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headphone practice solution

#163
senp5f said:
Why mess with a mixer when you can put this little doodad in your gig-bag? It seems to do precisely what you want without having to hobble together an awkward system.
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1. I'm afraid that these solutions are really junky build-wise. That I'd break them within six months, even when used carefully.

2. They're battery powered. I'm not sure if that's a plus or a minus, but it's one more battery I have to worry about in my life.

3. They're clearly designed to plug directly into an instrument and provide their own amp emulations and effects. I don't want their cheap effects and emulations. I really, really want to use my own pedal board for these things--just like I intend to do live.

4. I worry that my active bass and my pedal board might provide too hot a signal for these units (which as I said are designed to plug directly into a bass). If that's the case, they'll distort in unpleasant ways. I've seen some people say they don't do that, but I've seen other people say they do.

5. It's not like they're saving me any money. I haven't seen one yet that's significantly cheaper than getting a mixer like the Behringer one I've picked out.

6. I have seen one unit that seems to be everything that these little pocket units aren't: that British import someone posted a few pages back. Metal casing, two sturdy looking knobs. No frills. It inspired confidence. Problem is, it costs $150. That's kind of harsh for $3 worth of circuitry and $2 worth of knobs and jacks. My inner cheapskate cries foul. Your mileage may vary.

7. In spite of what they advertise, I believe I'd still need an adapter to plug it into my Ibanez SR300. I don't think it's 90 degree swivel plug thingy can accommodate the input jack on these bases. So I'd still be in for an adapter, detracting from its supposedly simple design.
 
#165
scottfeldstein said:
1. I'm afraid that these solutions are really junky build-wise. That I'd break them within six months, even when used carefully.

2. They're battery powered. I'm not sure if that's a plus or a minus, but it's one more battery I have to worry about in my life.

3. They're clearly designed to plug directly into an instrument and provide their amp emulations and effects. I don't want cheap crap effects and emulations. I really, really want to use my own pedal board for these things--just like I intend to do live.


5. It's not like they're saving me any money. I haven't seen one yet that's significantly cheaper than getting a mixer like the Behringer one I've picked out.

These, "wonder cheaplys", are wack for the reasons you pointed out. Though I'm fully able to accomplish completely unobtrusive playing using the ZOOM H4N, still very sorry to have the VOX cheap piece of plastic collecting dust in my cabinet! Congratulations on not falling for another plastic solution box.
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#166
Early evaluation of the iRig on an iPod Gen 4 with either the PocketGK or AmpliTube are mixed. I really like the simplicity of everything in one place and that makes it very mobile. Pretty cheap too. iRig for under $20.00, PocketGK for $5 and AmpliTube LE for $3 with the optional 'Bass' cab for another $5. You could easily get away using the PocketGK Lite for free. Both are similarly featured with the GK besting the AmpliTube in both overall bass sound quality, simple song selection without the need to import them into the program, better EQ section, 2 choices of cabinet, more intuitive operation overall, better song controls w/ pitch shift as well as speed, easier looping and song to bass balance. It also does not stone you like the AmpliTube to buy things. The bass amp in the AmpliTube is always fuzzy but the GK is a hissy program. The hiss is not so noticeable when playing along with a song though making it bearable. And, if it matters, the AmpliTube is a far bigger app, 115MB vs 27.2MB for the GK. Perhaps for regular guitar the AmpliTube will have some use but I can see myself using the GK app far more often.
 
#167
iRig is $35 on Amazon. I'd be interested in PocketGK. I'm a GK guy in the real world, so...

Wish I could try it before I bought it. Do you think it would be counterproductive to use these kinds of components with higher end headphones? I mean, the iRig goes into your iPhone through the headphone jack. That don't seem right to me. Makes me wonder about the audio quality.
 
#168
scottfeldstein said:
iRig is $35 on Amazon. I'd be interested in PocketGK. I'm a GK guy in the real world, so...

Wish I could try it before I bought it. Do you think it would be counterproductive to use these kinds of components with higher end headphones? I mean, the iRig goes into your iPhone through the headphone jack. That don't seem right to me. Makes me wonder about the audio quality.
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If I was really going into another plastic solution, I'd look at the Apogee Jam. From what I can tell it is the shizz. Audio quality is bound to be crazy, it's made by Apogee. Has a few differences between it and the iRig. As for the headphone question, you are looking for cheap, and reasonable convenient, so some sacrifices must be made.
 
