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Interface adapter Vs Combo (for home practice)
- Thread starter Sa1kon
- Start date
Get a Combo with headphone out.
The $200 Fender Rumble 40 won this amp shootout
Probably a good investment.
The $200 Fender Rumble 40 won this amp shootout
Probably a good investment.
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350 watt Aguilar Tone hammer Head and the matching 1x12. Nice rig. 30 watts is just enough to piss your bass off.
Back when I started a few years ago I got something similar from IKmultimedia and was very disappointed. It "sounded" good on paper but the product was impractical and noisy, and I flipped it like a hot potato.
A combo will be a much better investment IMO. Even a very small one.
And if you want to get into recording and such - get a "real" audio-interface. Good ones can be had for cheap, but still - for practice I think it's less practical in the end.
A combo will be a much better investment IMO. Even a very small one.
And if you want to get into recording and such - get a "real" audio-interface. Good ones can be had for cheap, but still - for practice I think it's less practical in the end.
I never had/tried one, but judging from the hype, anything Apogee would be a big step up from anything by IKmultimedia.
Still, consider that in order to use this you will need to:
- Have the unit, computer, cabling, headphones or speakers, etc, in order to even sound the first note. A lot of fuss for something that a combo does with ease.
- You will probably need to get some software, and possibly at least some decent amp-sim to make it sound more pleasant. Sstraight dry bass sound is definitely useful, but can become irritating after a while over headphones, and when you're just learning - there are pros and cons for hearing yourself dry. You will need to focus a lot on finger and fret noises, etc, which is good but can be demoralizing when you're just starting.
- Connecting a bunch of electrical components is quite likely to create all kind of noise problems. Everything can be solved with some tweaking, ground-treating, etc. but do you really want to bother?
Personal choice and all that, but me, I much prefer using an interface + headphones for home practice over using a tiny amp, or barely "cracking open" the volume on a serious rig. Much easier to mix my bass volume with whatever track I'm playing to. Plus, no complaints from neighbors.
My first thought when you say “practice bass lines” and “for regular playing” is to get a small, affordable combo. Being able to just plug in and play is very appealing, as is the portability. You’ll probably always be able to use it as you journey through bigger amps and fancy interfaces & control surfaces.
A combo lets you play without sitting down at the computer, it's that simple. If I'm just going to run scales and arpeggios, why should I boot up the computer?
This would be a good setup, yes, if you are looking for an audio interface for your computer and for practicing. Clean, great sounding, and in my limited experience, works well with Mac. Some of the best preamps and AD/DA conversion around. (Although the breakout box setup is not the most robust setup.)
That said, I probably wouldn’t go that route. Others have a point about an amp with headphone jack. But if your focus is interface, not amp, I find the Apogee a bit pricey for channel count. It is top notch, no doubt. Perhaps the top-est notch. But realistically I don’t need the top-est notch. (I would need a much better signal chain across the board to reap the benefits.)
If you are buying new, you can get some really great 2-channel interfaces for the less money that sound pretty excellent with. Or, great interfaces for the same money that sound pretty excellent for the same money (or less), but with more inputs. I have a Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 that is really great, and has four preamps, 4 line ins, and two headphones outs (plus midi, etc.). Works great with your setup, but has also given me the flexibility to play and record with other people. I’ve also used their Clarett line, and it sounds even better.
So, yes the Duet would work well. But I would consider an option that would give you very good results with more flexibility for the future.
That, I do not know. Sorry! Not something I’ve run into issues with, so never learned much about.
I have one and it probably gets the most use of any of my amps. Since both of my 25s have died, it has taken over practice duty as well as its weekly trip to the Fort Worth United Gospel Mission for a P&W gig. I'm playing with 3 amplified guitars, fiddle, mandolin, flute, and cajon. I keep gain at 8 and volume at 10. I'm usually playing my Breedlove acoustic. It sound great and has plenty of volume.
unless you already have one, I would think twice about the Apogee, for the purposes you ask about.
Apogee is the among top of the line most expensive audio interfaces you can buy ($649 at sweetwater). Based on your questions, I'm guessing you are not an experienced audio engineer, who might be able to justify the cost with actual usage.
for that $650, you could buy a decent interface and a decent amp.
a fender rumble 100 ($300) + focusrite scarlet 2i2 ($160) will be less money and more useful long term.
The rumble itself comes with many features useful for practice: aux in, headphone out, line out. Not sure why you feel a need to insert a PC into the process.
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I have a 2 channel USB mixer, old version of this:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MTrack2x2--m-audio-m-track-2x2-usb-audio-interface
Works to practice with computer, and I can record mics with it too.
I also have this vox amplug, and use it more often:
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/amp...mgvNA0jWXUS5a-tILqSLE_8emyF0TUbxoCXjoQAvD_BwE
I use it for late night headphone practice. I have a small apartment and toddler, so I can't really leave an amp set up at home. If I had the space/dedicated practice room, I'd just use my ampeg 108 with or without headphones.
So..... it comes down to goals and big picture:
Do you see yourself doing some recording in the future? Get a mixer
Would you like a combo available for low level rehearsal? Get a combo
Do you want cheap, small and compact? Get the iRig
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MTrack2x2--m-audio-m-track-2x2-usb-audio-interface
Works to practice with computer, and I can record mics with it too.
I also have this vox amplug, and use it more often:
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/amp...mgvNA0jWXUS5a-tILqSLE_8emyF0TUbxoCXjoQAvD_BwE
I use it for late night headphone practice. I have a small apartment and toddler, so I can't really leave an amp set up at home. If I had the space/dedicated practice room, I'd just use my ampeg 108 with or without headphones.
So..... it comes down to goals and big picture:
Do you see yourself doing some recording in the future? Get a mixer
Would you like a combo available for low level rehearsal? Get a combo
Do you want cheap, small and compact? Get the iRig
But there is still a connection to a computer... There may be times when you don't want to fire up a computer to use as an amp. Or maybe someone else in the house is using the computer. Etc.
If you will always be using headphones when practicing, then an amp is indeed superfluous.
Just offering an opinion here
Disclaimer: I've used many different amp-free practice rigs going back over 40 years from a craptastic Univox "amplified headphone" (still have it, still works...badly), various headphone amps to finally a Zoom B3 connected over USB to a computer. Using an amp was always better, though I've used headphones when I had no access to an amp, like when traveling or on vacation.
I used to practice at lunch with a headphone rig. If it's just for at home, I vote combo with a headphone out for those times where silent practice is the main purpose.
Mugre
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