How to play bass in a condo? Please help!

[Solude]

My cardiologist does not want anything magnetic anywhere near my shoulders since he put a pacemaker in me.

Always amazed at the silly things that come out of the mouths of otherwise intelligent people. There isn't a headphone in the world that could pull on your pacemaker. The pickups in your bass are WAY stronger than any headphone you might be wearing

Think about it. When someone with hearing loss gets a pacemaker they don't ditch their hearing aids

 

[Thumpin6string]

 

[ajschnitzelbank]

Also, download Moises to your phone. You can strip the bass (or any other instrument) out of a song. I'll remove the bass from a song and use my Waza headphones to jam along with it, or wrote new bass parts. It's a lot of fun and good practice.

Wow, I did not know about this! Thanks!

 

[scottm]

Which condo will you be moving into? I have friends in Vistas on the James, and i think you could have a full band in their unit and no one would hear it.

I am going to be in Kingsmill over the marina.

-ScottM

 

[Liam Wald]

Headphones is the answer.

There is an old saying in the music business... "All music is good, except for the music next door!"

 

[silky smoove]

Always amazed at the silly things that come out of the mouths of otherwise intelligent people. There isn't a headphone in the world that could pull on your pacemaker.

It has nothing to do with magnetic pull. My father has a combination pacemaker and defibrilator installed in his heart and the doctors all gave warnings about magnetic proximity. The problem is that modern devices like this have some means of transmitting a signal that the doctor can check on to see how the device is functioning without the patient (my father in this case) to need to come in for an exam. In the case of the defibrilator firing it sends an emergency alert to the doctor and a phone tree is activated that calls my dad's cell phone to make sure he's alright. In my father's case he has a secondary device that sits on his bedside table that his pacemaker communicates with. This secondary device has a cellular card to send and receive information with his doctor. Having a magnet in proximity to either device has been shown to interrupt their ability to transmit as-intended. That is the problem, not any issue with "pull."

 

[King V]

Wow, I did not know about this! Thanks!

It's pretty cool. I found it after watching Jank Gwizdala's "Could I Play Bass With...?" series on You Tube. Moises is not the same app that Janek uses, but is much more user friendly.

Download the app, upload a track, then Moises will break it down into drums, guitar, bass, and vocals. You can then remix or strip each channel and export the mix. Pretty handy. It will also chart all of the chord changes for you, and you can speed up / slow down playback without affecting pitch.

I liked it enough to upgrade from the free version, but I think the free version is good enough for almost everyone.

 

[OldSchoolFlats]

I use a Boss GT-1B anyway, so for headphones, I just plug into that. Lots of effects, amp and cab modeling: sounds great.

Thing I hate is wires. I went wireless on my bass: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TYRQ222/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

I still use wired headphones though, since bluetooth has so much lag; I have bluetooth headphones, and could get small transmitter for GT-1B, but again: lag. Royal pain: still hate the wire.

If I had more money, I'd get some sort of wireless headphone setup with negligible lag.

 

[eb3mike]

I've not read all the posts so my apologies if this has already been posted. Me for last 7 years... ear buds that came with I-Phone from computer and my Fender Kingman Bass unplugged. All I need.

 

[logdrum]

You need to sell one of those setups to me - JK. But wife is from DC/VA so...

If you only play the 112 - raise it up and put a bass trap, can you still play low volume. Condos have thin walls I guess. My friend in SD bought one and he says it feels like walking on egg shells. And it's true. When I visited, the couple next door were animated in their intimate work out and we were laughing - they probably heard that too.

 

[scottm]

I've not read all the posts so my apologies if this has already been posted. Me for last 7 years... ear buds that came with I-Phone from computer and my Fender Kingman Bass unplugged. All I need.

I am going to try this idea out this weekend.


Thank you everyone that has commented!
Sorry if I missed replying to anyone.

-ScottM

 

[ok-djmiller]

If headphones won't cut it for you, just get a simple 15-25W practice amp. Loud enough for you to hear but it won't be shaking the walls.

 

[scottm]

You need to sell one of those setups to me - JK. But wife is from DC/VA so...

If you only play the 112 - raise it up and put a bass trap, can you still play low volume. Condos have thin walls I guess. My friend in SD bought one and he says it feels like walking on egg shells. And it's true. When I visited, the couple next door were animated in their intimate work out and we were laughing - they probably heard that too.

This condo is very nice and very quiet.

Im just being proactive so when I move in I have lots of ideas to work with.
I'll be debt free, so it will be time to maybe revamp my gear setup.


-ScottM

 

[Nedmundo]

Mustang micro.

I live in a townhome with neighbors on both sides, and this has been my solution. Honestly, I've been surprised how much I like it. (I also play guitar, and if anything it's better for that.)

When I don't want to use headphones, I play at low volume through a Roland 1x12" combo.

 

[Eminor3rd]

Cool bordwells.

 

[pcake]

it really depends on the condo and the neighbors. when we decided to buy a condo, we decided that we weren't willing to live above anyone as we didn't want to bother them. some condos are better about noise than others, and so are some neighbors.

i play through a phil jones C2, which has surprising bass response for something the size of a large lunch box. my mesa D-350/phil jones rig sounds really, really good and sounds good turned way low, which isn't the case with a lot of amps. i keep my rig on a cart to keep it disconnected from the floor, as when i had a larger cab, the sound went through the floor and woke my husband, but this rig doesn't.

good luck with your move!

 

[JenderBazzFass]

Having lived in a condo and dealt with these issues, when it comes to bass even a small practice amp will be heard by neighbors and have the office calling you in the morning. Ask me how I know.

The solution is either an acoustic bass or headphones. I can't see any other. Personally I play through headphones or IEMs nearly 100% of the time now.

If you really must watch TV, there are TVs with headphone out. You could send that to an Aux In on an Ampeg SGT-Di or any old practice amp and blend it with the bass.

 

[garrett77]

If you really must watch TV, there are TVs with headphone out. You could send that to an Aux In on an Ampeg SGT-Di or any old practice amp and blend it with the bass.

I can imagine a nice setup with IEMs and a mixer to control bass, music, and TV. Or just as you say, use the aux in for whatever is paired with the bass.

 

[srosenthal13]

I have this on my radar, any suggestions on brands/models?

While this is an option... I would like to watch TV while I play bass.... hey, I am slowing down in life so I deserve a little future laziness. Plus, I am not sure if I want to wear headphones all of the time.

Thanks!

-ScottM

Sony MDR-7506. Light, comfortable, industry standard, good low-end. I just slip one side off if I'm watching TV.

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-750...id=1707157260&sprefix=sony+mdr,aps,176&sr=8-3

 

[elpancho]

I use Ampeg RB112, put a dummy jack in the headphones, and use Audio Technica M50s into UA Volt. I use this in lieu of my SVT 4/810 modular setup