Posts by Vaughnfats

  • NAMM 2018

    Quote from Zapman

    This thread shows that there's a little kid in all of us.. :D

    Yeah, kids... All of us sure that Santa forgot to leave us the gifts we really wanted. I'm headed to my folks place to check their hiding places for reverbs...

  • KPA and boost pedals... just a bit disappointing

    I have had great success running front end pedals in the loop. I use a Decibel 11 loop expander which gives me 4 pedal loops and I just choose what’s on via MIDI. Boost pedals in particular seem to be much more friendly AFTER the input stage of the Kemper as I don’t have to worry about hitting the input to hard. I vary the location in the first four slots according to what internal effects I may also have in the rig.

  • Positive Grid BIAS Distortion Tone Match Distortion Pedal

    The system suggested I start a new thread due to elapsed time... I followed instructions as I am an obedient little boy. It's I long post, didn't want to leave any stones unturned. If anyone has any specific questions feel free. Due to a bug
    In the first run I have spent a great deal of time with it and have been in contact at length with Positive Grid. The new updates are out and I'm thrilled with it! Please refer to the new thread for my review.


    Bias Distortion Pedal Review (New Thread)

  • Bias Distortion Pedal Review (New Thread)

    You wanted a full review? The verdict is in...


    First impressions


    My Bias Distortion pedal arrived courtesy of my long time friend and super Sweetwater sales rep Mike Soper at the end of January. Unboxing revealed a very pretty, solidly built pedal and all the necessary power goodies to make it light up. Very nice packaging and a very road worthy enclosure. I was a little concerned about the controls looking a bit sketchy in the pictures and vids but, I assure you, they are top quality and have a very positive and solid feel. They operate in a very smooth, linear fashion with no shaky play at either end of the range. The three way toggle for the boost circuit is located where it can't be damaged by a clumsy foot and is as solid as the rest of the build. The jacks feel good and the fit in all three is nice and tight with a nice solid click and no play. The LEDs are plenty bright with out being distracting and the model select LEDs change from red to a rich blue when the knob is pressed. The Bluetooth activation button on the back pulses a diffused blue. The whole pedal looks too good to step on but it'll take a pounding. They don't call me Fats for nothing, at 300 pounds I can definitely destroy a cheap switch or a lightweight enclosure. I've had it on a small diner stage with sit-ins coming up and kicking around and it still looks like it came off the shelf today. I'm confident that this a pedal that will last for a long time without any mechanical issues. Nice...


    Operation


    Powering Bias Distortion is straightforward. A wall wart with both US and international options built into a nifty mechanical slide switch is provided along with a USB cable. The pedal can also be powered with a standard center negative 9V pedalboard brick and will run on USB power when using it with the Bias Pedal software. There is no need, and I'm sure that it would be ill advised, to use external power while plugged into a USB port. Some of the early pics and vids showed stereo ins and outs but the shipping version has a standard mono set. Makes sense. The expression pedal jack accepts a TRS configuration. Expression behavior is linear and smooth.


    Connecting to a computer is as expected. Be sure you have installed the Bias Pedal software first and the OS will find the drivers when you plug it in. I haven't experienced any unexpected quirks in connection. Have the pedal plugged in before you call up the program and everything works just fine. I've tried it with iPad, OS X and Winblows 10. It works equally well on all three but the iPad's touch screen is my favorite for tweaking.
    If you have any experience with Positive Grid's Bias pedal software you know how deep you can dive. If you're not, the software controls every aspect of the pedal design. The clipping module allows control of a pre Hi and Low cut circuit ahead of gain, distortion and bias level controls. The clipping topology has five voices from germaniun to tube and that circuit is followed by a second set of Hi and Low cut faders. The gain control also features a Vintage/Modern toggle with a very nice change in midrange voicing. The output module starts with another set of Hi and Low cut faders ahead of an output distortion control. Think OP Amp distortion... A Set of EQ controls follows with Low, Mid and High controls, a tone control with a Tilt/Resonate switch (great option for the behavior of the tone control), output control and a mix (blend) control. If you've never had a blend control on a drive pedal you'll learn to love it in about 30 seconds. The Low, Mid, High and Blend controls are mirrored on the hardware. The Power Module features 3 speeds for attack and release for a nice compressor with an intensity control. Ratios are selected at 1:1, 2:1, 4:1 and 8:1. The compressor is invaluable! An overall output control is included as well as voltage selections from 6 to 18 volts. 2 EQ modules are also included with 8 band graphic, parametric and 4 band studio options. The EQ modules can be moved anywhere but after the Tone Match module. With all this control the gain, EQ and feel are infinitely tweakable.


    Sound


    My first reaction to the sound and feel, although it was a tiny bit generic and suffered from a very slight case of the "digitals", was that it it was still addictive and very satisfying to play through. I made friends with the playing response quickly and comfortably. The more I played with it the more I liked it. The compressor was particularly helpful for adjusting the feel and dynamics. The factory pedals sounded fairly accurate to their real life counterparts. Overdrives were responsive, distortion varied nicely from gnarly to smooth and silky and fuzzes behaved like they should. I think fuzz emulations are the measure of a modeled pedal. They're very organic and it's difficult to get that nasal, wobbling bias behavior to pop. The boost circuit can be used pre gain or at the end of the circuit and the Fat, Clean and Treble options work very well. Overall I was extremely happy but not overwhelmed. It was still a keeper. I found the dynamic response and range of factory presets to be more than usable and many were quite good. I play a lot of different styles. A typical week for me ranges from high gain rock to a fully populated Big Band to a Friday night Nashville chicken' pickin' gig at a local diner... Bias Distortion covers everything I need.


