POSITIVE GRID BIAS AMP 2 $99

If you were looking at more than just selecting the different amps in your amp simulation software, Positive Grid’s BIAS Amp was one of the places to go, offering the possibilities of creating a custom amp at component level by swapping valves, transformers and more.

Now, BIAS Amp 2, a major upgrade, promises a greater level of customisation and improved touch sensitivity.

The new interface is straightforward and makes it easy to put your custom amp together. A bunch of presets in various categories (Clean, Crunch, Metal etc) are your starting point for tweaks to the signal chain of preamp, tone stack, power amp, transformer, cab, and EQ. A Pro version at $199 adds an extra EQ section, impulse response loading and an ‘Amp Match’ facility that lets you match the tone of any mic’d reference amp.

Sounds

However, there’s plenty in the Standard version to get your juices flowing. New valves and an updated transformer all contribute to creating your sound as does the excellent new multi-microphone possibiities of the cabinet module while the parametric EQ section at the end of the chain is a powerful tonal shaper that comes equipped with a real time frequency analyser so you can actually see the ‘shape’ of your sound and adjust accordingly.

Verdict

Capable of creating a wide range of mic’d amp tones with good touch-sensitive playability, this will let you tweak and personalise your sound to the nth degree. [TC]