Focusrite Plugin Collective

[ghettosynth]

Quite liking Bias Amp LE to be honest, sounds pretty good to my ears. Never been much of a guitar amp afficionado and don't own any other amp plugs apart from those that came with Ableton but can get a good variety of sounds with it, especially using different power amps, transformers, valve types, etc.

There's nothing wrong with the sound of any BIAS plugins. It's the rest of the plugins that are absolutely horrible.

I mean: The plugin doesn't even save it's settings so you lose all your tweaks if you reload a project.. unless you saved the preset, which still means you need to manually re-load the preset before you get the sound you wanted. Why does this happen? Simple. None of the controls on any of their plugins are linked to basic VST parameters. So nothing can be automated and thus nothing can be saved/re-called by the host either.

It's absolutely bizarre how they programmed their VST plugins.. they don't even adhere to the VST plugin standard.

Then there's the GUI which is extremely badly done. No way to reset parameters to default. Several of their products also have completely broken "starting points" for the various emulations, like their compressor pack which is just bizarre when using the Fairchild wannabe. It immediately distorts any audio source you put into it. At it's default settings.

ALL of these issues have been reported to them more than a year ago and last time I tried any BIAS plugins none of the issues were fixed.

It's a "vampire" company. Bleeding people of money with absolutely no regard to fixing the problems. It's mainly targeted for the iGeneration and their pads/phones. No idea why they even made the VST effects when they can't program them and adhere to the basic standards that have been pretty much set in stone since day one.

Well, any excitement that I had to explore them is now pretty much in the toilet. Thanks, and I mean that genuinely, you saved me some time.

I really hate how long their shit takes to load and how it's centered around buying IAP products. But no automation and no recall of state is a complete and total deal breaker and it will just be easier to just uninstall it and forget about it.

I'm getting ready to do some guitar stuff for the first time in a long time and I need to get my ITB sound processing all setup for that. My current sense is that I really don't need anyone's "guitar pedal simulation" because for most things, effects that I already have work better. I'm also not really into guitar rig. Sometimes it sounds ok, most times I'm just not feeling it.

So, I think that it's going to be all ala-carte for me and I'll setup processing chains in Reaper to figure out what I like.

[Vertion]

[shidostrife]

Quite liking Bias Amp LE to be honest, sounds pretty good to my ears. Never been much of a guitar amp afficionado and don't own any other amp plugs apart from those that came with Ableton but can get a good variety of sounds with it, especially using different power amps, transformers, valve types, etc.

There's nothing wrong with the sound of any BIAS plugins. It's the rest of the plugins that are absolutely horrible.

I mean: The plugin doesn't even save it's settings so you lose all your tweaks if you reload a project.. unless you saved the preset, which still means you need to manually re-load the preset before you get the sound you wanted. Why does this happen? Simple. None of the controls on any of their plugins are linked to basic VST parameters. So nothing can be automated and thus nothing can be saved/re-called by the host either.

It's absolutely bizarre how they programmed their VST plugins.. they don't even adhere to the VST plugin standard.

Then there's the GUI which is extremely badly done. No way to reset parameters to default. Several of their products also have completely broken "starting points" for the various emulations, like their compressor pack which is just bizarre when using the Fairchild wannabe. It immediately distorts any audio source you put into it. At it's default settings.

ALL of these issues have been reported to them more than a year ago and last time I tried any BIAS plugins none of the issues were fixed.

It's a "vampire" company. Bleeding people of money with absolutely no regard to fixing the problems. It's mainly targeted for the iGeneration and their pads/phones. No idea why they even made the VST effects when they can't program them and adhere to the basic standards that have been pretty much set in stone since day one.

I tried loading Bias FX LE, Bias Amp LE, and the free Bias Pedal (all the latest version) in cubase, load a preset, tweaked some setting. Save the project, close cubase, open again, load the project. All my tweaks are there for all 3 plugins.

I do remember this was not the case some versions ago. But the saving had been fixed now.

The bad GUI is still true, though.

[stormizinhu]

Guys, i need some help. I own a Scarlett 2i4, the first version. I got the Plugin Collective in november i guess, that four one with Bias FX LE. After i got one month, can i get the other months without registering new products from focusrite?

[chk071]

Guys, i need some help. I own a Scarlett 2i4, the first version. I got the Plugin Collective in november i guess, that four one with Bias FX LE. After i got one month, can i get the other months without registering new products from focusrite?

Yes. But why don't you just log into your account?

[stormizinhu]

I log in every day. I just ended some chat support with focusrite. It's weird, when i logged in November, the offers apeared, with black background, redeem code, etc. And just white background with no info. He said i have nothing registered to get the offers, but how if i did this before?

It's been a while that a look the offers, everybody getting and i don't. I don't wanna to miss this one.

[chk071]

You can check in your account which products you have registered. If your audio interface isn't listed there, then try registering it again. As far as i know, the monthy offerings work for anyone who has at least one of their qualified hardware products registered.

