Quick review/comparison: Positive Grid BIAS Amp 2 Std/Pro (PC/Mac, VST/AU/AAX)

I recently upgraded my copy of BIAS Amp 2 from Standard to Professional, so I figured I'd share my thoughts on the differences between the two versions, as well as the software overall. As of this writing, Positive Grid is having a pretty sweet pre-black friday sale, so if you hurry, you can pick this up pretty cheaply.

Above: front panel controls. Note that the selection of controls is always the same, but you can customize the looks.

I'll start with some overall thoughts on the software in question. I really love the idea here... if you're not familiar with BIAS Amp, it allows you to mix & match components to virtually build custom amps. You can choose from different preamps, tone stacks, power amps, transformers, and speakers/cabs. You want a 5150-type preamp with a Marshall-style tone stack? No problem. The modules can also be further customized by swapping tube/transformer types, adding or removing tube drive stages, and tweaking things like bias and tonal characteristics. It's not quite the same as designing a tube amp with a schematic and electronic components, but it seems like the next best thing, and is presented in an intuitive way that doesn't require any electronics expertise. As an electronics nerd, I do think it would be cool to be able to tweak the tone stack "circuit" to make entirely new stuff, but that's probably deeper than most people care to go, and there's plenty of room for tonal teaking as it is. If you can't quite get the tone you're after with the amp modules, there are also two parametric EQ's that can be dragged anywhere in the signal path (the Pro version also adds a graphic EQ option). This is one of those plug-ins that I could spend as much (or more) time tweaking as actually using.

Above: cabinet/mic mixer controls. You can alternate between the mixer and mic distance controls with a switch. You can also turn the 2nd mic off.

Sound-wise, I'm not familiar enough with the all of the real-world amps represented by presets to comment on authenticity of specific sounds myself, though other reviews I've seen had good things to say in this area. Generally speaking, it sounds pretty convincing to me as far as "that sound" of a tube amp. I personally don't care about emulating any specific amps as much as I do about being able to get a wide range of good sounds, and I'd say it definitely delivers there. Using the presets as starting points, I've gotten so many good sounds that I quite seriously and honestly think I'm set for guitar amp sims until the next technology leap. I'll probably even ditch a few older freeware ones that I've been holding onto for certain sounds.

As for the presets, there is a smallish, but very usable, selection included with the plug-in, and a bunch more available through the "ToneCloud" online feature. Logging into ToneCloud is also how you handle registration, which was painless.

Above: preamp controls. The Standard preamp is shown.

Now for one of the main reasons I wanted to write this, which is the question of whether it's worth going for the Pro version over Std. In my opinion, it definitely is if you catch it on sale, as I did. For the full upgrade/purchase price, I would say that it depends. If you want to use the "Amp Match" feature, you'll need the Pro version (or the next one up, Elite). It does also open up quite a few more options (mostly more preamps and power amps, also an IR loader), but depending on what you already have and what you're looking for, you may not need those extra options. The Standard version is perfectly capable of a range of good clean and distorted sounds. I personally do really like the "Bass", "Blues", and "Insane" preamp options, and all of the added options do have a bit of a different sound (and different things to tweak) to the Standard option you get in that version of the plug-in. I don't regret the upgrade, and don't think I would even if I had paid full price. I like sludgey, heavy tones, and the Insane preamp seems very good for those, as does the Blues one, with some added overdrive or distortion before the plug-in.

My final overall verdict is that this is pretty close to my dream amp sim. I really like the extreme tweakability, and it sounds great to my ears. It also seems like a pretty good value, considering the huge range of possible tones on offer here. I would highly recommend this to people like myself who aren't necessarily looking for a specific sound, and also like tweaking stuff to suit their own purposes. While I think most users could probably live with the Standard version, I think it's worth stepping up to the Pro version, especially if you like the idea of more/different things to tweak.

Website: https://www.positivegrid.com/

Compare versions here: https://www.positivegrid.com/bias-amp-compare/