The developers announced the release of the Positive Grid BIAS X guitar emulator on their official website. According to the company, the plugin uses artificial intelligence to create guitar sounds.
Neural networks and artificial intelligence have long been part of the guitar world. Manufacturers such as Kemper and Neural DSP are developing algorithm-based products using neural network sound modeling. However, Positive Grid claims to have taken a different approach. In their vision, artificial intelligence will automatically or on demand recreate the desired guitar sound.
The developers note that the idea behind BIAS X is to allow guitarists to spend more time playing their instrument rather than turning knobs on their equipment. The company hopes that its approach will be useful for beginner guitarists, for whom BIAS X will be a starting point into the world of guitar sound.
BIAS X includes copies of 33 amplifiers and 63 effects pedals. Most of these devices are classic, popular models from well-known companies and are presented in the emulator catalog under fictitious names. As before, the plugin allows you to create or load your own impulses.
You can use the equipment collection to create effect chains that combine pedals and amplifiers in any order. Guitarists can also create parallel processing chains for experimentation or quick switching between settings. The plugin includes an adaptive noise gate, signal doubler, and tuner.
As one would expect from a quality emulator, BIAS X can run as a plug-in in a DAW and synchronize with the project tempo, or it can run as a standalone application. The plug-in is available in VST3, AU, and AAX formats, and it is compatible with Windows 10 and later versions, as well as macOS 11.7 and later versions (Intel/Apple).
The development's main feature is the "Agentic AI artificial intelligence engine," which generates ready-made presets based on user prompts or audio samples. It should be noted that the model was trained on millions of different guitar sounds.
Users can request a specific sound, and the system will generate a preset. For instance, you can request a high-gain hair metal sound from the 1980s with gated reverb, or a light California sunset sound.
BIAS X automatically generates presets based on user requests. After generation, users can ask the AI engine to adjust the created effects chain or change it manually. All requests must be written in English.
In addition to text requests, the engine can generate effects chains based on audio samples. Please note that the system supports audio recordings ranging from 10 seconds to 15 minutes in length. Files in the most popular audio formats can be used as examples.
After loading and analyzing the file, BIAS X will ask the user some clarifying questions. For instance, it may ask you to select a section of the song on which to focus when recreating the preset.
According to Positive Grid, all uploaded audio files and queries are anonymized. The engine does not store personal user data or violate copyrights. Despite the need for a constant internet connection when working with the plugin, the company clarifies that privacy is a top priority.
All requests, presets, and audio samples remain on the user's computer and are not stored on the company's servers. It is unclear whether prompts are used for further training of the model.
For privacy reasons and to avoid copyright infringement, the company removed the ToneCloud preset cloud from the plugin. Users cannot share presets with the musical community through the plugin itself but can exchange them using files outside the emulator.
Positive Grid has clarified that the plugin is a separate product in the company's lineup. For this reason, presets created in BIAS FX 2 and other Positive Grid emulators cannot be transferred to BIAS X. According to the support section, the only way to transfer presets is to export an audio file with the processed guitar and load it into BIAS X for analysis and sound recreation using AI.
It is unclear how the plugin will respond when asked to create a preset that precisely replicates the sound of a specific band or song. Popular AI music generators Suno and Udio, for example, block requests such as "create a Metallica song" and "create a Bob Dylan soundalike." Whether the emulator will generate an exact copy of Metallica's sound from Master of Puppets can only be determined after purchasing the plugin; the company does not provide a demo or trial version of the product.
Positive Grid BIAS X is now available for purchase. The recommended price for the plugin is $149. More details about the emulator can be found on the developers' official website.
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