leemh Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Hi, I'm using Bias fx desktop with my JTV-69. I'm considering now whether upgrading bias fx version (desktop to professional) to use more drive pedals and amps or buying pod hd500. Is there anyone using bias fx pro version with variax ?? what do you think? There are 2 choices. 1. upgrade bias (100$) + buy spare bettery (50$) = 150$ 2. buy pod hd500 used one = 200$ I cannot choose between those two options. Please give your advice and suggestion. on Sound quality and conviniently making tone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 If you're never gonna play outside the house, stick to the software. Gigging with a computer, however, is not exactly what I'd call "practical"...though it can be done. Either way, you're gonna spend time creating tones...I doubt either option will be much of a time-saver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brue58ski Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 You can get great sounds out of the HD500 but it requires some major tweaking because the amps are so raw. So there will be a learning curve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eenymason Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Hi, I'm using Bias fx desktop with my JTV-69. I'm considering now whether upgrading bias fx version (desktop to professional) to use more drive pedals and amps or buying pod hd500. Is there anyone using bias fx pro version with variax ?? what do you think? There are 2 choices. 1. upgrade bias (100$) + buy spare bettery (50$) = 150$ 2. buy pod hd500 used one = 200$ I cannot choose between those two options. Please give your advice and suggestion. on Sound quality and conviniently making tone Sound quality from both Bias and HD500 are potentially great. If you have access to the professional version of Bias, obviously you have amp matching which HD500 does not. I don't really think any of these modellers have "convenience" in mind, when making tone, rather "flexibility" is key. Having so much flexibility may give you plenty of sound tonal palettes, but that's in the opposite direction of "convenience" in my opinion. A real tube amp has a few controls, keeping it relatively convenient to get a good tone - hell some of the original electric guitar amps from the 40s had only a volume knob! I think these days being spoilt for choices makes it harder (at least more time consuming), to actually find what you want. But what you want IS there in one piece of kit, and not a station wagon full of vintage amps. More time tweaking, less time playing.... So as suggested, if you're just playing at home, with no desire to gig - Bias all the way. If you're gigging, and you have a version of Variax which can connect to the HD500, the "convenience" is all there at your fingertips, but only after you've spent "x" hours setting up patches, tweaking, etc.... Personally I love the flexibility the combination of the two gives me, in a live band situation, and if there was a connectivity capability between Bias Head and Variax (i.e. the same communication HD500 and Variax have with each other), the Bias Head would be tempting, but I can't see that happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbeddall Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 If simplicity of setting up tones is a priority it's worth giving the firehawk fx a look Be careful though as there are some variax features on the 500 not present on the firehawk It will change models and tuning per patch though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay-man Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 If you're never gonna play outside the house, stick to the software. Gigging with a computer, however, is not exactly what I'd call "practical"...though it can be done. Either way, you're gonna spend time creating tones...I doubt either option will be much of a time-saver. A good laptop, low latency audio interface, a good DAW, and of course, the software. I play stream my guitar through my DAW using Virtual Audio Cable and ASIO4all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicimpossible Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 I purchased bias fx about 2 years for recording only. Some processors, plugins, simulators, sound great soloed out while others I find difficult to fit in a mix for whatever reason. Bias is like that for me. I can get some really great amp / cab tones while tweaking the knobs while monitoring but for some reason I just can't get it to fly. For a plugin, I found the Scuffham to be really really impressive. As far as the Variax and Bias, not sure the guitar matters as much as the software so I could not comment on the Variax and Bias. The Helix however has allowed me to forego using any of my amp / cab sim plugins. It is the only modeler I use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sosmusic Posted August 5, 2016 Share Posted August 5, 2016 For plugins I have been using Thermionik by Kazrog. It has vastly superior amp tone to the HD500, especially for high gain. You also will have to get their Recabinet software too. Well worth it. I am also picking up a Helix in the near future too !! What an amazing time to be a guitarist !!! Cheers !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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