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Anyone gone to "silent" practice?

#43
tothemax said:
For most of my bass playing time, it's just been a bass and an amp setup. Over the last few years playing larger gigs I started using my amps built in DI to the sound board. That was all fine and good until I turned up the amp volume during a gig. Not realizing that the DI volume was linked to the amp volume (I'm sure that you can imagine the look I got from the sound tech). Anyway after that I added an MXR M80 to my vanilla pedal board (tuner, compressor, EQ). In the home studio it was a nice addition to mic'ing the amp. One day I was working on bass and vocals with a Karaoke YouTube, and decided to shut off the amp to quiet the room down. After that day, I really haven't looked back. Whether it's rehearsal recordings, Karaoke or regular YouTubes that's become my goto practice setup. Took a little while to get my mix setup correctly but once dialed in it's great. While headphones can be a hassle, hearing yourself clearly is hard to beat (K240's). My studio is away from the house so noise is not an issue, it's just such an easy setup to use. Just wondering if anyone uses a similar solution.

My setup:
  • Tascam Model 16 mixer
  • Backing tracks: Computer USB input (stereo)
  • Bass: DI --> Mixer
  • Vocal: Mic --> Mixer
Headphone Mix:
  • Behringer HA 4400 headphone amp
    • Main In: Stereo out (Sub mix Backing track with a little bass and vocal blend)
    • Aux In: Aux 1 monitor mix of bass and vocal (Mono)
Click to expand...
My setup is very similar:
  • Tascam Model 12 mixer --> Schiit Magni --> Sennheiser HD 800 headphones
  • Backing tracks: iPad --> Schiit Modi 5 DAC --> Stereo input
  • Bass: DI --> Pedalboard --> Mixer --> Ampeg B15 (optional, I almost always play with just headphones)
  • Vocal: Mic --> Mixer
 
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#44
Nebadon2000 said:
Since the 90's I used CD's and headphones for. learning tracks
In 2005 got Tascam BT 1 now have BT2 which I used with Sushi box Space Heater into PJB Bighead
Click to expand...
I've got the Tascam bass trainers and love 'em both, but haven't used the one for CD's in a long time. If I get a set for a gig with a new band I'll sometimes load the mp3s into the trainer and work them out or just create a playlist and stream it to my JBL Flip and play through my amp which has been my preference the last few years because my bass sounds so good through the Mesa or Traynor.
 
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#48
tothemax said:
Lots of love on this post for the Boss Waza, might have to check it out...

Didn't realize they were a BT headphone system... looks cool, on the pricey side :unsure: It was mentioned as a luxury item, I agree...
Click to expand...
+1 for the Boss WAZA Bass headphones, even with the cost…especially if you share your living space with others, neighbors, etc. i have the luxury of being able to play through an amp at home when my wife is away, but still find myself practicing with either the WAZA set or the NUX Mighty Plug Pro MP-3…this way i can hear tunes that i am trying to learn or educational videos more clearly.
I typically will run them into an iPad and will use Anytune Pro for breaking songs down and i can be anywhere in the house or even out on the porch practicing without being tethered to an amp. The only downside to the Boss setup is that with so much BT “noise” out there, they will occasionally glitch, which can be annoying when you are trying to nail a part.
That was the reason i decided to also get the NUX…the headphones aren’t BT, but the unit plugs into the jack, just like on the WAZA ones, and then i run a pair of earbuds out of them. It’s not as isolating as the WAZA set, but both get the job done without disturbing others. The NUX are much less expensive and you could always get a circumaural set of headphones to plug into them, rather than earbuds.
 
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#49
I’ve been practicing silent since back in the Ibanez rock-n-play days …with cassettes 😁. These days a nice bass preamp into an analog mixer (wysiwyg) is handy for various inputs/outputs, usually into open-back cans with a 12” powered monitor in case I want more ambiance in the cans. My board also has a stereo USB send if I want to go out to an interface, but I don’t usually, at least not since the pandemic when that’s mostly what I did. I don’t have any problem translating the practice setting to a gig. As in-ears get more popular live sound is becoming more and more like that set-up!
 
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#50
Nope, I practice and rehearse as loud as I can. I really have no restrictions; live with just the wife (who is VERY supportive of my hobby) in a 3-bedroom brick ranch with a finished basement (half of which is my music room) in a nice senior-type suburban neighborhood. I nearly always play along with the original recording of the covers we do, with both the stereo and my bass rig turned up...even louder if she's not home. I can, so I do.

Have tried IEMs onstage, but I always ended up pulling one ear out to hear the stage volume, so I've abandoned using them altogether. Old-school, I guess. They're fine for vocals. But I need to FEEL what I'm playing as well as hear it, and not in an "artificial" way (referring to those things like the BackBeat). I miss the days when the bass reflex ports at the bottom of my cab made my pantlegs flap around!
 
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#52
Over a decade ago, I joined church that started going to silent stage with IEM's. I really hated it... but still gave it a chance. My silent stage setup evolved, and now I love it. When I play with a backline... the stage noise kills me now. I like that I can have my own personal mix where I can EQ and Pan each musician... and have a my desired mix at lower volume. Loved it so much, I bought my own X32 Rack digital mixer, and run backing tracks from the churches I play at with using their multitracks accounts. I can mix, adjust, and isolate all instruments in separate channels at home... like playing with a virtual band with the original musicians. With my bassboard, it feels like I'm playing live with other musicians, but in silence... while not bothering others in the house. With this silent practice setup, I enjoy playing at home just as much as playing on stage. Here is a pic of my extreme silent practice setup...

practicesetup.jpg
 
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#53
I moved into an apartment about two years ago, so I always use headphones now. If I need to play along to a song, I'll use my GK MB200 head, which has an auxiliary input (the headphone output from my laptop goes there) and a headphones output.
If I'm noodling in front of the TV, I'll typically just use my Trace Elliot Elf head, with headphones. It doesn't have an auxiliary input, but I like its sound better than the MB200.
 
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#54
I haven't been able to use an amp at home for a long time. My current setup is
  • Mixer - Behringer xenyx 802s with phantom power
  • Bass through DI - Rupert Neve Designs
  • Headphones - Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
  • PC to run Spotify, Audacity, Moises, Transcribe!, Sibelius, metronome
  • Keyboard (to understand harmony)
  • iPad for iReal Pro
  • Drum machine - Alesis SR-16
  • External monitor
I have a stool that allows me to half-sit half-stand. This allows the bass to be at same position as if I were standing. Very comfortable. Never as satisfying as playing through my amp, but that's not a possibility.
 
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