Another Headphone Amp thread but more specific

[Twospot]

Hi all. Sorry to start another headphone amp thread. Its getting close to birthday weekend (this coming weekend) when my wife is taking me to pick up my new Schecter Diamond P Custom (my first bass) and I wanted to get a headphone amp. Right now I am basically on the Tascam GB-10. The reason I am choosing that is because I am able to slow down MP3's to learn.

Are there any other devices out there I should checkout that do the same thing? Anything that acts as a headphone amp, with the ability to slow down the song and potentially even isolate the bass track?

Additionally what about something with all those features and that can be used as an audio interface as well. However I would want the slow down and bass isolation abilities to be independent of the computer.

I just want to make sure I check out all my options before buying.

Thanks!

Eddie

[Skarekrough]

I think the real Achilles Heel of the Tascam is the SD card.

What I liked about the Line 6 POD's was that the audio input was from an external source. I could use the interface on a laptop or desktop computer via USB and get audio from iTunes or YouTube. This was an incredible moneysaver for me when I got handed three sets of material and had none of it on MP3's anywhere; it would have cost me $30 to buy it had I only been using the Tascam.

There are also apps out there to slow down and loop audio. You can do pretty well with EQ to take out frequencies. It isn't truly isolating the bass track, but it is enough to actually go and put it so far in front that you can't miss it.

I also liked the POD and Behringer units as they could serve a few different purposes in a pinch. I had a session where I used the Behringer to record bass tracks and they sounded quite good. I've also gigged with POD's right into the PA.

The ease of use on the Tascam is nice. But I also found that after you learned the basics that was it; there was nothing more to it. I never found I really wanted or needed to record over existing tracks either.

For the price of the Tascam I think something like a used POD or Behringer V-Amp is a better pick if you can set it up with a laptop to feed the audio in. It also is a great way for beginners to get their feet wet with effects and other toys.

[Ric Vice]

Originally Posted by Twospot

.......Are there any other devices out there I should checkout that do the same thing? Anything that acts as a headphone amp, with the ability to slow down the song and potentially even isolate the bass track?

Eddie,
My favorite headphone amp is the Fodera Private Practice amp, but they were over $300. You do see them on ebay every now and then. They have a separate channel for the
instrument and the sound source. Mike Pope designed them for Fodera. Slow Down Music Trainer for the iPod works great. Since things are mixed down to two tracks, it's only possible to get a discrete bass track on CD's produced specifically for teaching purposes. The Latin Bass Method by Oscar Stagnaro is set up that way. All of Ed Frledlands books are tracked. That was the nice feature of the Fodera PPA it has a mono switch that helps with transcription.

Originally Posted by Twospot

Additionally what about something with all those features and that can be used as an audio interface as well. However I would want the slow down and bass isolation abilities to be independent of the computer.

I have the Fodera in combination with a Superscope PSD 300. Once again these babies aren't cheap. The Slow Down app will do a lot of the things that the Superscopes will.

Originally Posted by Twospot

I just want to make sure I check out all my options before buying.]

Thanks!

Eddie

[Twospot]

Originally Posted by Skarekrough

I think the real Achilles Heel of the Tascam is the SD card.

What I liked about the Line 6 POD's was that the audio input was from an external source. I could use the interface on a laptop or desktop computer via USB and get audio from iTunes or YouTube. This was an incredible moneysaver for me when I got handed three sets of material and had none of it on MP3's anywhere; it would have cost me $30 to buy it had I only been using the Tascam.

There are also apps out there to slow down and loop audio. You can do pretty well with EQ to take out frequencies. It isn't truly isolating the bass track, but it is enough to actually go and put it so far in front that you can't miss it.

I also liked the POD and Behringer units as they could serve a few different purposes in a pinch. I had a session where I used the Behringer to record bass tracks and they sounded quite good. I've also gigged with POD's right into the PA.

The ease of use on the Tascam is nice. But I also found that after you learned the basics that was it; there was nothing more to it. I never found I really wanted or needed to record over existing tracks either.

For the price of the Tascam I think something like a used POD or Behringer V-Amp is a better pick if you can set it up with a laptop to feed the audio in. It also is a great way for beginners to get their feet wet with effects and other toys.

Thanks for the recommendation. If I buy the Tascam I am buying it for what it is; a headphone amp, metronome, tuner, and a slower upper thing. I figured if I could get something that also acted as an audio interface it would just kill two birds with one stone and would allow me to mess around with that aspect of it.

[Twospot]

Originally Posted by Ric Vice

Slow Down Music Trainer for the iPod works great.

Thanks I will check this out!! I was looking into the iRiffport but I am not sure it will work without an amp app running and wonder what will happen when I switch from let's say PocketGK to Slow Down Music.