#170
scottfeldstein said:
Wish I could try it before I bought it. Do you think it would be counterproductive to use these kinds of components with higher end headphones? I mean, the iRig goes into your iPhone through the headphone jack. That don't seem right to me. Makes me wonder about the audio quality.
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Great question. I have now used it with both my Sony 7506 and Klipsch earbuds and both work fine. The Sonys are better and more comfortable but the Klipsch are easier to deal with (especially when not tugging on the iRig) and far more portable. Neither are all that hi-fi in this application so it's really just an easy practice compromise.But one that is so easy to use and take anywhere.
 
#171
At this point I think there's 2 or 3 solutions that I could be equally happy with. None perfect, each with its own particular strengths and weaknesses, but all right about equal satisfaction. iRig-with-iOS-app is one such option. Another might actually be one of those Vox deals. The third would be the mini mixer.

It's a horse apiece, as they say, but I think I'm going to go with the mixer. I can't really articulate why it's the solution that appeals to me most, but it does. It's not really portable, but I only intend to use it for silent home practice.

Bass > pedal board > mixer.

iPhone (or iPad) > mixer.

Mixer > good headphones. (Leaning toward those Sony MDR-V6!)
 
#172
I've also looked at the mixer solution and concluded that the smallest/cheapest ones won't do. While they provide stereo inputs for a CD or MP3 player, there is inadequate control of those inputs, in terms of muting one of the channels and panning the other to center. While muting the left or right channel can be accomplished inelegantly by unplugging it, you still can't pan the connected channel.

It appears that in order to accomplish the above one must up-scope to a mixer having four microphone/line inputs, using one for the bass/pedals and two for the CD/MP3 player. The fourth could be used for a metronome, saving wear and tear on connectors, even though one would probably not use all four inputs simultaneously.
 
#173
You're looking at the RCA inputs. But I think the Behringer actually does have more than one stereo input. A couple of those seem to be 1/4" inputs that can be panned or operated as mono (in both ears). Not sure if that's so, or if that solves your problem, but...

I don't see that as an issue for me. It's enough for it to have clean operation and for me to have really good headphones on. I just want to be able to hear the instrumentation on the recording--and myself, with a decent tone and my effects. I wouldn't be upset if I didn't have the panning functions you mention.

I'm coming from a situation where I practice live through my amp while I have iPhone earbuds in. I annoy everyone around me. I have to choose which I'm going to hear: the iPhone or myself. If I choose the iPhone, I can't hear the bass anyway because the audio is pretty sketchy through those earbuds. It's a lose, lose, lose situation.

I just want to practice privately, with my own sound, and a good reproduction of the music I'm learning.
 
#174
The GK app is pretty right on if you are a GK guy. I run a 1001 rb 2 and the app reproduces that sound. The app allows you to listen to iTunes but the playback volume is controlled by the iPod, on my touch it's just not very loud, so I need get everything else turned way down. I was pretty excited about the irig thing when I got it, buy I haven't used it that much. It underwhelms once the "gee whiz that's cool" drops off.

I can see the iPod working in a pinch, like when I travel for work and just take a bass to practice. But it eats up the battery charge really fast.

Keeping the peace in the household is a big deal, so what's evolved is a practice station away from the main living area where i can work without interfering with the everything else that's going on, like my son's piano or trumpet practice time. (headphones are nice for trumpet practice).

All the gear lives on a chest high shelf in a restaurant style rack unit from Costco. I can stand or sit on a bar stool. I put an old computer keyboard pull out tray under the shelf to hold music, books, paper and pencils. A hanger on the wall to hold the bass if I need to walk away ( we have big dogs, a guitar stand is just asking for trouble).

I never hook up an amp at home unless i'm testing a cab or some repair, and then only if nobody except maybe the kid is home. The GK through a couple fEarfuls can rearrange the furniture.
 
