Bias FX 2 Pro vs Elite?

[Echoes in the Attic]

So there's a 50% off sale right now and I'm thinking about getting Bias FX 2. Leaning twoards the Pro as I don't need 100 amps as opposed to 60. Both have the same number of effects except for a few extra rack effects. But it isn't too much more, so I'm looking to hear if anyone has strong opinions about whether the elite version is worth it. Specifically I'm wondering about the tone cloud and whether having pro would be limiting in using that. Are a lot of the tone cloud presets using things only in Elite? Is it clearly marked and filterable if you don't want to see the presets using elite devices? For 50 extra dollars, it might be worth just to not have to think about that stuff.

[jinotsuh]

Personally, I always go for the top tier in anything I buy. You then have everything and it takes away any should've/could've mind games, but mostly you aren't missing anything that you may or may not desire.

As for if it is worth it, well that is a personal thing only you can answer yourself, could I get by with just the Pro version?, yeah sure, I'd still have that nagging should've/could've though, I just prefer to have everything and be done with it.

Tone Cloud, well I use to have a look around and download stuff years ago, not really anymore, I can get all I want myself from tweaking in BIAS Amp 1 or 2 and then using them in FX 1 or 2, or just tweaking what is available out of the box in FX/FX2, or with one of the many Choptones packs available(you need either BIAS Amp 1 or 2 to use the Choptones stuff, but once installed/imported they show up in FX/FX2, they have some very good stuff available) I guess if a tone cloud amp/setup uses something that isn't included in your tier of the program then it will either still work, but not quite as designed, or just won't work (but I guess you could have figure that out yourself ) But like I said, I don't feel the need to use tone cloud personally, and that's not to say there isn't any good stuff there, there is, but there is also a lot of chaff.

[Echoes in the Attic]

Playing with the demo more in my studio which has a touch screen, I'm realizing that most of the interface does not respond at all to touch, which is quite rare actually, and quite a shame. Something like this where its' very modular and not instantly controllable from hardware, I'd want to use it on a touch screen, like I do with Amplitube, so I'm thinking of not going for it after all.

[escalona]

I would run away from Bias ...and I would run fast.

[Echoes in the Attic]

I would run away from Bias ...and I would run fast.

Any particular reason why? Just curious?

[escalona]

I would run away from Bias ...and I would run fast.

Any particular reason why? Just curious?

Among all the guitar/bass amp sims out there, Bias is the only one that has given me constant problems, crashing the session, not loading properly or not recalling settings properly, completely out of whack rendered/frozen tracks... it feels like it was coded in HTML. Another factor for me is the sound quality. I never truly found one tone I really liked (mostly I am in the on-the-edge-of-break-up kind of range... I don't "djent"). One last thing: I found myself wasting uncountable hours browsing every single parameter, changing the tubes, changing the bias, changing the transformers... in the end it just doesn't sound good -and it's problematic-. Support told me they couldn't replicate the problem, so they couldn't advice me.
I mostly record with a Kemper, but when I want to capture something fast, I usually use S-Gear -my personal favorite-, amplitube, the BRA Cypress (free) or any of the Ignite free ones, maybe a Kuassa one or a Nembrini (to go for 80s British rock sound)... I have also the Overloud TH-U but I find it clunky... anyway, there are countless. I just truly dislike Bias. Just my point of view.

[Echoes in the Attic]

Good to know, thanks. I've noticed that the GUI can be a bit laggy and choppy. Not a good sign. I was interested because of the guitar modeling and a few other things but I think I'll give it a pass.

[acousticglue]

They never got rid of lag loading program in Reaper so to me I never upgraded. I use the countless amps in amp inside Fx. The FX within or downloaded pedal versions are hit and miss. The main thing it gives me is amps that I don't have everywhere else. And it gives me a left right routing for fx. Many times I can turn off the amps and use FX strictly as just that. I just won't spend more money on it. To me, they should upgrade everything I have for free but I would bet 2 isn't better yet than 1.

[ughnonumus]

I would run away from Bias ...and I would run fast.

