BIAS FX 50% off... worth it?

wingwizard · December 2018

Hi. As The title says, was hoping to get some opinions on the bias fx stuff.

Just in terms of guitar sounds and amps I like... I have tonestack (everything) and bias amp, amp kit amp one I think and have used amplitube and flying haggis. I really struggled to get the tones I wanted until recently. So I have the tone stack fx.

I should probably mention i can’t stand metal/distorted guitar, or glassy clean sounds - the first lacks any tone, and the second is also kind of empty sounding to me (I also don’t like grand piano sims unless I can get a more intimate upright sound).

Of the big three, Amplitube is very synthetic and dead sounding to me, and tone stack just sounds... weird. I like the variety there but it all sounds like there’s some removal between me and the sound like the sims are very ‘effects’y. Perhaps a bit like a sonic photoshop. A bit cheap sounding like a multi effects pedal. There’s also a lack of distinction or depth and its hard to find a stripped down sound to actually get a base for the app.

Bias, until recently I didn’t like either. However I started stripping off all the gain from some of the clean/blues amps and found some nice tones, through a casino (I’m hoping to move to another country so had to ween down a big guitar collection and find my favourite electric). I like that kind of clean, the opposite of glassy, a clean that really brings through the character of the guitar where you can hear the wood, bit like Hendrix cleans when he uses them, that sound like the guitar is barely electrified at times. Then I love bluesy sound with just a hint of breakup or a bit more, at just the right times, or overdriven. Always overdriven never distorted.

I’m wondering if the other bias amp sets are worth it too - sadly no sale.

Sorry for all the extraneous information but thought it might be interesting to other tone nerds, or helpful in knowing whether the bias fx stuff is for me! I wonder how it compares to tone stack fx which I often here people say are the plus point, seeing as I find tine stack in general so fake and unsophisticated in sound. The problem with most amp sims is the lack of dynamics I think, although half of that was finding the right settings in bias.

richardyot · December 2018

These days my favourite guitar signal chain is using BIAS Amp with the Celestion cabs and then hooking up to regular AUv3 FX in AUM (FAC Chorus or Vyrsin Tap Delay for example).

Generally the stuff in BIAS FX sounds OK, but it can be really brittle sounding, it's hard to dial in any warmth. I also avoid any of the reverbs in BIAS Amp or FX and use Kleverb or the Virsyn AudioReverb instead.

I actually think the best thing in BIAS is the Celestion cabs. I could probably just live with BIAS Amp and not bother with BIAS FX.

My kind of tone is clean though, I rarely use distortion. My ideal tone is a Les Paul through a Fender Twin. Big, warm, and clean.

wingwizard · December 2018

@richardyot said:
These days my favourite guitar signal chain is using BIAS Amp with the Celestion cabs and then hooking up to regular AUv3 FX in AUM (FAC Chorus or Vyrsin Tap Delay for example).

Generally the stuff in BIAS FX sounds OK, but it can be really brittle sounding, it's hard to dial in any warmth. I also avoid any of the reverbs in BIAS Amp or FX and use Kleverb or the Virsyn AudioReverb instead.

I actually think the best thing in BIAS is the Celestion cabs. I could probably just live with BIAS Amp and not bother with BIAS FX.

My kind of tone is clean though, I rarely use distortion. My ideal tone is a Les Paul through a Fender Twin. Big, warm, and clean.

Thank you, really helpful. Do you have the other amp packs in bias, wondered if you have any thoughts there?

I think I’ll maybe leave the fx as I need warmth. Although a nice overdrive would be good. The rest is kind of a novelty for me, that quickly runs dry. I do love step phasing though - don’t suppose you know if their phaser has a step mode. The only one I know of on iOS is sugar bytes tornado I think.

Kranick · December 2018

I have all guitar apps with all expansions. Also I have a real tube Mesa Boogie and 20 pedals. I don’t see any problems with Bias FX for any kind of guitar sound. It sounds good and flexible, so I use Bias in my night practice sessions. But for the last year my main app is Amplitube. I like both Fender’s expansion packs for clean, Orange’s for rock and Mesa’s for heavy sound.

wingwizard · December 2018

@Kranick said:
I have all guitar apps with all expansions. Also I have a real tube Mesa Boogie and 20 pedals. I don’t see any problems with Bias FX for any kind of guitar sound. It sounds good and flexible, so I use Bias in my night practice sessions. But for the last year my main app is Amplitube. I like both Fender’s expansion packs for clean, Orange’s for rock and Mesa’s for heavy sound.

I heard good things about amplitudes fender pack 2. I really dislike the standard amplitube app- just not for me at all... do you think the fender pack 2nis significantly different in that someone who dislikes amplitude may like it? I love some of the old twin reverb sounds with a casino.