Practicing without Amps

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vegasl

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Feb 27, 2016
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Chicago, IL
#1
I am finding a solution that will allow me to practice bass in my small dorm room. I have read so many threads but there seems to be a whole range of answers without any justification so I am very confused. I have certain needs:
1. Budget- can't be over $100, new or used
2. Small- not a small amp, must be able to fit on a desk at most
3. I might use headphones of run them through Mackie CR4s
4. Possible use in live situations
5. I will be having music playback from my computer

Current ideas: audio interface (Mackie Onyx Blackjack), Pandora, small mixer (Mackie/Behringer), Sansamp, headphone amplifier (Fiio)
My bass is active. I am new to this so please give reasons!

Thanks!
 
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#3
That's a tricky set of requirements, if you're willing to compromise tone, for now, I'd say go mixer with a built in headphone amp. At least you can use it later for other things, and you can expand around it.
 
#5
I do most of my practicing in front of the computer. That way I have the songs and sheet music right in front of me, and I'm not waking anyone up. I use a presonus audiobox 2 channel interface. Has separate volume knobs for headphone and speaker out. Also a blend knob to balance volume of input to volume of pc output.

PreSonus AudioBox USB

I love the sound of my basses without any coloration. All the flatwound ones are passive, and the rounds have active pre built in. I am waiting till the tech21 fly rig comes out though, am going to use that as my pre.
 
#6
Tricky set of requirements indeed. I'm not quite understanding the possible use in live situations bit, surely practicing quietly at home and playing a live gig are two completely different sets of needs?

Anyway, this little setup works great for me playing at home. My computer's on a stereo input and the output runs straight into my studio monitors which I can use through the day and switch to headphones at night. The cat isn't an essential part of the setup, but is an optional extra if you prefer a more furry sound. :)

wAiL5NF.jpg
 
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#7
An audio interface like a Focusrite or PreSonus will work as long as it has a direct monitoring feature - which most have. The Focusrite Scarlett Solo is running for about $85 street, and is a very capable audio interface with crystal clear sound. It's powered by USB however, so you'll need to plug it into a computer to use it even if you're not recording with it.

Smallest and least expensive standalone "take-anywhere" solution I know of ($40) is a Vox amPlug Bass G2 Headphone Amp. It's tiny and just plugs straight into your bass.

You'll also need some decent headphones to handle bass frequencies and not cause hearing damage (watch your listening levels when monitoring bass btw!) So I'd recommend a pair of Sony MDR-V6 phones. They run about $72 most places. This in combination with the Vox will put you about $12 over your $100 budget. But both the Vox micoramp and the Sony phones can be found on sale fairly regulary if you shop around.

If you also need to be able to use whatever you get "live," your only real solution is a miniamp like a Hotone Thunder ($140) or an Ampeg SCR-DI ($200) or similar box. But those'll all put you well over your $100 budget, so that's probably not gonna work for you unless you can find a used one somewhere.

Luck.
 
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#8
Thank you everyone! I was wondering the pros/cons of mixer vs audio interface. However, I am now very interested in:
40Hz said:
If you also need to be able to use whatever you get "live," your only real solution is a miniamp like a Hotone Thunder ($140) or an Ampeg SCR-DI ($200) or similar box. But those'll all put you well over your $100 budget, so that's probably not gonna work for you unless you can find a used one somewhere.

Luck.
Click to expand...

How does the Hotone sound? I would be willing to spend slightly over for this if it allows me to play in small gigs. To clarify, the possible use in live situations mean that I might use them to plug into PA or something similar. These gigs will not be big. Therefore, the question now is whether to go for the Hotone or a mixer (since audio interface will not allow gigs?). Also, are there other minimaps to consider?
 
#9
vegasl said:
Thank you everyone! I was wondering the pros/cons of mixer vs audio interface. However, I am now very interested in:


How does the Hotone sound? I would be willing to spend slightly over for this if it allows me to play in small gigs. To clarify, the possible use in live situations mean that I might use them to plug into PA or something similar. These gigs will not be big. Therefore, the question now is whether to go for the Hotone or a mixer (since audio interface will not allow gigs?). Also, are there other minimaps to consider?
Click to expand...