    Problems


    I had only one issue. Most of the pedals that I downloaded from the ToneCloud worked just fine. The exception were the majority of pedals that uploaders had created with Tone Match. I experienced a very bad digital overload in the output section with the usual whistling/ring mod that it generates. It made those pedals unusable with the Tone Match module engaged, thus defeating the purpose of sharing your matches. I was still happy with what I could do on my own so I considered that and decided to keep the pedal and contact Positive Grid. Glad I did. I had an answer to my inquiry almost immediately and the communication with the company was terrific. I gave them a very detailed explantation of the issue (go figure) and, at their request, sent them an audio example and the log files from both my Mac and PC. I've since learned that my issue was not unique. After my initial back and forth I was even contacted without further inquiry to let me know that they were working the issue. Yesterday they let me know that a new software version and firmware update that included the bug fix and been released. I updated today and checked every pedal from the factory models to the complete listing on the cloud. Problem solved!! Also... The new version is a HUGE improvement over the initial release. The tones, response and dynamics are born again awesome! The overall tone is sweeter with much more pronounced even harmonics (it really sings now), the touch is very analog, dynamics are improved and I now have a wonderfully organic, programmable drive pedal with 20 MIDI slots to integrate into any of my rigs.


    MIDI Control and Final Thoughts


    MIDI control is straightforward. 20 recall slots are available and preset programming is cake. MIDI CC is also available for more parameters than you'll probably need. The expression control is more than enough for me. Easy to use... Calibrate, set your heel parameters, toe down and set the top of the range, save and go!
    After this first update from Positive Grid (it really sounds and feels fantastic now) and the quality of personal service I've received (thanks Ben!), I'm extremely pleased with my choice. I highly recommend you snag one of these!


    Now... Does anyone have an original Klon I can borrow for a few days? I'll rent it... I'll paint your house... Anything... Anyone?

  • Positive Grid BIAS Distortion Tone Match Distortion Pedal

    I was referring to the 5 available slots for instant access in performance mode and having the option of using the same profile for all 5 slots with different gain structures, effects sets, EQ curves, etc... With that consideration it might seem that the desire for my ultimate programmable distortion box is a bit silly. I'm just a pedal fan boy that wants to keep his collection in front of the Kemper without having a pedal board the size of a flatbed trailer. It's tough to be a man, baby... but it's even tougher to be psycho pedal junkie!!

  • Positive Grid BIAS Distortion Tone Match Distortion Pedal

    Will do. I'm still waiting for it to ship and am hoping to s e it by the end of the month. Bias is running a little behind schedule. No worries, I'd rather have it right rather than fast. I've been piddling around with the software, Bias offered it for free over Christmas, and am expecting big things from the hardware.

  • Positive Grid BIAS Distortion Tone Match Distortion Pedal

    My order is in... I'm expecting to see it around the 10th of January. I like the Kemper front end effects very much, but I often wish I had a few more parameters to play with on the OD's and distortions. Even with all the possibilities offered by the Profiler, morphing, 5 different gain structures of the same amp in a performance, the great boost effects, etc., I still love the old school vibe of a pedal to jump on! I have several different pieces from different manufacturers and I'm anxious to see if I can match them well enough to shrink them all into one box. I've tried to do it with Sculpt and Crush Station on the H9 and, although I've stumbled on to some awesome tones, the process of manual tone matching is too tedious and I seem to give up before I'm satisfied. Looking forward to giving Bias a fair shot at making it onto my board!


    Anyone who's got some experience with Bias tone matching please lay it on me... I'll need help, I'm sure!

  • Kemper fuzz effects

    The KPA takes pedals VERY well! I have a bunch of different OD's, distortions and fuzzes and the Kemper likes all of them. I find the behavior to be very true to the analog world. Just like some amp/pedal combinations work better than others, the profiles work the same way. My EJ Fuzz Face sounds great with a moderately crunchy JTM profile. If I put it in front of profiles of Jimi's amp (profiles of one of his personal amps are actually available) it sounds just like you'd expect. No surprises... I'm using TC pedals, an M13, an H9 (I'm loving the Crush Station and Sculpt algos), and a closet full of other things, too. Some in front, some in the loop. The loop block is assignable to any position in the chain, too. If your a pedalboard player the KPA is just like a top shelf amp. Well... It's all of the top shelf amps...


    Hope that helps you check a box!

  • Kemper with Line 6 M13

    I use the M13 connected using the 4 cable method. It gives me the best flexibility. This configuration allows me to take advantage of the block routing in the M13 so I can use it in the Kemper loop but still have access to M13 slots in front. This config is great for taking advantage of the best of both the Kemper and Line 6 FX. Moving the loop around in the Kemper makes it very easy to set up just about any combination of FX you can dream up.