Bias Amp 2 Reviews...Holy Crap

[wagtunes]

Okay, I'm not a guitarist (well, I do play but don't consider myself one) and I'm not extremely picky about amp sounds (I think both Guitar Rig 5 and Amplitude 4 sound fine) but reading the comments on Bias Amp 2, you'd think it was the worst piece of garbage ever made. I don't know. I heard it and I think it sounds fine. And with the ability to build a custom amp down to the tubes used, what's not to love? Granted, the price for the full thing is pretty steep, but sound wise, I don't hear this horrible thing that almost every comment I read is claiming.

What am I missing? Is this just typical Internet hate or is this really a poor product with both Guitar Rig 5 and Amplitude 4 being far superior?

Clue me in.

[Robert Randolph]

Guitar Rig isn't superior to anything in the amp modeling world... It's probably the worst guitar amp sim still on the market.

I've watched a few reviews on Bias Amp 2 and it doesn't sound that bad. It seems that a lot of the reviewers are trying to emulate metal sounds used on modern metal records, which are often amp sims themselves. I think that likely has some influence on it.

I think the biggest issue is that Bias has a long history of releasing extremely buggy software with poor support and nearly zero community interaction. Even if it was an amazing product, I wouldn't buy it. Their 'free' products have been a total disaster and at this point I'd never pay for something they release.

[EvilDragon]

I think GR5 excels at heavily modulated sounds and not necessarily applied on guitar, and is also very decent with clean sounds. But for anything crunchy or high gain, forget it. There are much better options for that.

Robert has a point, though. Positive Grid isn't the most well-reputed software developer. The way they fragmentate their product range is frankly ridiculous (why exactly can't we have pedals and amps and FX all in one plugin, and have one plugin being able to tweak all of those?), and not to mention the user experience is subpar. Buggy, sluggish to use. And the sound doesn't quite make up for it.

[Scotty]

Guitarists are extremely fussy about tone but they are also high individualistic in terms of taste. I am of the belief that if you can't get a good tone out of Bias, Amplitube or Guitar Rig there is something wrong with the set-up , the player or the expectations - not the software. Some people don't really know what a mic'd guitar cabinet sounds like. They want to hear the low end rumble of the amp as if it was sitting on the floor and shaking the earth. Recordings of mic'd cabinets don't sound like that nor do amp sims. Yep, this is typical internet hate and the vast majority of people wouldn't be able to back up their opinions if faced with double blind listening tests. Some guitarist talk a lot about the interaction of the their picking dynamics and the response from the amp . There is something to this but its impact is greatly exaggerated. BIAS is most certainly in the same league as their competitors. This is similar to the broad based hatred that some people express for Arturia and IK Multimedia. It becomes easy sport. There is also a tendency to positively identify with software or hardware that is expensive. Kemper must be better because it is expensive, runs on DSP and I have it and you don't. UAD-2 plugins have to be better because I paid $300 for that reverb and you didn't. It keeps the market purring but beneath the surface is confirmation bias and other psychological factors at play that fool the ears, placate critical thought and lighten the wallet.

[VariKusBrainZ]

I thought Bias were at the top of the game, especially on iPads etc in terms of sound.
Or was that just marketing blurb Im remembering.

I am a guitarist but I dont really do the software, much more fun to plug into a real amp with zero latency. I do own a few amp sims but dont use them for guitar.

I got bored of metal/high gain sounds 20 years ago (when all the death metal bands started sounding the same and I discovered Autechre) and enjoy a clean DI sound, but then I generally play funk these days, when I can be arsed to play.

I have the free Bias stuff and somehow got some of their pedals for free but never bothered to try them with guitar. Maybe Im wierd

[generaldiomedes]

Guitarists are extremely fussy about tone but they are also high individualistic in terms of taste. I am of the belief that if you can't get a good tone out of Bias, Amplitube or Guitar Rig there is something wrong with the set-up , the player or the expectations - not the software.

I own Guitar Rig, Bias and Axe FX II and this statement could not be more wrong. These products are in completely different leagues (GR the worst, Axe the best obviously) as any A/B test with the same dry input will tell you. Also, you need all of these things to get the best possible tone - setup, technique, software and production.

Anyways, Bias Amp 2 seems to be more focused on tone dynamics and boutique amp modelling, which doesn't really do much for a metal sound so I am not surprised by the reviews. Celestion IRs I doubt are better than high quality commercial IRs already available, seems more like a marketing move.

[Scotty]

I know you believe this to be true but that is the point. Any guitar amp sim has its fans and it detractors. There are many gifted guitarists who express a preference for each of the competing platforms. There is no defacto winner. You will love what you will love but the bias is not in the name, the bias is in your head.

Guitarists are extremely fussy about tone but they are also high individualistic in terms of taste. I am of the belief that if you can't get a good tone out of Bias, Amplitube or Guitar Rig there is something wrong with the set-up , the player or the expectations - not the software.

I own Guitar Rig, Bias and Axe FX II and this statement could not be more wrong. These products are in completely different leagues as any A/B test with the same dry input will tell you. Also, you need all of these things to get the best possible tone - setup, technique, software and production.

Anyways, Bias Amp 2 seems to be more focused on tone dynamics and boutique amp modelling, which doesn't really do much for a metal sound so I am not surprised by the reviews. Celestion IRs I doubt are better than high quality IRs already available, seems more like a marketing move.

[generaldiomedes]

You will love what you will love but the bias is not in the name, the bias is in your head.

