Ive been doing this a lot recently as I am apartment living now. My headphones into an Ampeg RB-110. On one hand, I like that I can hear little nuances to the tone I cannot playing thru the speaker. Like Im hearing the real tone of the bass. On the other hand, do those nuances matter? No one will ever hear them, especially in a mix with a band. Like one of my basses, I hate the tone by itself thru headphones but it sounds great playing with tracks I have mixed with drums, guitars and vocals. Thoughts?
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Playing bass thru headphones?
- Thread starter mbell75
- Start date
My home practice sessions are always thru headphones. That's the way it's been for the last 10 yrs.
Hearing all the little nuances, including unwanted noise such as screechy slides, has actually helped me develop proper technique by forcing me to pay close attention to what I'm doing. You're right... most of those nuances are not as obvious in a live band setting, but it would never hurt in the long run to make the extra effort to clean up your technique.
I love the way bass sounds through a good set of headphones. The only problem is it's sort of addictive (for me) and getting close to the same sound in a live acoustic environment is virtually impossible.
In the last year, i bought 2 bass, a new amp and 3 pedals. Before that, i had 5 different bass (got them more for the look and prestige than the sound) and a multi-effect pedal (ME-20B). I think that going through headphone's is really a great thing. Like you said, in an amp or with a band, you cannot get THE REAL sound of your bass or pedals. Even if you're in a band or else, the sound you are looking for is yours. Headphones are a good way to get your sound.
I remember one of my guitarist friend that said to me for years that he'd been looking for his sound. Now that he said he found it, i don't really see a big difference from before.
But i think it's great for him and i understand him now.
My bandmates sometimes don't even see the changes i do to my sound but I know (and i don't really care if they don't see nothing). You may found me bizarre but I just discovered the different sound i can get with different bass, amps or pedals and I've been playing for years. Before now, I didn't play enough but with the covid lockdown, i really got into my bass playin'. Before, I never really sat down to really listen to myself with headphones. Now I own my sound and all thanks to my headphones. I only tweak a bit before gigs depending on the size of the place.
Last thing, if you have a family sleeping in the house and you get an urge to play bass nothings is gonna stop you
I remember one of my guitarist friend that said to me for years that he'd been looking for his sound. Now that he said he found it, i don't really see a big difference from before.
But i think it's great for him and i understand him now.My bandmates sometimes don't even see the changes i do to my sound but I know (and i don't really care if they don't see nothing). You may found me bizarre but I just discovered the different sound i can get with different bass, amps or pedals and I've been playing for years. Before now, I didn't play enough but with the covid lockdown, i really got into my bass playin'. Before, I never really sat down to really listen to myself with headphones. Now I own my sound and all thanks to my headphones. I only tweak a bit before gigs depending on the size of the place.
Last thing, if you have a family sleeping in the house and you get an urge to play bass nothings is gonna stop you
I wish my tone sounded as good through my real amp, as it does through my vox amplug headphone amp!
One thing to keep in mind is that the typical consumer headphones do not have a flat response and more often than not have boosted bass and treble.
Never had any use for headphones until these came out.
Can't believe how good they sound with all of basses, including the acoustic ones.
Can't believe how good they sound with all of basses, including the acoustic ones.
Never had any use for headphones until these came out.
Can't believe how good they sound with all of basses, including the acoustic ones.
Nice cans.
My practice space is not isolated from the main living areas in our house and no one wants to listen to me practice, so it's been a small mixer and headphones only for many years. I can play whatever I want whenever I want, but I do like the times when I'm by myself and can fire up the rig and let it rip.
One church I played at years ago had me playing through headphones cia an SWR Super Redhead with the speaker off.
Better than the monitor mix but sterile sounding. They thought they had a great PA.
Better than the monitor mix but sterile sounding. They thought they had a great PA.
I use a Fender Mustang Micro with my AKG phones if I am aiming to defer my passage through the pearly gates. I get it. Sometimes I convince myself playing ultra quietly is better than not playing.
Until a few months ago, I was in a cover band that used in-ear monitors (IEMs).
I got a set of KZ AS-12s off Amazon for like $70, based on reviews saying they were more accurate/less hyped that other KZ in-ears.
I'm sure there are better IEMs, but the performance/$$ on these is shockingly great.
They're super-efficient and seal pretty well, so they get loud enough to be heard over a drumset, and they block out a lot of background noise.
HIGHLY recommended and as you've already found, you will hear a lot of nuances in your playing that you can either develop or work to eliminate
I got a set of KZ AS-12s off Amazon for like $70, based on reviews saying they were more accurate/less hyped that other KZ in-ears.
I'm sure there are better IEMs, but the performance/$$ on these is shockingly great.
They're super-efficient and seal pretty well, so they get loud enough to be heard over a drumset, and they block out a lot of background noise.
HIGHLY recommended and as you've already found, you will hear a lot of nuances in your playing that you can either develop or work to eliminate
Believe me, you can NEVER go wrong hearing little flaws in your playing and fixing them as the headphones tend to let you hear these far more easily than an amp in a band environment.
I’m actually the other way around. Although the Amplug has a better tone than some other headphone amps (the Dunlop Bass Ace really sucks), still doesn’t stack up to a real amp & speakers. My Jazz bass bridge pickup doesn’t “Jaco” through the Amplug like it does through a real amp.
That being said, I have to say the headphone section of my Rumble 40 sounds pretty awesome, though…
I practice exclusively through headphones. I do hear a lot of noise that I don't like that doesn't really bleed through an amp especially with a band. It can make me a little crazy trying to squash it all, and I remember that Scott at SBL did a video saying to not practice through headphones because you can get distracted by this noise. But I've learned what noises mater and believe it's made me focus on a few technique leaks that I wouldn't otherwise
I think a good set of Headphones or better ear buds will make a huge difference in your experience. I’ve been playing with headphones for recording for almost 45 years now. I also have 15 years experience using IEMs, and currently using a Digitech effects modeling pedal with headphones for my practice rig. For me it works great, but none of those options sounds as good as my Eden World Tour Gear at a reasonable volume, and I don’t expect it to.
When I’m practicing I realize I’m not exactly playing at the Kennedy Center for the performing arts and my goal is practice, not perform in front of a bunch of highly critical patrons where great tone is imperative.
Exact same for me.
Edit: Mind you Im running my pedal board through a Broughton Messenger (same as my stage setup) so my practice sound has evolved (improved) over the years
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I practice using headphones. At the gig, I hear myself via in ears. The places I play have great PA’s. There are also a lot of people that hear us (church gigs) online - on home speakers or headphones. In the last 8 years. I’ve done 600 or so church services, and not a single person (including me) has heard my bass through a bass amp. Details that you can’t hear when using a bass amp? Yes they matter, because nobody hears me through a bass amp.
May I ask what is your opinion on a set of cans vs a set of IEM? From my experience, I've noticed that a lot of headphones sound different. That is making me ponder if there is a truly great pair of cans or IEMs which is quite neutral to the listener, what I mean is - transparent?
I practice and play with a set of AKG headphones with my rig.
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