I want to start using Bias FX2 live. What's the best way to do it?
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The title pretty much says it all.
I created my personal perfect tone in Bias FX and I've used it to record several songs from my band. I already have a fully specced-out rig for practice and gigging and the tone I get from that resembles the one I dialed in in Bias FX, but it's not the same thing.
So, I wanna explore some options on how to take my Bias FX tone to my rehearsals and gigs.The first thing that comes to mind is obviously the Bias FX Mobile version on an Ipad, but I'm trying to figure out if I'm somehow going to be limited in terms of connectivity and footswitch abilities if I go this route. I know there are a bunch of MIDI foot controllers out there that would probably do the trick, but I also need to be able to send my signal to the FOH during gigs, so I guess I need a separate audio interface? What about monitoring on stage? I guess I need an extra speaker for that as well? I should probably mention here that I'm somewhat of an old school guy when it comes to guitar gear: I use a traditional tube amp and a 4x12 cab with a sizeable pedalboard. So the idea of an 'Ipad rig' is pretty baffling and confusing to me.
Second thing I considered is that Mini Guitar Amp PG sells. But I think that's not really an option, since it works with Bias AMP, not Bias FX. Also, I still need to be able to switch between different effects in my signal chain in Bias FX. I also don't think this thing will integrate well with my existing gear?
Actually, let me break this down to what I actually need:
- My Bias FX2 tone in my rig, both for rehearsals and gigs
- a way to monitor my tone
- a way to send my signal to the FOH
- all of the above at the same time
- in a perfect world, there would be a way to integrate all this in my existing rig, but I think that would be a long shot.
Can anyone tell me what the best solution for me would be? I hope this post isn't too confusing.
Many thanks
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I wonder that you didn't get any more answers for this post.
Im using BiazFX2 Desktop (!) live on Stage. Here are my experiences :
First of all, yes , I love to Build Biaz FX2 Sounds on my 27" I Mac, while looping a song part in Logic Pro and create piece for piece the sound I want to have. Awesome :-). But here ends the fun if you want to go on stage with that. :-)
Back to my Rig... no, I didn't use the iPad . Creating on an iMac, switching this to tone cloud ( that have no private sector) and loading back to iPad isn't that comfortable, when you play a set with more then 20 Presets. .. and you also need a version of Bias for iPad... and a digital interface that can load your iPad when its us as an input.For Gigs, I have Biaz Fx2 on an Mac Book from 2014 .. only having the biaz2 Software on board (found it on Ebay for 450EUR ), connected to a Focusrite Scarlett 2:4 with Midi Interface in the mixer rack. Connecting a Midi Pedal to this port with a very long Midi cable from stage to the rack.
After Creating sounds on my iMac at home, they will automatic synchronize over iCloud to the Mac book in the stage equipment . That works for me.
I hope, that positive grid in the future will bring out an 19" device where you can synchronize your presets with and bring them direct to Stage .. couldn't be that difficult. And I can't understand, why all the device they create until now only support Biaz amp, .. -
I am in the process of converting over to this as well. Have the full rack set up with a Mesa Mark V, but also need to have a silent running rig, which the rack has in the form of a Palmer emulator/power soak.
If you let it, the signal path is simpler than the old school way. You will require a computer, a decent audio interface, and a midi pedal at its most basic. You will plug your guitar, the midi pedal, your FOH signal, monitor signal, and laptop into the audio interface. I use the SSL 2+ from Solid State Logic and I cannot say enough good things about it. If you don’t know much about audio interfaces then Sweetwater sound has some great primers on the subject of what to look for and what has the best advantages for your situation.
If you don’t have a suitable laptop, buy the interface to match the laptop you are getting. I have a MacBook Pro so I went with something that had USB-C to avoid additional interfaces and would give me speed. Latency is your enemy here and the connection between laptop and interface is possibly the most important factor next to ram and then processor speed. My set up now allows for nearly imperceptible latency and I have all quality specs maxed out.
You will need a suitable laptop stand. I went with one that had ventilation and some on stand stabilization for the laptop. I also picked up two shelving units to put on the stand. These hold my audio interface and the other holds guitar accessories. How much midi and guitar cable you need is up to your specific uses, but I am aiming for 30ft for both. After that round out the rig with the best portable power protection and conditioning you can afford.
I think there is a way to incorporate your tube amp if not playing silent stage. That is to take the headphone or a line out of your audio interface to the input of your amp and from there to the cabinet and then the mic. I have not fully tested this but I think it should work reasonably well. Good luck!