This makes possible a new feature, the Middle Effect, which allows you to place multiple pedals or rackmount effects between an amplifier and its loudspeaker, on one or across both sides of a dual path.

In the original Bias FX program, amps and cabs were permanently paired, but in Bias FX 2 they can be selected individually. One operational quirk is that the mixer at the end of the dual path defaults to centre‑panning both paths, so it’s necessary to manually pan left and right if you wish to create a stereo output. Although neither the splitter nor the mixer can be moved, you can ‘reposition’ them by shifting FX models to and from either side of both, making it possible to create a dual path that starts with a splitter and ends with a mixer. This creates two parallel paths by inserting a two‑channel Splitter before the current amplifier and a stereo two‑channel Mixer after its loudspeaker. If a single signal path isn’t sufficient, you can switch to a dual path. The individual preset names contain fairly obvious descriptions of their sonic character, such as ‘Whole Lotta Page’ in the Rock bank.Įditing a preset is simply a matter of adding, moving, removing, replacing, activating or bypassing amplifier, cabinet and effects models along the signal path, and setting their individual controls to get the sound you want. Helpfully, the factory presets are grouped by genre: Pop, Blues, Rock, Metal, Insane, Alternative, Bass and Acoustic.

This makes editing, building or saving presets (signal paths made up of effects, amplifiers and loudspeakers) a simple process. One of the attractions of Bias FX 2 is its intuitive drag‑and‑drop GUI. It’s the Elite version, the one with the most extensive feature set, that’s under review here. All three tiers share a common core, but the latter two add more features and functions. As with Bias Amp 2, which I reviewed in SOS October 2018, both desktop (standalone and plug‑in) and iOS versions are available in three tiers: Standard, Pro, and Elite. It does include amps and cabs too, but the idea is that it can be used in conjunction with the company’s separate Bias Amp 2 if you feel the need for more control over that side of things.īias FX 2 features 122 effects pedals, 18 rackmount effects units, dedicated Fuzz, Time and Harmonizer modellers, and 100 amplifier and loudspeaker cabinet models, all of which have been arranged in 210 carefully curated factory presets. With both desktop and mobile versions, and a tiered pricing model, there’s a Bias FX 2 version to suit any budget.Īs its name suggests, Positive Grid Bias FX 2’s main focus is on modelling pedal and rackmount hardware effects units.

Positive grid bias desktop standalone