by Many OS X plugins and iOS amps offer software-modeled versions of guitar amplifiers, but Bias – Amps! — an iPad-only app from Positive Grid — is the most impressive and totally realistic one we’ve ever heard. It’s so good, you might be tempted to sell your heavy old Fender Super Twin Reverb on eBay and buy a dedicated iPad to run it. And if you’re the kind of six-string slinger who’s not afraid to get under the hood, you can fine-tune your tone in ways we’ve never seen in software.
Its initial hook comes from the slick interface, which presents you with nine categories of tone — from immaculate to gnarly, each with four presets — that pretty much cover the history of guitar amplification. That means clean, jangly Fenders and thick, heavy Mesa Boogie and Marshall tube monsters, all the way to amps that could never really exist in the real world because they’d melt the wall socket. The “Insane” category has some examples of amps so downright massive and monstrous, they might scare your pets (and spouse). What really stands out is how excellent they all sound, even the one designed to make your electric guitar sound like an acoustic.
You’ll be astounded at how deeply you can tweak the tone by diving into the editor mode, which gives you total control over every aspect of a typical tube amplifier, from the power and preamp sections — each with multiple tube options, including tube bias controls (a feature unique to this app) — to cabinets (20 of them) and even the visual look of the amplifier enclosure.
The noise gate and room simulator really clean up and focus the sound, and while lacking built-in effects, it has tight integration with Positive Grid’s excellent JamUp effects app, and Bias – Amps! is also fully compatible with AudioBus and IAA (Inter-App Audio), making it fit right in with your favorite guitar, synth, effects, and recording apps. Our one and only notable gripe: while you can create presets, there’s no way to switch them via MIDI, which is important for live performance.
The bottom line. If you own an electric guitar and an iPad, Bias – Amps! might be the best $20 you’ll ever spend.
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