Review: Arturia Spark Creative Drum Machine
Why wait around for a flash of inspiration to strike when the simplest way to fan the fickle flame of creation is to just use your hands.
5 July 2011
I find recording music a pretty good way to avoid facing the reality that I’m getting older. If you live and work within a time capsule full of vintage equipment that was first tagged and tested before you could talk, it’s not so hard to feel young. Unfortunately, the edifice of this fantasy is beginning to crumble as the cultural cycle wheels around. If everything old was new again I could probably maintain the facade, but just lately many things I associated with my eternal youth have returned to fashion, and in a cruel instant I’m 20 years older. So it was when I found out I’d be reviewing a new drum machine from virtual instrument virtuoso, Arturia. Quite honestly, I had to pack up my Korg DDD-1 (circa 1986) to make room.
The Spark Creative Drum Machine – as it’s been confidently christened – is the very latest in a line of hybrid software/hardware instruments from the popular French synth modeller. Spark may be one of only a few current hybrids to fully embrace such a high degree of integration (Native Instruments’ Maschine springs to mind as another) but there seems to be little doubt about the potential of the development model. Instead of filling your studio, or road-case, with countless gizmos, each requiring its own power supply and audio interconnect, why not make the most of the latent power within your expensive computer, avoid unnecessary stages of digital conversion and get hands-on with physical interfaces crafted to unleash your creativity.
AT FIRST LIGHT
In the most basic of terms, Spark is a 16-track step-sequencer for both Windows and Mac paired with a percussion sound library and custom hardware controller. The software is provided as both a standalone application and plug-in instrument, compatible with your choice of host (VST; 32 & 64-bit, AU, RTAS). The sound catalogue is divided into three categories: Analog, Physical Model and Samples, arranged in a series of factory kits. Synthesis is handled by Arturia’s ‘True Analog Emulation’ engine. As a result you’ll find lovingly-crafted recreations of many of the classic analogue beat boxes here – 808, 909, 606, CR-68 (Vintage Box) and Simmons (Sci-mons). I wouldn’t say they all precisely capture the sonic-patina of 30-year-old electronics but the sounds nevertheless deliver a satisfying modern representation of each, with twiddle-room to personalise. The analogue emulations are complemented by selections from third-party developers like Ultimate Sound Bank, Sonic Reality, Ueberschall and Modern Beats. These include classic drum machines from Sequential Circuits, Oberheim, Roland and LinnDrum, as well as a range of acoustic and electronic kits. It’s also possible to load your own samples and create custom kits of any combination of instruments.
GRID SEQUENCER
The pattern sequencer, located in the top pane of the software interface, is of a standard gridded step design. Patterns of up to four bars in length can be sequenced with a step resolution of up to 1/64th of a beat. Each instrument features a selection of editable parameters particular to it, and these can be sequenced via automation channels within the pattern editor. Mixer parameters like Volume and Pan can also be automated here on a per-pattern basis. Spark ‘Projects’ accommodate four banks of 16 patterns which can each be combined within a larger ‘Song’ sequence via an intuitive drag ‘n’ drop interface. Songs have a maximum length of 64 patterns and it’s currently only possible to store a single song per project. In the lower pane of the interface you’ll find a per-project mixer (featuring a creative selection of insert and send effects), a studio window for selecting and customising kits, and an iPod-style scrolling Library for loading projects.
PUSH THE BUTTONS
While the bulk of Spark’s power resides firmly within the computer it’s the Spark controller that will have you salivating. The control surface boasts approximately 30% more surface area than my Korg ‘padKontrol’, and weighing in at nearly 3kg it’s also a damn sight heavier. However, with mass comes solidity and a rugged plastic case has been elegantly complemented by a thick metal top panel. The base of the unit is uneven – featuring a hump-backed pod to house its connectors – while its body rests at an ergonomic incline astride two sleigh-like blue plastic runners. For me these slightly flexible legs are the chassis’s weak point and make Spark seem far better suited to a permanent table-top installation than being passed from lap to lap on your studio couch.
Spark, along with Arturia’s ever expanding range of synths and controllers, is dressed in sparkling white and is overflowing with backlit pads, buttons and continuous rotary controllers. The rear of the unit features its primary USB interface connection, MIDI I/O (the controller can operate as a MIDI port for other applications), and an optional – and largely surplus – 9V DC power socket. In addition to the main Spark software application, a MIDI control centre programs the hardware for control of third-party software and devices. This MIDI editor provides an impressive level of configuration, albeit lacking in some other facets of the software. For instance, Arturia has notably neglected to include a selection of velocity curves for pad response (also missing in Spark itself) but delivers in most other areas. The controller can switch between its Spark and MIDI modes at the press of a button (well three buttons simultaneously to be precise) and supports configuration of 32 trigger pads, 78 rotary encoders, 48 buttons, and three X/Y pads in any one MIDI template. While the Spark controller is unquestionably an impressive and flexible MIDI device it’s worth noting that the software’s MIDI generation capabilities are currently limited to MIDI export of pre-programmed sequences.
NEED TO KNOW
PLAYING WITH FIRE
The best way to experience Spark is to press Play on the controller and improvise. The pads respond consistently across their surface and the visual feedback provided by their synchronised illumination significantly enhances live sequencing. Recording and then erasing performances without interrupting playback is seamlessly handled, and the inclusion of a row of 16-step buttons for detailed editing of individual tracks is most welcome. Dedicated controls for live slicing, looping and filtering effects only increases the potential for fresh moments of inspiration – although these cannot be recorded for posterity unfortunately. I actually took the time to configure a few other third-party pad controllers to run the Spark software and none of them went even close to equalling the experience of using the tailored interface.
Saying all this, it’s important to note that as a new product – I was testing the only unit in the country at the time – Spark does have its fair share of teething problems. In fact, if I were to focus on issues of user configuration and deeper hardware control of the software I would quickly run out of space here. The one advantage of the hybrid model, however, is that these issues can be rectified relatively easily via software updates. However, the hardware controller has unfortunately been lumbered with a few design limitations; namely a retro-looking 32-character display that’s difficult to read when scrolling, and a lack of generic modifier buttons or rotary controllers incorporating push button switches. These more permanent omissions don’t necessarily preclude future improvements to integration but they certainly complicate them. I could go on, but as Arturia is providing an almost fully functional demo version of the software – only saving and exporting has been disabled – from the updates page of its website I’d recommend you try it for yourself. Rest assured, if you like what you hear, the experience will only be further enhanced by the use of the controller.
MONEY TO BURN
When you consider that Spark is barely one quarter the price of the current cream of hardware drum machines – not to mention some vintage options – it’s inevitable that its Gallic charm will prove irresistible to a whole host of beat-niks. Though it may be a work in progress – intentionally so in some respects – the hybrid model adequately accommodates this future development and offers a sense of longevity and security for your investment. If Arturia can bypass the superficial restrictions imposed by the controller’s labelling and trade in its left-bank cafés for some left-field thinking there’s no telling how much further the software/hardware integration could be pushed. Spark is an exciting new player in the performance sequencer market, but only time will tell if it reaches the classic heights of those it currently emulates and no doubt aspires to replace.
