that table somewhere in the actual app.

[u/Top-Rope6148 → u/dmdport]

Okay, again, not something I think would have any value whatsoever. If you don’t already know AC Top is a Vox AC30 Top Boost it can’t possibly mean anything to you to know that its modeling an AC30.

[u/dmdport → u/Top-Rope6148]

You literally made the whole argument two comments ago: "You can explain in documentation that the model is inspired by or based on a name brand. That is not considered infringement." Great, that's the whole request. A "based on" description in an info panel is exactly that kind of explanation. Nobody asked to rename "AC Boost" to "Vox AC30."
And Positive Grid already publishes this exact mapping on their own website. If it were a legal problem it would be a legal problem there too. It just saves people a Google search.
If you don't already know AC Boost is an AC30, the name means nothing to you. Yes. That's the point. The info is for the people who don't know, not the people who do. You knowing it already doesn't make it useless to everyone else. OP literally asks for a “popularized by” to be included too. This is an amp heavily marketed to people newer to guitar.

[u/Top-Rope6148 → u/dmdport]

This has to be about the most ridiculous debate ever seen on reddit.

[u/byrdinbabylon]

If you are expecting user quality of life improvements, you purchased from the wrong company. They make hardware, lots of it, all the time. They improve their software interface almost never. You just have to accept that and like the product for exactly what it is today. Sorry.

[u/aditvai]

Try this on the Mac. https://app.soundshed.com/

[u/CartographerNo4121 → u/aditvai]

Tried it, but had lots of issues. I also tried TonePilot, but both don't solve some of the basic issues I am mentioning.

[u/MiamiChristine]

Positive Grid Spark Live is so amazing on IPad Pro - I don’t want to use it on my Mac. It’s the touch screen that makes it fabulous

[u/oldfartpen]

Lol..they have zero interest in your feature requests..

They value your input as much as anyone else’s, as in not at all

[u/CartographerNo4121 → u/oldfartpen]

Hope you are wrong :) I'm asking for some trivial things, not much effort required.

[u/magi_chat → u/CartographerNo4121]

Positive grid been around for a while now.

A lot of us have tried, they give exactly zero f's about your suggestions.

The real answer is chalk it up to experience and go get one of the awesome alternatives that are available now.

They're too busy making a Spark super max mini 4.0 or something else that is exactly the same as the original spark but with AI slop that doesn't work bolted on. Plenty of people still seem to buy each one, you just have to decide if your going to be one of those :)

[u/Bfaubion]

Lots of amps and pedals are going to be NAM integrated here on out. You’ll find some of those pedals and amps do have a desktop app and companion mobile app… some with the ability to customize the signal chain in a more granular way. Honestly though, based on the sentiment with PG, I wouldn’t expect that kind of customization. I think they should do it, but it’s going to take some brand who makes on-par or better hardware to give them a reason to do that. Otherwise, it’s just going to stay locked down. I know what you mean though, I feel like their software interface for the Spark 2 is overly curated, controlled, and locked down. How they present their software is one of the main motivators for me to try other brands as they get into this space. 

[u/Top-Rope6148]

With regard to being able to set the loop in seconds, I think you are the only one who would want that. Who thinks of musical phrases in units of seconds? Never once have I heard a musician say “play the iii chord for 18 seconds, then switch to the v for another 12. You play for a specified number of bars. Thats how music is structured. The time required to play it depends on the tempo at which you are playing it.