Interface for practicing?

[mitchjonbass]

Sorry if this is in the wrong place, did a search and didn't find anything...I'm getting ALOT of gigs with different bands, and am having to learn alot of songs..What is a good interface, unit etc, that I can use with a laptop to just play along with and learn the material?..not interested in recording, just a way to play along/learn songs...would it even be an interface??

thanks
mitch

[lowfreqgeek]

I found the Line6 Toneport UX2 to be perfect for my needs there. It's very easy to use, sounds good enough, and has a cool looper/half-speed function that makes it easy to learn difficult parts.

I just got a more fully-featured interface that is SUPERB for recording, but it's not nearly as easy to use as the UX2 (or any Toneport). I do a lot of gigs with different band and am constantly learning new material and the UX2 has been perfect for it - and the phones and mains output volume controls are handy, too - no software sliders to mess with once you have your input levels set.

[Neon Scribe]

Korg Pandora PX5D. Install Audacity on your laptop (it's free) and learn how to slow down, change keys, isolate left or right track and boost or remove bass frequencies.

[longfinger]

If your laptop has an 1/8" LINE IN port, then try that first. Get the right adapter for the patch chord and give it a go. Listen to the bass via headphones from the laptop. If the latency is too much, then look at external units with an analogue bypass.

[lowfreqgeek]

Originally Posted by longfinger

If your laptop has an 1/8" LINE IN port, then try that first. Get the right adapter for the patch chord and give it a go. Listen to the bass via headphones from the laptop. If the latency is too much, then look at external units with an analogue bypass.

That will depend totally on the bass; if it's passive, the relatively low input impedance of the mic/line in will not work well, nor will the lack of gain. If it's an active bass, or if you have an external preamp, it may be ok. Give it a try, but the latency will likely be an issue through the on-board audio, and you may run into severe limitations on the level of your bass.

Give it a try, though. You might get lucky.