The Positive Grid BIAS Distortion Pro is a distortion pedal with tone match, announced in October 2016. Positive Grid, the maker of the BIAS Amp and BIAS FX guitar amp processors, describes it as the first tone match distortion pedal, and says it allows users to capture any distortion pedal sound in the world1. In practice that means the pedal is not a fixed circuit: you can match the character of another distortion pedal and store the result as a preset, then edit it from the BIAS Pedal app. It sits in the wider field of distortion pedals as a programmable, app-driven design rather than a one-knob stompbox.
Presets and the BIAS Pedal app
The pedal ships with 10 default presets, and new ones can be imported with the BIAS Pedal app, which runs on Mac, PC and iPad1. The BIAS Pedal app itself comes with hundreds of factory-loaded distortion pedal presets, covering styles from blues and rock to alternative and metal, so there is a large library to draw from when building your own sounds1.
The app is also the pedal's editor. Positive Grid says the included BIAS Pedal app (Mac/PC) handles pedal design, preset management and remoting, meaning you can rebuild the pedal's circuitry on a computer screen and send the result to the pedal1.
The announcement gives two preset figures that do not agree: 10 default presets in one place, and an A/B bank with a total of 20 presets in another. Both come from the same press release, so treat the on-pedal preset count as something to confirm against the unit itself.
Connectivity and control
The BIAS Distortion Pro is built for integration into a larger rig, with several ways to control it beyond its footswitch:
- USB: connection with PC and Mac, and able to power up the pedal over USB1
- Bluetooth: connectivity for the BIAS Pedal iOS app1
- Expression pedal: connect an EXP pedal for real-time control of any parameter on stage1
- MIDI: full MIDI implementation for more flexible control1
USB power is worth noting for pedalboard planning: because the pedal can run from a USB connection, it can share power sources with computer-based rigs, though Positive Grid's announcement does not give a voltage or current draw figure for it1. For players using an expression pedal, any parameter can be assigned to real-time foot control, and the full MIDI implementation covers preset changes and deeper control from a MIDI controller or switcher.
Bypass
The pedal is true bypass, which Positive Grid describes as being for the pure sound quality1. With true bypass, the pedal's circuit is removed from the signal path when it is off, so it does not load down your guitar's signal in a long chain.
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Sources (1)
- Positive Grid Unveils the BIAS Distortion Pro Pedal, Premier Guitar, 2016-10-04