How to load a NAM file in BIAS X

Got a folder full of NAM captures? Now they have a home in BIAS X.

With BIAS X 1.3, the new Neural Loader lets you load NAM (Neural Amp Modeler) captures straight into your signal chain. Your capture sits in the amp slot and plays like any other BIAS X amp. Then you build the rest of the rig around it: drives in front, delays and reverbs behind, dual signal paths, saved presets. Your captures. Our engine.

Here's how to get your first NAM file loaded and dialed in, step by step.

Before you start

You only need two things.

• BIAS X 1.3 or later. It's a free update for all BIAS X owners. Launch BIAS X while you're online and go into the Information tab from Settings and download the update, or grab the latest installer from your Positive Grid account.
• A NAM capture saved on your computer. Neural Loader reads standard .nam files, including both A1 and A2 captures. Keep your captures together in one folder; you'll see why in Step 4.

New to NAM? It's an open-source format for neural captures of real amps and pedals. Players build and share them all over the world, so chances are you already have a few favorites.

Step-by-step: load your first NAM file

1. Open the gear library. Start a new preset or open one you already love. Open the gear browser and find Neural Loader with the amps.
2. Drop Neural Loader into the amp slot. Drag it into your signal path, just like any other BIAS X amp. Its panel opens so you can get to work.
3. Load your capture. Click OPEN, go to the folder where your .nam files live, and pick one. The file name shows up in the file row at the top of the panel. Hit a chord. That's your capture, running in BIAS X.
4. Swap captures on the fly. Once you've opened one file, every capture in that same folder is one click away from the file row. Step through them while you play and hear which one fits the song.

Dial it in

A capture is a snapshot. Neural Loader gives you the knobs to make it yours.

Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble and Level. These work the way you'd expect. Push the gain for more grind, carve the mids so it cuts through the band, and match your output level to the rest of your presets.

Tonestack. Pick a voicing to change the character of the EQ. Then choose where the EQ sits: PRE shapes your signal before it hits the capture, POST shapes what comes out. PRE feels like tweaking the amp's front end; POST is more like EQing the finished sound.

Amp or Amp + Cab. Some captures are just the amp head. Others include the cabinet and mic too. When a capture includes a cab, BIAS X switches off the cab in your signal path for you, so you don’t end up running two at once. If a file is missing its type or has the wrong one, set its Type to Amp + Cab in the panel header and the cab turns off right away.

Build the rig around it

This is where BIAS X takes over. Loading a capture is just the start; the fun is everything you put around it.

• Stack effects in front. Drop an overdrive or a boost before Neural Loader to tighten up a high-gain capture or push a clean one into breakup.
• Add space after. Put delay, modulation and reverb after the capture for a finished, mix-ready sound. With 63 effects to pick from, there's plenty to play with.
• Go dual. Split your signal into two parallel paths and run a Neural Loader on each. Blend two captures, or pair a capture with one of BIAS X's 33 built-in amps for a huge stereo tone.
• Save it as a preset. Once it sounds right, save it. Your capture and everything around it are ready to recall in any session, standalone or in your DAW.

Quick answers

Which NAM files work? Standard .nam captures, both A1 and A2.

Does BIAS X come with NAM captures? No. Neural Loader is for the captures you already have or create yourself.

Can Text-to-Tone or Music-to-Tone use my NAM captures? Not yet. AI tone building uses BIAS X's own amps, effects and cabs. Load a capture yourself, then shape it with any BIAS X gear.

Does it cost anything? No. BIAS X 1.3 is a free update for BIAS X owners.

Your captures, your rig

That's it. Load the capture, dial it in, then build the rig around it. Update to BIAS X 1.3, open your favorite NAM file and start playing.

Don't have BIAS X yet? Try it free for 14 days and see what your captures sound like inside a full tone platform.