[ftech]

Yep. I've had my Saffire interface since 2008 and I've been getting the offers every month since the Plugin Collective started. Certainly pays to register.

[GeorgeZ]

Well, these went downhill fast imo... think that's enough for now (cut down versions, essentially adware, discounts...?). Sorry FR, started with a bang, but now I'll unsub from that email flurry, thanks. T'was good while it lasted (initial 4 pluggies or so).

Not complaining per se, just voicing my opinion.

[Fleer]

Quite remarkable, when last month's plugin was one of the most exquisite reverbs around.

[ghettosynth]

Quite remarkable, when last month's plugin was one of the most exquisite reverbs around.

You know though, it's a freebie. It's going to be a lot like the CM magazine monthlies. Some will be better than others. It's all about what they can negotiate and with whom. The quality will totally be a function of where that business is at that point in time and what their particular goals are.

Even if they have really hot plugins like R2 in the works, it's in their interest to spread them out a bit, I would think. It's probably a part of someone's job to make those phone calls and send out those emails trying to find companies to partner with.

I'm just saying, I'm totally cutting them some slack on this. I'm not much interested in the Bias stuff, but, Focusrite is still doing a great job in my view. Please name the other interface manufacturers doing anything like this? I can say without a shadow of a doubt that no other collection of freebies from any other single vendor was this good within a year's time frame.

Yes, it's a promo, but, if it's designed to make me think about Focusrite first in terms of new hardware, it's damned well working.

[GeorgeZ]

Indeed, was some real decent ones in there. Again, not having a QQ, happy with what I got, just kinda surprized at where it went, ya know (went from incentive to own Fr gear to "advertising" for Bias. I regard any cut down version to be advertising, these days. Sure it's nice when you're new to it all, but these days I go full fat or pass... suppose that's why I don't really do freebie pluggies anymore, just buy what'll actually does the job and get on with it... goes hand in hand with my recent HDD purge, massive clean out, only keep installed what you actually use. It's bliss )?

... er, that went well OT, never mind me, just thinking out loud....

EDIT: Speaking of the CM pluggies... that was a weird tipping point for me (years ago now), but I still remember it well. One day while reading a copy for CM it suddenly dawned on me, more than not, these days I'm not actually learning much new from my CM sub. Not downplaying CM, wouldn't dream of it, but I seem to see with people a point where they kinda outgrow the monthly CM. Anyone else experienced that? These days I just buy a copy if there's something specific that they're covering (ne DAW releases that are still under wraps maybe at the time of "print" and so on...).

[ghettosynth]

Indeed, was some real decent ones in there. Again, not having a QQ, happy with what I got, just kinda surprized at where it went, ya know (went from incentive to own Fr gear to "advertising" for Bias. I regard any cut down version to be advertising, these days. Sure it's nice when you're new to it all, but these days I go full fat or pass... suppose that's why I don't really do freebie pluggies anymore, just buy what'll actually does the job and get on with it... goes hand in hand with my recent HDD purge, massive clean out, only keep installed what you actually use. It's bliss )?

... er, that went well OT, never mind me, just thinking out loud....

Go back and look though, Bias was one of their partners last year. Even the flux monitor was a limited version, although, an actual product IIRC. I even predicted a less than stellar plugin this month. I think that it's about momentum over the long haul.

I don't bother with a lot of freebies either, but, Just the two reverbs were kickass and way more than I can recall being free from anyone else with maybe the exception of SoundToys with the really excellent SieQ and Tremolator. Even then, I think that in terms of pure retail value, there's no comparison.

To be clear, I'm not much impressed with the Bias stuff at all and I'm probably going to just uninstall it. I just think that it's probably a lot of work to organize these promotions so I'm giving credit where credit is due.

[pekbro]

I haven't bothered with the bias stuff as I'm not really interested in it at all. Still going to upgrade the R2 reverb before the offer runs out. Would have done so already, if not for the fact that I bought a bunch of weed instead. ...sigh

[inboxzero]

EDIT: Speaking of the CM pluggies... that was a weird tipping point for me (years ago now), but I still remember it well. One day while reading a copy for CM it suddenly dawned on me, more than not, these days I'm not actually learning much new from my CM sub. Not downplaying CM, wouldn't dream of it, but I seem to see with people a point where they kinda outgrow the monthly CM. Anyone else experienced that? These days I just buy a copy if there's something specific that they're covering (ne DAW releases that are still under wraps maybe at the time of "print" and so on...).

off topic, but I agree with you here. I started with CM1 and after about 3 years, decided there was only so many things they talk about (the compression issue, the eq issue, the mastering issue, the mixing issue, the creative effects issue). So I stopped subscribing.
I did last year re-subscribe, much like SOS I like reading the interviews with artists, even when they are not genres I listen to.

Back on topic, I found the Bias Amp better quality and more useful than the Bias FX (and the free distortion pack). I'm unlikely to purchase it and will probably delete it in a month or two. (given the plethora of other amp software I have).

But I am liking this Focusrite plugin collective.