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Best set up for silent home practicing?
- Thread starter CoffeeCup75
- Start date
Get a small cheap mixer. Example:
Behringer Eurorack UB802 8 Input Mixer - Mint w/Power Cord & Accessories | eBay
You can do what you want to do with this. If you want to get fancy you can drop a cheap Line 6 Bass Pod or similar to gain effects and amp emulations. Not necessary though. I used a setup like this for a while to learn tunes and practice silently. Worked great! Decent headphones are a plus.
Behringer Eurorack UB802 8 Input Mixer - Mint w/Power Cord & Accessories | eBay
You can do what you want to do with this. If you want to get fancy you can drop a cheap Line 6 Bass Pod or similar to gain effects and amp emulations. Not necessary though. I used a setup like this for a while to learn tunes and practice silently. Worked great! Decent headphones are a plus.
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That's assuming OP has/wants to use a computer in this setup.
You most certainly don't need to spend a bunch of money.
I bought an inexpensive Joyo headphone amp years ago and it works just fine for what you describe. You just need headphones or ear buds, and a 1/8" cord to attach your music source (iPad, iPod, mp3). I just use cheap earbuds and it works great. You can balance your bass volume with the source volume (the aux 1/8" input).
My total investment (minus the music source) is less than $30.
I bought an inexpensive Joyo headphone amp years ago and it works just fine for what you describe. You just need headphones or ear buds, and a 1/8" cord to attach your music source (iPad, iPod, mp3). I just use cheap earbuds and it works great. You can balance your bass volume with the source volume (the aux 1/8" input).
My total investment (minus the music source) is less than $30.
There are a lot of good ideas here and I'd encourage you to really think about what you want this tool to do for you. Also consider the possibility you add various tools to your arsenal over time (which is what happened to me.)
I use a Vox amplug everyday. The sound is good enough, and essentially 2 cables. (Headphone, Aux.) 2 less than most other options (no power or instrument cable.) for this reason this wins over other options for me for regular use.
I have a Rumble 25 as well, and use it several times a week. I get sick of headphones after a while, so if time-of-day and family-life permits, I use the speaker.
I have an M-audio 2 channel USB interface. I use this for (rare) recording projects- but if I were driving practice sessions with a computer, this would be a daily tool for me (I instead use my phone for play along and drum beat apps.)
A pre-amp is another cool idea, so long as it has headphone AND aux in. I think Zoom B3 and Ampeg SCRDI hit those marks. Cool thing here is some tone shaping to play with, that could also carry over to a bigger amp if you do end up jamming with others down the road.
Good luck!
I use a Vox amplug everyday. The sound is good enough, and essentially 2 cables. (Headphone, Aux.) 2 less than most other options (no power or instrument cable.) for this reason this wins over other options for me for regular use.
I have a Rumble 25 as well, and use it several times a week. I get sick of headphones after a while, so if time-of-day and family-life permits, I use the speaker.
I have an M-audio 2 channel USB interface. I use this for (rare) recording projects- but if I were driving practice sessions with a computer, this would be a daily tool for me (I instead use my phone for play along and drum beat apps.)
A pre-amp is another cool idea, so long as it has headphone AND aux in. I think Zoom B3 and Ampeg SCRDI hit those marks. Cool thing here is some tone shaping to play with, that could also carry over to a bigger amp if you do end up jamming with others down the road.
Good luck!
I was recommended the Hotone Thunder Bass head in another thread and I'm really enjoying it. Has headphone and aux-in jacks. No hiss or buzz with headphones.
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I have a little Fender Rumble 15 amp that I bought for $80.00 new. I plug my bass into it, plug a music player (phone, computer, etc.) into the Aux In jack on the amp, and plug my headphones into the Phones jack on the amp (which silences the speaker). It sounds great and I can use the tone controls on the amp to shape my sound. An added bonus is that if I ever need to, I can use the Rumble as a low volume amp to play with others, such as an acoustic guitarist (it's a loud little thing), or if I just want to practice without headphones.
I like the simplicity and quality of my Phil Jones Big Head. No distractions, just great tone, and the option to plug in a phone or iPad as an audio source if desired. I sometimes practise with my computer via a USB interface but it's easy to get sidetracked in that scenario.
For over 20 years now I have been using a Raven Labs PHA-1. Sounds great and has some flexibility to its uses. I used it as the preamp/DI between my basses and a Korg D1600 Mk II for making a CD with an old band.
For personal practice I keep it next to my Mini-Mac, all plugged in, ready to roll.