#176
scottfeldstein said:
Ok! For all those die hards who are still following this crazy thread... I pulled the trigger. Here's what I ordered:

1. Behringer XENYX502 5-Channel Mixer

2. Sony MDR-V6 headphones

3. A 1/8" to dual RCA adapter to plug in my iPhone or iPad

I'll post my initial experiences with this solution in a couple of days.
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Hope that works out and I see no reason why i won't. I can say after having now spent a couple more days with the iRig/iPod/App of the day option that while it's certainly portable and fairly convenient it's anything but hi-fi or great sounding. It works but that's about it. Nothing to get really excited about.
 
#177
I'll be waiting for an evaluation of the behringer mixer. Since I am interested in stereo mixing ability it seems a VT Bass+mixer is the best choice for now. Unless I go with an audio interface route, but not to fond of spending all of my time infront of the "Homo's devil machine"

I have heard the smallest alesis multimix and it had somuch noise it was just awfull. Some of the bigger behringer mixers I see around rehersal spaces actually seem quite nice.

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#179
To provide some closure, at least as far as my OP goes, here's my day 1 experience with my chosen solution.

It works! I can take the signal coming out of my pedal board, which would ordinarily go into my amp, and go straight into the Behringer mixer. (I don't understand the way its channels are set up. Some of them seem to be stereo and involve two 1/4" jacks. Channel 1 seems to be mono; it's the one with the XLR mic jack and the phantom power, but I use the 1/4" input for that chan.)

I got a 1/8" male to dual RCA female adapter. This is so I can plug the iPhone into the "CD/Tape" stereo input.

My new Sony MDR-V6 headphones go into the headphone out.

Done.

It can get a little confusing, even with a small board. Took me 10 minutes to figure out how to get both signals into the headphones at once, but I eventually got it.

This has really helped me dial in some of my effects, too. When I'm at rehearsal, nobody wants to stand around while I play with the knobs on my compressor or my envelope filter. But I managed to get that stuff straightened out at home without disturbing a soul.

mp3 playback is pretty spectacular. And the bass sound is pretty much what I get through my amp, but maybe lacking some bottom end. I find myself dialing about half of it back in through the mixer's EQ and leaving it. It mixes with the mp3s better that way.

All in all I'd call it a success. There's a few negative sides, though.

1. I get that most mixers don't (and shouldn't) have an on/off switch. But for this application, it should. And it doesn't. Unplugging it is inconvenient and tedious.

2. As has been noted by others, the power light on the mixer is blinding. First thing I did was put a little square of masking tape on it. That tamed it down enough.

3. It's a drag to need a flat surface to put the mixer on and have it sprouting cables everywhere. I can definitely see where some of the "headphone amp" solutions would be handy.

4. It's not the most portable solution. By the time you have the mixer, its power brick and your headphones, you're looking at an additional bag to carry. It won't fit into the one for my amp head, nor in the pockets of my guitar case or pedal board bag.

Anyway, I got what I was looking for. Quiet practice at home. With excellent mp3 playback. And with my own bass sound coming from my own pedal board.

Next stop: try plugging in my acoustic electric and jam with some mp3s. It won't be silent for other people in the house, but it'll be quieter than jamming it with loud mp3 playback.
 
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#180
scottfeldstein said:
This is all way more complicated than it needs to be. All I want is

a) my bass in my headphones

b) my mp3 player in my headphones

The end.

Well, naturally I want to be able to adjust the volumes independently. And it would be nice if my bass signal came to the mixer out of my amp, or at least out of my pedal board, and not dry out of the instrument. And it would be nice if the mp3s were in stereo.

I do not want it to facilitate recording. I do not need it to have a USB interface. I do not need it to have phantom power. I do not need for it to have separate phones/main outputs. I do not want built-in effects or amp emulation. I do not want 8+ channels.

I just want to listen to myself while I listen to an MP3.

And I want this for $50 or less.
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late to the party but for dead simple the Waves I Guitar actually works nice for bass...it sounds better for bass than guitar ...it's pretty bad for guitar reminded me of an ibanez rock n play tone ......you plug in your mp3 player and your bass....you can have a bit of chorus/verb and gain on your bass ....it's pretty close to your price range!

an i rig for i pod in $40 but i'm sure you know that by now!
 

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