Practice with or without effects?

[Twincam]

Just wondering what is best.
As if I play with effects it masks a lot of little mistakes and errors. And I sound better and tend to play longer.

If I play without effects or even unplugged I hear ever error and of course can hear fret buzz etc. And I adjust my playing to try and be technically better. But I find it frustrating and play for less.

Thoughts?

[lojo]

I play as clean as possible to learn songs, then mess around with effects later if I wish for live effects, but I'm unqualified to say what's right or wrong

[Lozz196]

I always try and encourage our guitarists to start off with new material with just their regular overdriven sound, get the part right, then add any effects that may be required once the song is properly sorted. From there I`d want them to always practice the songs with those effects in the right place, so that would be the way I would work if I used effects (other than the bit of compression & drive that I have as a constant).

[chrismuzz]

I always practice with a clean sound, not even any compression. As you mentioned, it prevents the effects masking any microscopic errors, encouraging you to concentrate that little more on playing cleaner

[paul_5]

I practice through my DHA VT1 EQ because it's my iPod/bass blend and headphone amp as well. Learning sets for rock bands it always helps to have a bit of grit in there too, just so I can get used to driving the tube a little bit harder for certain bits. Also the EQ on there helps to correct any shortcomings in whichever headphones I'm using.

[cheddatom]

At home I practise acoustically, if I'm rehearsing with a band I play with my effects, otherwise the whole band would sound wrong.

[Lw.]

When practicing alone to start with I practice clean but once you've got the song down & you think it needs effects then move on to them - obviously some effects need to be practiced with in order to get the sound you're aiming for (correct attack etc...).

[thisnameistaken]

Practising alone I don't really use effects, although to be honest I rarely practise bass guitar any more I spend all my practise time on the upright, and I'm not going to go plug that in to practise...

[JamesBass]

For me it has to be clean as possible, you need to hear the nuances of your playing, check your note clarity and definition as well as getting your timing spot on!

Effects can come later, especially when playing in a band, you and the drummer need to be in each others pockets and to be able to hear everything that's being played. Effects are an embellishment to your sound, got to have your clean sound good before you add effects.

Well that's my opinion on the matter, I'm not a user of any effects

[Noah Deere]

I will learn the song first and then may add effects once I have it memorised.

[Spike Vincent]

Band practice I use the few effects I use,because we're practicing the tunes. Solo practice is accoustic, when I play for fun I use loads of effects. Because it's fun.

[xgsjx]

It really depends on the music & what you're practicing. Try playing Dubstep/Electronica without effects.

At home, I'll practice just general playing techniques with just bass & maybe plugged into the amp. If I'm practicing an idea for a song, then I use my normal set up with effects. At band practice I always use what effects I'm needing for the sound.

It's hard to make the bass go wub acoustically.

[Roland Rock]

Practicing at home? No effects, in fact not even an amp!

[xilddx]

Play whatever makes you sound how you want it to sound. If you use effects all the time, play at home with them so you get your timing right, some effects skew the attack. Amps can do too.

Having said that, I play the bass acoustically most of the time and only plug in when I'm running through songs.

[Mark Dyer]

Always practice without effects.

But do not worry too much about some buzz and clicks in your playing, these things tend to disappear in a live mix or in the studio, in fact, some of the time it's good they are there, they can add subtle texture to your sound that you're not always aware of but can sound too clean if it's not there.

I have a horrible feeling this is going to throw up a whole new debate

[iamtheelvy]

I would say it's good to do both. Yes, practice without to really nail your playing and get that down, but practice with effects too to get to know how to use them well and get used to switching them in/out during songs. It's all very well knowing a song inside out, but if you then throw a pedal into the equation, it can trip you up at the last minute (figuratively or literally...).