Best set up for silent home practicing?

[CoffeeCup75]

Hi,

I am looking for a recommendation for some kind of home set up where I could practice my bass through earphones and play along to other people's songs in my music collection (with the music in the same earphones).

Honestly, I doubt I will be playing with any other musicians since this will be just like a personal hobby. My main interest in bass would be learning to play along to songs I like.

I'm sorry if this question has been asked before. I have been thinking for several years that if I had a set up like this, I might start playing bass as a hobby. I was learning bass before, but it was unsatisfying to just play by myself. As I live in a small apartment, I unfortunately cannot make a lot of noise playing bass through an amp.

Anyway, any recommendation is greatly appreciated.

 

[Lee Moses]

Are you sure you are talking about double bass? If you are asking about electric bass, you probably want to post over here: https://www.talkbass.com/forums/accessories-bg-new.305/create-thread

 

[turf3]

Pretty much every small practice amp has a headphones jack.

For DB there's no way to make it truly silent. You would have to go to an electric upright ("stick") bass and practice amp with headphones.

 

[CoffeeCup75]

Are you sure you are talking about double bass? If you are asking about electric bass, you probably want to post over here: https://www.talkbass.com/forums/accessories-bg-new.305/create-thread

You are right... thank you for your help and I am sorry for posting in the wrong forum.

 

[tzohn]

You can still play through the amp's driver set at low volume and not heard to the next apartment especially if you turn down a bit the bass knob. I do it for years and nobody has
complained.

 

[Jeff Scott]

A small mixer is your best choice for this type of practicing. Run the music source and your bass through three input channels (assuming the music is in stereo) and mix it all down to what works for your needs through the headphones.

 

[Winslow]

Another option without breaking out an amp is a Vox Amplug:

Handy little things that run on two AAA batteries, and are small enough to go into your case or gig bag's "stuff pocket."

 

[hrodbert696]

There are a lot of options. Most practice amps have a headphone out and many have an aux in. There's the Amplug solution. There are also some multi-effect pedals that include aux-in and headphone-out options. The Ampeg SCR-DI comes to mind, for instance. Pretty sure the Zoom B3 does, and the TC Electronic Flyrig can be set for phones-out though it doesn't have an aux-in for playalong.

Myself, I have a small mixer in my basement, and I run my pedalboard straight into it, along with an input from my computer audio and a couple of channels for if I want to play with another instrument (bass is my main, but I dabble with six-string and with keys). Very convenient to have all-in-one and a small four-channel mixer isn't expensive.

 

[CoffeeCup75]

A small mixer is your best choice for this type of practicing. Run the music source and your bass through three input channels (assuming the music is in stereo) and mix it all down to what works for your needs through the headphones.

Thanks... I think that was exactly what I was thinking of, a mixer. I just couldn't think of the word to describe it.

 

[CoffeeCup75]

Another option without breaking out an amp is a Vox Amplug:

That Amplug looks very cool and convenient.

 

[mongo2]

That Amplug looks very cool and convenient.

It is, I've used the Amplug for several years.

For more control over tone I use my old Fender Bass Pak.

 

[CoffeeCup75]

Myself, I have a small mixer in my basement, and I run my pedalboard straight into it, along with an input from my computer audio and a couple of channels for if I want to play with another instrument (bass is my main, but I dabble with six-string and with keys). Very convenient to have all-in-one and a small four-channel mixer isn't expensive.

Sounds like a great set-up. I honestly think I would have a lot of fun just playing at home by myself. I used to have an old Tascam four track tape recorder with an electric guitar and drum machine when I was in high school. I wasn't a very good musician, but I had fun recording some stuff at home.

My goal with bass would be to practice enough myself until maybe I could get enough confidence to play with some other musicians in person, but I would also be OK if it just remained a personal hobby.

 

[lark_z]

I use the Donner 'Basement' headphone amp. It has an AUX in, so I can play along with mp3s. If I had it to do over again, I'd pop more $$ and do the Amplug.

https://www.amazon.com/Donner-Headphone-Basement-Rechargeable-Amplifier/dp/B079G6Y5Y5

 

[ShawnG]

Welcome to TalkBass! This is a great place for getting info on questions like the one you've asked. LOTS of info here, you'll find the "Search" feature to be your friend, but I would suggest checking the "search titles only" option otherwise you may get too much info!

I play almost exclusively through headphones due to my wife working from home. I have played via headphones through an amp, but I don't love being tied down to a relatively short headphone cord. Being able to wander about a bit while playing is a big deal for me.
Looking for a more "mobile" option I started out with a Vox AmPlug. It is a great starter tool. I recently purchased a used Phil Jones Bass HA-1 BigHead headphone amp on the classifieds here on TB. It is a significant upgrade. The improved fidelity of the HA-1 makes a real difference in hearing my technique mistakes during practice. Both the AmPlug and the BigHead have aux-in inputs to allow you to plug in your phone or other device so you can play along to recorded music. I detailed some info on this unit here:

PJB Bighead vs. Vox AmPlug, worth the upgrade for headphone practice?

My other advice would be to get a good set of headphones. After trying several, I ended up with a pair of Sennhieser HD-25s, but good doesn't have to mean expensive. Take a look at the Edifier H850 or a set of Koss Porta Pros. Both under $50.
More info here (my posts on Edifier and PortaPros are at posts #50 & #56 (if you are interested in the Edifiers, let me know, I've got a set I'd be willing to let go):

Headphones for bass practice, no budget restriction

Another option I tried for a while was using a small DI (I have an Apogee Jam+, iRig is another low-ish cost option) running through my iPhone/iPad and using the GarageBand amp models.

 

[OptimalOptimus]

I use a soundcard like the Scarlet hook to my PC or Ipad and boom

 

[Yango]

There are tons of options. I really comes down to how much you want to spend.

I personally, love the Ampeg SCR-DI.
https://ampeg.com/products/pedals/scr_di/

 

[FerK]

There's a ton of threads about this here, and here are the top choices I have seen people recommend in them:

• [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
• Rolls PM351 personal monitor
• Ampeg SCR-DI
• HoTone Thunder Bass
• OmniCabSim Deluxe
  
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• Zoom B1ON
• Focusrite Scarlett Solo (or any other model from that line)
• Boss GT-001 (this is MY recommendation)

 

[basslifter]

A practice amp or small combo amp typically has a headphone jack and an input jack. I have a GK MB212 that is the best of both worlds. 500 watts of power, but also light and compact enough to keep in my practice space. I can use the headphones and input from my phone to practice silently.

 

[monkeyfinger]

For learning songs by ear, the most important thing is to be able to control your volume vs the volume of the recorded material. Being able to shape the tone of your instrument or the recording also helps. For example, I like to emphasis the upper mids on my bass when playing along with a track. It helps me distinguish my instrument from the recorded one. You need individual volume control and some eq for that. Sounds like a mixer to me. I think a good basic mixer with instrument input is your best choice. If you have an audio interface already, I recommend the Mackie 402VLZ4. This is a great small mixer that is durable and sounds good.

Now, if you want a certain tone out of your instrument for, say, recording, then we are talking preamps, DIs, cab sims, etc.

 

[SmokinJoe992]

Just to throw something outside the box out there. I use a Headrush Pedalboard for silent practice for guitar and bass. It sounds good through head phones. You have a near unlimited amount of sounds you can get out of it with the amp models and effects which could help keep things interesting for you. You can play along to songs, or yourself with it because it has a built in looper. I also like to use the looper to record my playing so I can instantly review it. It also has a tuner, and enough connections and outputs to hook up to just about anything, and if you ever decide to make some noise you just hook it up to any powered PA speaker and you are in business.