Equipment needed to record you bass?

Hordehunterx · #1 03-20-2013, 06:52 AM

So the Idea was for me to get a new practice amp,
I've been using a little Ibanez practice amp for 5 years now and Recently i found out i'm gonna be spending another 2 years in my boarding school for A-Levels so why not treat myself! But I thought about how it would be nice if i could connect my bass to the computer so i can record my playing, I asked a friend about this. He recommended me to get a Modeler ( Line 6 Bass PodXT ). Would this work as a good solution? Is the Quality of the Modelers good? Would I be able to practice through those? Could this work as a Preamp? What would you recommend? I'm looking for something i can record through and play through?

powerdimer · #2 03-20-2013, 07:05 AM

Get a USB interface soundcard to your computer. Then you can do whatever.

Go clean direct and model with a DAW, or mic an amp/ via a pod or whatever is to your liking.

rocksmoot · #3 03-20-2013, 07:52 AM

Yeah, a USB interface purpose-built for connecting your instrument to your computer is definitely the way to go. These devices range from very inexpensive (29.99) to very pricey depending on the features and number of instruments you want to connect at the same time. Here's a link to some at zzounds:

http://www.zzounds.com/prodsearch?pa...q=&form=search

Sort the list by price, lowest to highest and you can see how inexpensive it is to get started with hardware.

On the software side, Audacity is a good way to get started with simple recording, but IMHO, the next logical step you will want to take is writing and recording your own tunes. For that, a real digital audio workstation (DAW) tool is invaluable. Reaper is a great way to get started, free to download and try out and very inexpensive to purchase. You can find that here:

http://www.reaper.fm/

Good luck and have fun!

richntiff · #4 03-21-2013, 08:42 PM

So what is a good usb equipped soundcard?

My name is Mudd · #5 03-22-2013, 06:21 PM

What's your computer system?

20YearNoob · #6 03-22-2013, 06:26 PM

The Appogee Jam connects to both an iThing of your choice or a Mac computer. Best I've used so far.

Recording on the iPad II is a breeze.