Positive Grid has unveiled the Authentic Hendrix collection, promising high-quality digital emulations of Jimi Hendrix’s various rigs that is compatible with BIAS FX 2 plugin and Spark digital guitar amp platforms.
The amp modelling and guitar software giant’s officially licensed collection includes the guitar amps, and effects pedals behind the great man’s sound, plus a number of very cool features that sit nicely within Positive Grid’s intuitive, player-friendly format.
You can learn about Hendrix’s career and the evolution of his rig through the years on interactive timeline, accessing editable presets from each rig to match his recordings or to use as a launchpad for creating your own sounds.
Should you choose the Authentic Hendrix collection for Spark, you can also use the Auto Tone feature, which is accessed via the Spark app and allows you to jam along with classic Hendrix tracks while the app automatically selects the presets for each section – and, of course, calls out the chords so you are not caught out with the changes. No Hendrix track is easy to play so any help is gratefully received.
On the BIAS FX 2 Authentic Hendrix pack, you can use the Guitar Match feature to turn your digitally transform your guitar into one of Jimi’s, with electric guitars such as the Monterey Fender Stratocaster , which is on hand to give your cover of Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) a little more authenticity.
The amps and cabs offer a comprehensive picture of Hendrix's backline over the years, with a variety of vintage high-wattage options offering Marshall, Sunn amps and Fender flavours.
It goes without saying that having a digital model of a 100-watt Marshall Super Lead is a lot more user-friendly than having the original hardware and the wall-levelling volume that goes with it. Though do try to resist the urge to set your guitar on fire and rub it against your MacBook Pro.
Saucing the pot further, you’ve got a cornucopia of pedals to add to the signal chain, with emulations of classic fuzz pedals such as Roger Mayer’s Axis Fuzz, the Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face, Tone Benders, octave fuzz, a Uni-Vibe, wah pedals and more.
Although full details are yet to be released, it is interesting to see how these signal chains are presented onscreen, with GUI offering a clear understanding of what is going on with your signal, deepening our appreciation of how Hendrix constructed such a sound, and allowing you to make informed edits that complement your gear.
The Authentic Hendrix collection will be launched on 14 October. You can sign up for alerts and get more information over at Positive Grid. And check out how it sounds in Sophie Burrell’s demo of the BIAS FX2 plugin, who is one of the artists involved in Positive Grid's Ignite Sessions, celebrating the company's 10th anniversary with some inspirational instructional videos to make you play better.
