I'd like to play along to recorded songs and albums on my computer (Google Music, YouTube). How can I plug my bass into my Macbook and play along through headphones?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Software for playing along with songs
- Thread starter Dane Coles
- Start date
Great product. New version just released.
OP might also want an amp sim such as Amplitube.
I went the other direction. I have a small 4-channel mixer ($45 at GC) that I run the computer and the bass through. I have Yamaha studio monitors, but I use headphones 95% of the time so I can, well, hear it well without shaking up the neighbors...
This sounds like it may work. I just buy the mixer, plug it into my Macbook, plug my bass into the mixer and plug my headphones in? And I will be able to hear my bass and the song at the same time?I went the other direction. I have a small 4-channel mixer ($45 at GC) that I run the computer and the bass through. I have Yamaha studio monitors, but I use headphones 95% of the time so I can, well, hear it well without shaking up the neighbors...
Ok great, do I download the app Amplitude and it will simulate a bass cab on my Macbook, so I can play through headphones and not need to plug into my bass amp? Can I play a song in the background through Google Music or Youtube and play along?
Not quite...
You'll connect the headphone output of your MacBook into a channel, or 2 channels of the mixer. You'll need an "iPod cable", or a cable with the stereo 1/8" plug on one end and 2 1/4" plugs on the other end. Then plug your bass into another channel of the mixer. Use the headphones and mix the levels of the MacBook and your bass to your taste.
Note that doing things this way doesn't allow for any modeling-type software for your bass. The bass isn't going through the MacBook, only the mixer.
Now, any music, any drum tracks, click tracks, anything being played from your MacBook will play through the mixer.
Yes, Amplitube (or any other amp sim) will take the sound of the bass and add a simulated bass amp, speaker cabinet, effects chain, and microphone type and placement depending on however you want to configure your virtual bass rig. I believe the basic Amplitube has a free version, and then there are a wide selection of amplifier and cabinet types available for purchase.
You should be able to use a different app to play along with songs simultaneously.
Ok great. I talked to the recording adviser at Long and McQuade. He recommended a Zoom B1Xon Multi Effect Bass processor and a Steinberg UR12 2x2 USB Audio Interface. He said I would be able to plug my bass into these and play along to songs on my Macbook without lag or latency.
