Guitar World Verdict
Regardless of your feelings on AI as a creative tool, Positive Grid's new foray into generative amp modeling has some serious potential. It's superbly easy to use, has a good spread of features and the sounds are up there with the best in the plugin market.
Pros
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Excellent sounds from those advanced amp and effect models.
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Really easy to set up and use to good effect straight away.
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The AI genuinely streamlines the creative process, without diminishing the ability to tweak manually.
Cons
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Some might wish for more amp and effect models – this, of course, could be planned for already.
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The ability to tweak on a component level, similar to the older BIAS software, would have been an interesting addition.
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- Launch price: $149
- Type: Plugin
- Formats: Mac/PC - Audio Units, VST 3, AAX Native,
- System requirements (minimum): macOS 11.7, Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, 1GB of storage space
Windows 10 Version 1903, Intel Core i5 Processor, 8GB of RAM, 2GB of available storage space - Buy at: Positive Grid
What is it?
You’ll have noticed by now – artificial intelligence has arrived, and apparently it’s here to stay.
There’s no hotter potato than AI in the world of tech; there’s also ongoing discourse about the ethics surrounding its use, especially when it comes to creative pursuits. Is it fundamentally right or wrong to hand over certain onerous tasks to AI, in order to streamline creative processes and, perhaps, achieve interesting end results? More importantly, does it get you closer to the guitar tone you’ve been searching for?
Positive Grid has become a mainstay in amp modeling over the past decade. The Spark desktop amp is now one of the go-to choices for a really capable small amp, its Spark Neo headphones offer silent, wireless practice, and the company’s BIAS amp and effects modeling software pushed boundaries - allowing the user to play ‘amp designer’ and offering component-level tweaking for a truly in-depth experience.
The company’s latest arrival to the guitar plugin party, though, takes things a step further. BIAS X is touted as “the first fully generative, guitar tone design software powered by agentic AI” – this being a type of AI that can perform automated tasks with or without human supervision, requiring minimal intervention in order to achieve results.
In theory, then, this seriously speeds up the process of tweaking and developing your tone.
Inside, we’ve 33 amp models, 63 effects, an IR loader and all-new cab emulation technology. Not an exhaustive list of models compared to some rivals, but still plenty to be going on with. Positive Grid also boasts of enhanced realism due to the use of machine learning and component modeling.
Another headline feature is the new tech behind the ‘Text-to-Tone’ and ‘Music-to-Tone’ features. That generative AI is used to develop settings and create tones based, respectively, on written user prompts, or by analysing music that is fed into the software. From there, the user can write further prompts to tweak the result.
Specs
- Launch price: $149
- Type: Plugin
- Formats: Mac/PC
- System requirements (minimum): macOS 11.7, 8th-generation Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM Audio Plugin Formats: Audio Units, VST 3, AAX Native, 1GB of available storage space; Windows 10 Version 1903 (10.0.18362, 19H1) Intel Core i5 Processor, 8GB of RAM, Audio Plugin Formats: VST 3, AAX Native, 2GB of available storage space
- Contact: Positive Grid
Usability
To begin with though, I fired up BIAS X and went old-school. As a veteran of Line 6 GearBox, a former Kemper Profiler owner and a current user of a Line 6 HX Stomp and its associated HX Edit software, I’m well used to amp modeling software and thus far, of course, I’ve had to slum it with manual editing.
After only the first few minutes, I'd saved a good-sounding clean patch with some choice effects
Over the years though, this has taught me some valuable lessons about dialing in the best possible sounds for my own needs, and regardless of how advanced the AI is, it’s still important to me that I get to adjust settings using my own skill and judgement.
Thankfully, BIAS X makes this a smooth process. I began with a good-sounding default black panel Fender amp model, added one of the selection of compressors, a rotary speaker emulation and a Space Echo, experimenting with mic placement in order to fine-tune the end result.
After only the first few minutes, I'd saved a good-sounding clean patch with some choice effects. The visuals are also good, displaying your signal chain in an easily understood, smart-looking style.
Sounds
There are, as mentioned, lots of amps and effects to get stuck into. As a nerd, it's slightly disappointing not to be able to mess around virtually with component changes and circuit design, but BIAS X's streamlined approach will probably appeal to more users.
And the amp models are on point already – BIAS X is a satisfying-feeling plugin to play through, and valve amp enthusiasts seeking a pleasing response from amp modeling might be pleasantly surprised.
The amps have a fairly standardized control set, so aren’t necessarily true to the originals (the Mark-series Boogie model omits the de rigueur graphic EQ, for example) – but this streamlines the dial-in process and alleviates 'mission creep' – good tones are generally simple to achieve without too much fuss over minutiae. And combined with all the various effects, you'll likely end up where you were aiming.
If you're struggling though, help is at hand. The AI capability of BIAS X is a headline feature, so it's time to find out what it's made of.
As luck would have it, I've some songs to brush up on for one of my projects, a Toto tribute band. Dialing in a Steve Lukather-esque sound is something I already know how to do (the playing is work-in-progress), but why not take the weight off my feet and let BIAS X have a crack at it?
I typed a request for a guitar tone befitting Hold the Line. Around that time, Luke was using a handful of different amps, including a Rivera-modified Fender (many a ‘70s session-slinger's secret weapon), as well as a Marshall amp or two.
To this end, Text-to-Tone calls up a Plexi model, with a Tube Screamer and a Dyna Comp in front, a little reverb afterwards, and straight away the gain level, EQ shape and overall response is impressively close to what you'd hope for.
The same goes for my next request – a cleaner, mix-ready background tone similar to the verses of Rosanna and various other Lukather rhythm parts. A different spread of gear materialized, but with a similarly competent end result.
The AI didn't quite hit the nail on the head when I typed in, simply, “djent” – but it did generate a high-gain metal tone, soon whipped into shape by requesting “tighter” and, then, “even tighter”. If you've a specific tone in your head but don't know where to start, the AI functionality might be very useful to you.
Verdict
Verdict: ★★★★☆
BIAS X is a very interesting and capable newcomer to the plugin market. It doesn't quite have the tweak-ability, or the mass of amp and effect models some rivals can muster, but there's still enough here to create pretty well any sound you could need.
If you need to generate a variety of useful tones quickly and with minimal fuss, BIAS X might be just the ticket
The flip-side of this is that it's among the easiest amp modeling plugins to get to grips with, and to get great results in very short order. And it sounds excellent – that advanced modeling process has clearly paid dividends.
If you need to generate a variety of useful tones quickly and with minimal fuss, BIAS X might be just the ticket.
Guitar World verdict: Regardless of your feelings on AI as a creative tool, Positive Grid's new foray into generative amp modeling has some serious potential. It's superbly easy to use, has a good spread of features and the sounds are up there with the best in the plugin market.
Hands-on videos
Positive Grid
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