All sound is interpreted in your head

You know, when a lot of people say one thing sounds better than another though, they might be on to something

[Arp_]

I tested the demo and it isn't interesting. The sound is fine, but so is the sound of free LePou plugins, and I don't think Bias is better. Also I think the recent Mercuriall stuff really set the bar very high and Bias does not come close.

[Heartfeltdawn]

Guitarists are extremely fussy about tone but they are also high individualistic in terms of taste. I am of the belief that if you can't get a good tone out of Bias, Amplitube or Guitar Rig there is something wrong with the set-up , the player or the expectations - not the software.

I'd agree with the opening three sentences to this stance but after that it becomes more contentious.

Some guitarist talk a lot about the interaction of the their picking dynamics and the response from the amp . There is something to this but its impact is greatly exaggerated.

If you're playing an amp loaded with a valve rectifier, there is a different response to playing a solid-state amp. Some players can work through this, others just can't.

BIAS is most certainly in the same league as their competitors. This is similar to the broad based hatred that some people express for Arturia and IK Multimedia. It becomes easy sport. There is also a tendency to positively identify with software or hardware that is expensive. Kemper must be better because it is expensive, runs on DSP and I have it and you don't. UAD-2 plugins have to be better because I paid $300 for that reverb and you didn't. It keeps the market purring but beneath the surface is confirmation bias and other psychological factors at play that fool the ears, placate critical thought and lighten the wallet.

Sure, there are people like this. Expensive = better. As I ditched Amplitube and others and use a s/h $75 version of S-Gear, clearly I exhibit no confirmation bias

[Scotty]

There is no generally agreed upon standard in regard to amp sims. Tons of pros use Line 6 modelling amps, tons of skilled guitarist use BIAS technology, Eleven or Amplitude, Guitar Rig or others or combinations of others. To pretend that their is some kind of consensus that points to some kind of truth is highly imaginative. There is taste, there is preference and you can have that but you can't own the truth. There is no one truth to be had here.

You will love what you will love but the bias is not in the name, the bias is in your head.

All sound is interpreted in your head

You know, when a lot of people say one thing sounds better than another though, they might be on to something

[wagtunes]

I tested the demo and it isn't interesting. The sound is fine, but so is the sound of free LePou plugins, and I don't think Bias is better. Also I think the recent Mercuriall stuff really set the bar very high and Bias does not come close.

Okay, I have heard a lot of people praising Mecuriall stuff.

Is it REALLY that good or is this just Internet Bias in the other direction?

[Heartfeltdawn]

There is no generally agreed upon standard in regard to amp sims. Tons of pros use Line 6 modelling amps, tons of skilled guitarist use BIAS technology, Eleven or Amplitude, Guitar Rig or others or combinations of others. To pretend that their is some kind of consensus that points to some kind of truth is highly imaginative. There is taste, there is preference and you can have that but you can't own the truth. There is no one truth to be had here.

To a degree. There is taste and preference and I can't help it if a majority has dreadful taste.

[Robert Randolph]

There is no generally agreed upon standard in regard to amp sims. Tons of pros use Line 6 modelling amps, tons of skilled guitarist use BIAS technology, Eleven or Amplitude, Guitar Rig or others or combinations of others. To pretend that their is some kind of consensus that points to some kind of truth is highly imaginative. There is taste, there is preference and you can have that but you can't own the truth. There is no one truth to be had here.

You will love what you will love but the bias is not in the name, the bias is in your head.

All sound is interpreted in your head

You know, when a lot of people say one thing sounds better than another though, they might be on to something

That's true, however I think there is a point where certain amp sims make it easier to get certain sounds.

A particularly skilled guitarist is probably going to be more likely to be able to get sounds that are decent out of most things, but the amount of steps and effort to get there is much less with some software than others.

And of course that ease of acquisition of a specific tone depends on what type of tone you want. Some products are really good at making some sound accessible, while other sounds are more difficult.

I think in that context it's reasonable to say that some products are 'bad' and 'good', not based entirely on the potential quality of output, but rather based upon the ease of access of a specific range of sounds.

[Scotty]

I agree with what you are saying here Robert. Some of the workflow issues too are independent of the actual quality of sound and more related to the interface. I personally prefer Guitar Rig for heavily modulated sounds but the interface doesn't feel like a guitar amp experience to me. But trying to get coax those kinds of sounds say out of Amplitube is more difficult for me but the tools are there if I put in the time. So I choose Guitar Rig when i am going for more textural evolving sounds. This is a reflection of my preferences and expectations not a criticism of the sound of either product.

There is no generally agreed upon standard in regard to amp sims. Tons of pros use Line 6 modelling amps, tons of skilled guitarist use BIAS technology, Eleven or Amplitude, Guitar Rig or others or combinations of others. To pretend that their is some kind of consensus that points to some kind of truth is highly imaginative. There is taste, there is preference and you can have that but you can't own the truth. There is no one truth to be had here.

You will love what you will love but the bias is not in the name, the bias is in your head.

All sound is interpreted in your head

You know, when a lot of people say one thing sounds better than another though, they might be on to something

That's true, however I think there is a point where certain amp sims make it easier to get certain sounds.

A particularly skilled guitarist is probably going to be more likely to be able to get sounds that are decent out of most things, but the amount of steps and effort to get there is much less with some software than others.

And of course that ease of acquisition of a specific tone depends on what type of tone you want. Some products are really good at making some sound accessible, while other sounds are more difficult.

I think in that context it's reasonable to say that some products are 'bad' and 'good', not based entirely on the potential quality of output, but rather based upon the ease of access of a specific range of sounds.