I've only heard their guitar oriented miniamps. They sound good. Not quite as close to the classic amps that inspired each of their designs as some might claim. That said, the Nano Legacy British Invasion did sound pretty close to an AC30 to my ears. And their Diamond model got a pretty acceptable Tweed sort of tone. They wouldn't fool anybody ABing them with the real deal. But they were surprisingly good emulations for what they are and what they cost.

As far as gigging with these things, you're in a situation where you'll need to DI them into a PA system or plug into power amp for that. These little amps don't crank that many watts on their own. And for live playing (even in a small venue) you're going to want to be pushing at least 100 watts to avoid distortion and handle any transients. Bass is not guitar. A guitarist can easily hold their own with a sub 50-watt amp for the vast majority of local gig situations. Most pro caliber guitar amps don't go that much over 30 watts these days. Bass frequencies however, are real power hogs. So we need significantly more power to get the sound pressure levels a guitarist can get out of a lower powered amp.
 
#10
40Hz said:
I've only heard their guitar oriented miniamps. They sound good. Not quite as close to the classic amps that inspired each of their designs as some might claim. That said, the Nano Legacy British Invasion did sound pretty close to an AC30 to my ears. And their Diamond model got a pretty acceptable Tweed sort of tone. They wouldn't fool anybody ABing them with the real deal. But they were surprisingly good emulations for what they are and what they cost.

As far as gigging with these things, you're in a situation where you'll need to DI them into a PA system or plug into power amp for that. These little amps don't crank that many watts on their own. And for live playing (even in a small venue) you're going to want to be pushing at least 100 watts to avoid distortion and handle any transients. Bass is not guitar. A guitarist can easily hold their own with a sub 50-watt amp for the vast majority of local gig situations. Most pro caliber guitar amps don't go that much over 30 watts these days. Bass frequencies however, are real power hogs. So we need significantly more power to get the sound pressure levels a guitarist can get out of a lower powered amp.
Click to expand...

That being said, would it be more cost effective to get an audio interface or mixer then? Or will the miniamp provide a far better sound?
 
#11
I picked up a used Line 6 BassPod on CL for exactly $100.
It meets all your criteria. I can even put a signal in the aux in jack so I can play along. It does modeling and has a few effects and a wah/volume pedal. The effects are somewhat limited, but other than that it is perfect for what you want.
 
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#12
vegasl said:
That being said, would it be more cost effective to get an audio interface or mixer then? Or will the miniamp provide a far better sound?
Click to expand...

I'm gonna +1 @Gravedigger Dav above and say a Line 6 BassPod sounds like exactly what you're looking for.

I don't know why I keep forgetting about those. They're remarkably versatile devices with really good sound quality.

I think ol' GD just nailed it for you!
 
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#15
I picked up a small 2 channel USB interface off Kijiji for 30$ and just run it into my laptop w/ Amplitube.
Lets me use a multitude of different amps, pedals and variations.

Some of the amps you can get include Ampeg, Orange, GK, Trace Elliot.

I realize its not a real amp but I've had some pretty impressive tones out of it. I actually used it live once!.
Needed a couple effects so just bypassed the amp head/cab section and ran it as an effects loop with my laptop on stage!

Amplitube also has a click and tuner built in.
 
#16
desk usage ... and possible Live use ... don't go together well when you say ' not an amp ' .. !??!

powered headphones .. ! Vox makes them .. aux in / etc ... that's in the price range .. new or used

a tiny amp might go under the desk ... and could be used live ... would also have headphone output jack and an Aux in to plug tunes into ... migh t stretch budget for something that might be useful ' live ' .?? depending on what you mean by 'live' ... ??
 
#17
I have babies in my house and have to rehearse quietly. I use a deal called Ampkit. It was very affordable and interfaces with a smart phone. I'm not the greatest at technology but I believe this is a link to the thing.
agilepartners.com/apps/ampkit
 
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