Any particular reason why? Just curious?

One last thing: I found myself wasting uncountable hours browsing every single parameter, changing the tubes, changing the bias, changing the transformers... in the end it just doesn't sound good -and it's problematic-. Support told me they couldn't replicate the problem, so they couldn't advice me.

Thanks, for that...was wondrin'. I bought the Spark 40 last year, and just recently took it out of the box; started using it to practise with, as it does have a headphone jack. Now, I am sorting out the rest.

PG is having a Halloween sale right now, and I was considering picking up the Amp2/FX2 combo, which is what brought me to this thread. IMO, messing with the internals is not where I want to spend my time. I'd prefer to be tracking, not playing inside the amp.

I do have Amplitube, a number of UAD Amps (ie Softube & Brainworx), and a few others. The Softube Marshalls and the Amplitube Fenders are my current faves, but I am now moving over to Nembrini Audio (NA). The NA amps hardly touch my CPU and present a consistent UI that makes it easy to stay in NA world. So, do I need another amp? Ah, that rhetorical question...before we buy another, yeah?

Your post grabbed my attention, as I was asking about the same stuff...workflow, tone, et al. In fact, as a Spark 40 owner/user, I was digging into the Spark 40 versus BIAS Amp/FX question...do I need both; which one; etc? It seems that Spark 40 is practise; BIAS is recording...two different flaves; not really convertible. So, after that, do I send another few hundred to PG to play with internals or not?

I appreciate you weighing in. Thanks.

[escalona]

I would run away from Bias ...and I would run fast.

Any particular reason why? Just curious?

One last thing: I found myself wasting uncountable hours browsing every single parameter, changing the tubes, changing the bias, changing the transformers... in the end it just doesn't sound good -and it's problematic-. Support told me they couldn't replicate the problem, so they couldn't advice me.

Thanks, for that...was wondrin'. I bought the Spark 40 last year, and just recently took it out of the box; started using it to practise with, as it does have a headphone jack. Now, I am sorting out the rest.

PG is having a Halloween sale right now, and I was considering picking up the Amp2/FX2 combo, which is what brought me to this thread. IMO, messing with the internals is not where I want to spend my time. I'd prefer to be tracking, not playing inside the amp.

I do have Amplitube, a number of UAD Amps (ie Softube & Brainworx), and a few others. The Softube Marshalls and the Amplitube Fenders are my current faves, but I am now moving over to Nembrini Audio (NA). The NA amps hardly touch my CPU and present a consistent UI that makes it easy to stay in NA world. So, do I need another amp? Ah, that rhetorical question...before we buy another, yeah?

Your post grabbed my attention, as I was asking about the same stuff...workflow, tone, et al. In fact, as a Spark 40 owner/user, I was digging into the Spark 40 versus BIAS Amp/FX question...do I need both; which one; etc? It seems that Spark 40 is practise; BIAS is recording...two different flaves; not really convertible. So, after that, do I send another few hundred to PG to play with internals or not?

I appreciate you weighing in. Thanks.

If you have a Mac, you may be ok. If you work with windows, Bias is not very friendly.
If you ask me, with Amplitube, some random PA amps, Softube AmpRoom (my fave of your list), and Nembrini... you won't find anything in Bias you don't already have.
I have a Spark 40 as well and it's a fun thing for practice. In fact I used it to play an acoustic set the other day in a small cafe and it did the job nicely. Their plugins though I've never liked them.
If you want to expand your palette, I'd look into Overloud Th-U (not cheap) or BlueCatAudio Axiom (not cheap either). I have both. Axiom gives you unlimited tweakabilty and tons of features... and that's somehow a problem for me (too much navigating and editing: I just want to play!). I personally use Th-U with a behringer fcb1010 pedalboard live sometimes (though most of the time I take my Kemper... or simply an amp). Honestly, Nembrini (when on sale... which is often) offers the best quality per $ in my opinion, I just prefer other platforms. Another sleeper is Kuassa. Their stuff is cheap and they sound good (and like Nembrini, with very low CPU usage).
Good hunting!