For personal practice I keep it next to my Mini-Mac, all plugged in, ready to roll.
My first silent practice device was a stethoscope modified with a longer hose and a clip allowing me to clip the pickup disk to my headstock.
After that I had a Rockman Bass Ace, then a Tascam bass trainer that allowed me to play CD's and strip the bass tracks from songs as well as change the speed while retaining the original pitch. Next came a small Ampeg combo amp with a USB port and a headphone jack.
I found myself in a situation where i needed to cram a lot if new tunes when i was away from home. I tried the Tascam but it was a hassle to burn CD's to practice to. I then tried the little combo, my phone and some cans and it worked but never sounded right and was another amp to keep track of. I finally broke down and got a PJB Bighead and it was/is hands down the absolute best sounding headphone practice device I've ever owned. It has actual functioning treble and bass tone controls, an input gain and master volume, a USB port that is an input to play along with, an analog to digital converter output, and also serves as a charging port for the onboard rechargeable battery so you don't have to be connected to a wall to practice. It's also small and light. But what i like best is it's dead quiet and sounds amazing through my Sony earphones.
If you want a simple, really good sounding, truly portable silent practice rig you can't go wrong with a Bighead an MP3 player and a good set of headphones.
After that I had a Rockman Bass Ace, then a Tascam bass trainer that allowed me to play CD's and strip the bass tracks from songs as well as change the speed while retaining the original pitch. Next came a small Ampeg combo amp with a USB port and a headphone jack.
I found myself in a situation where i needed to cram a lot if new tunes when i was away from home. I tried the Tascam but it was a hassle to burn CD's to practice to. I then tried the little combo, my phone and some cans and it worked but never sounded right and was another amp to keep track of. I finally broke down and got a PJB Bighead and it was/is hands down the absolute best sounding headphone practice device I've ever owned. It has actual functioning treble and bass tone controls, an input gain and master volume, a USB port that is an input to play along with, an analog to digital converter output, and also serves as a charging port for the onboard rechargeable battery so you don't have to be connected to a wall to practice. It's also small and light. But what i like best is it's dead quiet and sounds amazing through my Sony earphones.
If you want a simple, really good sounding, truly portable silent practice rig you can't go wrong with a Bighead an MP3 player and a good set of headphones.
I've been using this for about a month. Works for bass & guitar and optional effects that you can control with your phone via Bluetooth. You can also connect your phone or any other music player via Bluetooth to practice to your favorite music:
Link Removed
Sounds really good and it's as compact as possible. The only wire attached is your headphones.
Rechargeable battery last quite a long time and is charged via standard micro-usb. I recommend it, got mine from Amazon.
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Sounds really good and it's as compact as possible. The only wire attached is your headphones.
Rechargeable battery last quite a long time and is charged via standard micro-usb. I recommend it, got mine from Amazon.
Another option without breaking out an amp is a Vox Amplug:
View attachment 3992216
Handy little things that run on two AAA batteries, and are small enough to go into your case or gig bag's "stuff pocket."
Welcome to the bass board.
I have one of these Amplugs. Love it. It has an AUX input jack for my ipod, headphones sound good, and it has a built in rhythm click for timing practice. I actually was using today. Low cost, easy to carry with you, 5 star rating.
I've been using the Phil Jones Big Head for quite a few years. To play back music I've been using a program called Anytune (Mac, iPhone, iPad) which does key changes and allows you to alter the tempo. My setup is well used but I do have a few complaints. The PJ Big Head is very sterile sounding, I recently bought a Barber Linden EQ pedal and it has pretty much rectified that complaint. As another poster mentioned, there are three cables needed for the setup one from your instrument to the amp, one from the amp to the computer and the headphone cable to the amp. Yes, that is a pain too, but what reliable alternatives are there?
I've had my BigHead so many years that I get bored with it and get on kicks looking for new things just to get something new, but after while I always come to the conclusion that there is really nothing that is any better for me. Yes, there are different things out there but nothing that is a vast improvement. I could be considered expensive compared to other options but, it is a buy one cry once purchase.
I've had my BigHead so many years that I get bored with it and get on kicks looking for new things just to get something new, but after while I always come to the conclusion that there is really nothing that is any better for me. Yes, there are different things out there but nothing that is a vast improvement. I could be considered expensive compared to other options but, it is a buy one cry once purchase.
What is the advantage of using a setup like this as opposed to just using an effects pedal with headphones and an 1/8" input jack?
