Amp and PC input to one Headphone

[ravencsr]

Hi,
Had my bass now for <24 hrs and was wondering if there is a device that would allow me to use headphones but be able to hear simultaneously my practice amp and my pc (youtube/lessons etc). I have an output for headphones on the amp.

I have looked at some devices like the VOX AMPLUG, I think that would do what I need as it has an AUX-in that I could hook up to the PC, but how would the sound be like compared to the practice amp?

Wouldn't it be better for the sound to come via the pactice amp?

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

 

[Stumbo]

Try the aux in. Start with the computer volume at zero.

 

[Badwater]

If your amp has a aux in and headphone out. Plug your computer's line out (stereo line out) to your amp's Aux in, And you can play along with the YouTube. Or if your amp has a headphone out, you can listen to the computer YouTube and your bass at the same time without the sound of your amp.

 

[ravencsr]

The practice amp only has an input for the bass lead + headphone output, not bass lead in + Aux-in + Headphone Out.

 

[Stumbo]

Practicing with my computer- what is the best way.

 

[BAG]

The Zoom B1on is dirt cheap and you can plug your bass directly into it as well as your computer or phone/tablet/mp3 player. No need to even turn the amp on, and you can practice anywhere.
As i've also found, you can go from the output to a small speaker and still jam along to your other tracks if you don't want to wear headphones.

This is my travel practice rig.

 

[mambo4]

check the sound card on your pc for color-coded inputs/outputs

blue =line level input
pink = mic level input
green = line out (headphone out)

you can *roughly* use the amp's headphone output into the line level input
technically they are not equivalent, but in a pinch it should work

you can *roughly* use the bass output into the mic level input
technically they are not equivalent, but in a pinch it should work

a blog post by Sweetwater sound about signal levels

so your choices are:
bass > pc mic in
bass > amp > headphone out > pc line in ( requires an extra cable)

your headphones will need to be plugged into the PC headphone out
you may need a 1/4" to 1/8" adapters for your bass cable / extra cable

after that, you'll have to get into the operating system's sound get the sound levels right.
(in windows 10 type 'sound' in the start search bar for the sound control panel)
set the signal going in (bass volume or amp volume) as loud as possible without distorting
then use the PC audio controls to set your listening volume comfortably

Always turn the youtube volume down before starting a new video.
everybody posts stuff at different volumes, you want to avoid getting ear blasted

in the long run you may want a dedicated headphone amp or a mixer of course.

 

[natobasso]

I use a Vox Bass heaphone amp. It's tiny and plugs directly into you bass and has another 1/8" input for an input source like a cd/mp3 player or even your computer output.

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[ZenG]

The Zoom B1on is dirt cheap and you can plug your bass directly into it as well as your computer or phone/tablet/mp3 player. No need to even turn the amp on, and you can practice anywhere.
As i've also found, you can go from the output to a small speaker and still jam along to your other tracks if you don't want to wear headphones.

This is my travel practice rig.
View attachment 1164710

Yes. That works. I do it all the time.

 

[ravencsr]

Thanks everyone for replying. I will suss out all options.

 

[ravencsr]

From reading the specs, would this work?

 

[Stumbo]

I use my PC mic in for my bass and headphone out or pc speakers/sub to hear both. Works fine. I suggest trying before spending cash.

 

[Wfrance3]

This should work:
Mackie 402VLZ4 Mixer

 

[petey293]

I run the output of a Tone Hammer to the aux in of my PC and I plug my headphones into the PC's headphone jack. This allows me to use my PC's onboard EQ and take the bass out of YouTube songs and play along to an almost bassless track of any song.

 

[BAG]

Yes. That works. I do it all the time.

I'm actually surprised how well it works. I'll usually only run half volume on the speaker and it's plenty loud enough to practice. Even though the speaker can't get anywhere near 40hz the low E still sound good enough with the overtones.

 

[Stumbo]

I'm actually surprised how well it works. I'll usually only run half volume on the speaker and it's plenty loud enough to practice. Even though the speaker can't get anywhere near 40hz the low E still sound good enough with the overtones.

I use Song Surgeon software on my PC to create loops, slowdowner and isolate/remove bass lines.

 

[Chili_Time]

The Vox headphone amp will work fine but check out used amps too. I bought a used Ampeg practice combo for $49 (reg. ~$99) that allows for PC/iphone inpt and headphones out.

 

[ravencsr]

Went ahead with this,

tried it out last night - all good, keeps the family happy at night time

Thanks again for all suggestions.

 

[Clef_de_fa]

An option that I haven't seen is to use a Y cable into the input of your amp to plug the bass in and the sound from the PC and then you plug the headphone into the headphone jack ... very simple and won't cost that much to do.

So a Y cable ( two female and one male end ) to go into the input of the amp
A cable that goes from 1/8 to 1/4 to plug the sound of the PC into the Y cable

 

[Clef_de_fa]

Went ahead with this,

tried it out last night - all good, keeps the family happy at night time

Thanks again for all suggestions.

This is pretty much the best solution. I did take that road too and it is prefect.