Positive Grid BIAS Modulation

The Positive Grid BIAS Modulation is a modulation pedal that packs nine effect types into one box: Flanger, Chorus, Phaser, Tremolo, Vibrato, Rotary, RingMod, AutoSwell and Pan¹. It covers both time-based modulation (chorus, flanger, phaser and the like) and amplitude modulation (tremolo, pan, auto-swell)¹². It was announced with a list price of $349 and a release set for the second quarter of 2017²³.

What set it apart from a typical single-effect pedal was its software link. It works both as a standalone pedal and as part of an integrated desktop and mobile system: you start with the nine onboard factory presets, then use the included BIAS Pedal software to design your own effects and transfer them back into the pedal¹⁴.

Nine modulation effects in one pedal

The nine built-in effects span the two families of modulation. Time- and filter-based effects (Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Vibrato, Rotary) shift or delay the signal to create movement in the tone; amplitude-based effects (Tremolo, Pan, RingMod, Autoswell) raise and lower the volume over time. MusicRadar's Musikmesse coverage highlighted that you can mix and match one of each type, a time/filter-based effect and an amplitude-based effect, to create sounds that a single-effect pedal cannot³.

For a player, that means one box can cover the chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo and vibrato duties that would otherwise take five pedals, with the option of combinations such as tremolo on top of a rotary sound. The pedal's product listing also notes that both time-based and amplitude modulation can be mixed for hybrid effects⁴.

The controls and LFO shapes

Every modulation effect is driven by an LFO, a low-frequency oscillator whose shape determines how the effect moves. The BIAS Modulation gives you direct control over that movement¹³:

The waveshape itself is a three-way toggle. Positive Grid's announcement describes the shapes as round (sine), sharp (sawtooth) or pulse (square)¹; gearnews' report from Musikmesse described the same switch as covering Sine, Triangle and Square shapes². The two reports disagree on the middle position, so treat the exact second shape as uncertain.

The pedal carries five control knobs alongside the three-way LFO toggle⁴, and three footswitches can each be assigned a favorite preset for instant recall¹. Tap tempo over a 40 to 400 bpm range means you can lock a tremolo or pan speed to a song's tempo exactly rather than approximating it by ear¹³.

Stereo, MIDI and expression connections

The BIAS Modulation was built with performing and recording guitarists in mind, and its connections reflect that¹.

• Stereo I/O: Separate 1/4" unbalanced (tip-sleeve) high-impedance instrument inputs and line-level outputs for left and right channels, providing mono or wide stereo sound¹³.
• Expression pedal: A 1/4" TRS expression pedal input gives real-time control of any parameter¹.
• MIDI In and Thru: Separate MIDI connectors¹.
• MIDI Clock sync: Locks the tempo of all time-based effects across connected BIAS pedals¹.
• MIDI Program Change: Switches presets remotely¹³.
• MIDI CC: Continuous controller messages adjust key parameter values in real time¹³.

The MIDI Clock feature is the one that matters most if you run other BIAS pedals: it locks the tempo of every time-based effect in the chain together, so a delay and a tremolo on the same board can pulse in time from one clock source¹. The pedal also fits into the wider MIDI pedals approach to board control.

Presets and the BIAS Pedal software

The pedal ships with nine onboard factory presets to start from⁴. Positive Grid's announcement describes the storage two ways: three preset banks that store up to ten presets each, and two banks of ten presets each into which custom designs can be transferred, with three favorite presets assignable to separate footswitches for instant recall¹. MusicRadar reported the same arrangement: two banks of ten presets, with three presets assignable to separate footswitches³.

The design workflow runs through the included BIAS Pedal software: tweak or build an effect on desktop or mobile, then transfer it back into the pedal's banks¹⁴. This is the same approach Positive Grid used across its BIAS hardware line, and gearnews noted that the Modulation uses similar technology to the BIAS amp head and the two earlier pedals in the range².

The third BIAS hardware pedal

Positive Grid announced the BIAS Modulation as the third product in its BIAS hardware pedal line, following the BIAS Distortion and BIAS Delay¹³. Gearnews' Angus Baigent observed that it "slots into the existing BIAS pedal format, with strong echoes of previous releases Distortion and Delay"².

The build follows the premium positioning of the line: a rugged all-metal chassis, knobs and switches described by Positive Grid as bombproof, and sturdy I/O jacks¹. MusicRadar summed it up as the strongest possible build quality, with a rugged, all-metal chassis³.

What the press said

Coverage at launch was largely descriptive, since the pedal was announced rather than shipped. Gearnews' Angus Baigent offered one of the few verdicts, and a measured one¹²:

He estimated the European price at probably around EUR 399, on top of the $349 US retail price²¹. MusicRadar and Premier Guitar both reported the $349 price and the Q2 2017 release window without passing judgment on the sound¹³.

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