Already one of the best VST guitar effect modelling plugins you can buy, Positive Grid’s BIAS FX suite is about to hit version 2. This is set to deliver a re-engineered DSP engine, new amps, pedals and racks, advanced Fuzz, Time and Harmonizer modellers, and a Guitar Match system that’s designed to make one guitar sound like another.
The amp engine is the same as the one from Amp 2, one of Positive Grid’s other bluechip releases, and is said to be supremely responsive and bursting with rich tone and dynamics. Your stock of pedals, meanwhile, can be added to by downloading custom models from the ToneCloud, and if you go for the top-line BIAS FX 2 Elite version, the BIAS Pedal software comes included.
The Guitar Match feature, meanwhile, looks similar to one of the options in Blue Cat Audio’s new Re-Guitar, in that it enables you to emulate the pickups, body type and body thickness of a range of classic guitars. The eye-catching premise is that you can make your humble guitar sound like any classic model you fancy.
Elsewhere, it’s very much a case of ‘more, more, more’; with so many effects at your disposal, this could be a tonehound’s paradise. There are Impulse Response-modelled Celestion cabs, too, and it’s been made easier to configure your virtual pedalboard setups and switch between them. There’s also a built-in loop recorder, so you can capture those moments of inspiration when they strike.
BIAS FX 2 launches on 21 March for PC and Mac in VST/AU/AAX and standalone formats. It’s available for pre-order now, with prices starting at $99 for the standard version, rising to $199 for the Professional edition and $299 for the Elite package. Find out more on the Positive Grid website.
