The market for amp-and-effects modeling software is highly competitive, with many excellent products available. Nowadays, virtually every developer offering such products does a good job of modeling the sounds of various amps and effects. So to stand out, a product must provide additional value and utility. With the latest update of BIAS FX 2 (v. 2.6.0), Positive Grid does just that, adding several impressive new capabilities and enhancements to existing features.
BIAS FX 2, which features modeled guitar and bass amps and effects, includes a plug-in and a standalone application and is compatible with Mac and Windows. Positive Grid revised 10 of the amp models using a new DSP engine. According to the company, the updated models offer richer tones and more responsive dynamics. The new version includes those 10 in addition to a collection of “Legacy” amp models whose size varies depending on which tiered version of BIAS FX 2 you purchase. The most expensive tier, BIAS FX Elite ($209), includes 100 amps total. The Pro version ($139) comes with 60 amps, and the Standard version ($69) 30.
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The new Cabs 3.0 feature includes new IRs for the ten remodeled amps. It also makes mic placement easier, and you can pan the two selectable microphone models on each cabinet to create true stereo blends. Meanwhile, Guitar Match II upgrades an innovative feature that allows you to apply different guitar models to your guitar’s tone, giving you many more sonic options. The new Guitar Match Quick Mode makes switching models faster and easier; you can even turn your guitar into a bass by choosing one of the bass models.
Another handy feature is called Rewind for Auto Recording. It automatically captures your playing for up to 10 minutes, making it easy to go back and listen to any riffs or ideas you came up with while playing into it.
Positive Grid added a Cloud Bank feature for storing, backing up, and sharing presets. You can easily download artist, or user-uploaded presets from an extensive collection. Although it’s now significantly more powerful than previous versions, BIAS FX 2 is also more efficient; acccording to Positive Grid, it’s more stable, provides better memory management and reduces CPU usage by 20 percent.
The new version of Bias FX 2 is a free upgrade for existing users.
