Silent Home Practice Setup

[acidbass]

[color=black]Hi All[/color][color=black] [/color]

[color=black]Thinking about investing in a decent practice setup for home. It ideally would be portable so I could bring on tour etc and practice in hotels and the like. Would be using electric bass only. My thoughts are something along the lines of:[/color][color=black] [/color]

[color=black]- Bass[/color]

[color=black]- Practice Device[/color]

[color=black]- Decent Set of Headphones (over ear)[/color]

[color=black]- MP3 Player for playing along[/color][color=black] [/color]

[color=black]A drum machine or metronome would be useful.[/color][color=black] [/color]

[color=black]What’s everybody using these days? I had a Korg Pandora a few years back but lost it in a house move![/color][color=black] [/color]

[color=black]Thanks[/color]
[color=black]D[/color]

[Marvin]

Zoom B1.on + £20 Seinheinser headphones + an audio source, could be an MP3 player, tablet or laptop

Edited September 7, 2016 by Marvin

[anzoid]

Zoom B1.on will do the job as it has an aux-in for the MP3 player and you can plu headphones into the usual output (1/4" jack). It has effects, a drum machine, looper and tuner. I use mine with a pair of Presonus HD7 headphones which are large over the ear headphones with 50mm drivers and it's plenty loud enough.

And on preview, beaten to it by Marvin

[Badass]

Zoom B3 here with headphones.

[JohnR]

If you have an iOS device how about an interface or cable? I use a cheap Griffin connect cable that allows me to use the amps in Garageband and use other apps for playalong and practice?

[Cato]

Zoom B1on. Seinnheiser HD201 headphones.

I use my phone as my mp3 player. I tried a few budget mp3 players before discovering that my phone was way better than all of them in terms of operating system and sound quality.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Cato

[Happy Jack]

I use either a PJB Bass Buddy or a PJB Big Head through PJB headphones.

Yes, I know, [i]fanboi [/i]and all that, but PJB kit does sound astonishingly good, especially in this sort of rig.

My rig(s) don't include the drum machine/metronome thang, but that's because I invariably along with mp3s. If I need a metronome, I have an app on my phone.

The Bass Buddy ain't cheap, but has the advantage that it's a real Swiss army knife of a device and can be used a very high-quality pre-amp or EQ device or DI box or ...

[Lw.]

Two options depending on situation:
1 - Laptop, Reaper (for drum tracks/looping other parts), Scarlett 2i2 Audio Interface, headphones.
2 - Phone as audio source, DHA pre-amp, headphones.

[Muppet]

I still use the Tascam MP-BT1. Great bit of kit though I have replaced the rechargeable battery once.

[Horizontalste]

Laptop & interface works for me, I highly recommend transcribe too.
Alternatively you could use a small mixer & your phone/mp3 player, I prefer the laptop option as transcribe gives me the slow down and loop options.

[Number6]

I use a B1on + Smartphone + Sennheiser phones.

[dannybuoy]

Either an Aguilar Tonehammer, VT Bass, or Le Bass as a preamp, into a PJB Bighead, into Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pros. (Tried the PJB cans as well but they are harsher up top and don't have the powerful lows of the Beyers). I hardly ever plug into my amp at home these days!

The PJB Bighead is a great headphone amp, others I've tried like Zoom units are either noisy or don't put out enough volume (through my cans at least, they are 80 ohms which is higher than typical consumer headphones). I like the fact it's separate so I can plug in different preamps at will - the Aguilar gets chosen for classic P Bass and flats type of tones, and the Le Bass for modern aggressive sounds, and the VT can actually cover both.

[Hobbayne]

I have a pair of these https://www.gak.co.uk/en/vox-amphones-bass-active-bass-guitar-headphones/74158?gclid=Cj0KEQjw9b6-BRCq7YP34tvW_uUBEiQAkK3svcrAciVhPsYA3dZLRPPrqioTQKYPInZK-3jrWiMFdqoaAiI28P8HAQ
I plug my ipod through it and its great.
Also eliminates the need for a jack lead for me to trip over.

[NJE]

I use Bass, Apogee Interface, Laptop, Garageband and then I can use the Internet to practice whatever I want to. I tend to use Youtube playlists for cover band rehearsals, incredibly handy.

[louisthebass]

I use a cheap 2 channel Behringer mixer, Sennheiser HD495 cans, run my old Boss DR550 in stereo into the mixer, lead running from the headphone output on my laptop into the mixer in stereo. Bass plugged into the mixer - sorted.

[Srwu]

I use a Tascam GB10, you can put MP3s on it and slow them down (or speed them up) to play along to. It also has a built in metronome and tuner.

[JohnR]

Good call on Transcribe. I have just downloaded it and am wondering how I managed so long without it.

[bonzodog]

Zoom B1on user here too. Plug in my phone as the audio source and a pair of mediocre headphones and you're away. Best £30 I've spent.

[Skybone]

Another vote for a Zoom B1 or B3 with a pair of Sennheiser's.

You could always track down a Behringer V-Amp or a Line6 Pod in either bass or guitar flavours, XT, X3 or HD bean.

There's always the Vox Amplug.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Skybone

[Len_derby]

I use an unplugged electric bass, and various bits of paper if I'm learning something new.
I do live somewhere that's very quiet most of the time though.

[FinnDave]

I use one of those cheap little vox thingies, plugs into the bass, headphones and MP3 sockets in, has been working well for several years now. I use it for playing along with recordings of my band if I haven't played for a while, keeps the fingers loose and makes sure I don't forget the set!

[NickD]

[quote name='Srwu' timestamp='1473267021' post='3128537']
I use a Tascam GB10, you can put MP3s on it and slow them down (or speed them up) to play along to. It also has a built in metronome and tuner.
[/quote]

+1 for the GB10, I find the ability to adjust pitch without changing speed, and conversely to adjust speed without changing pitch really useful when working songs out, there's also a loop function for working on trickier parts. You can also record your bass part over a track, which comes in handy for passing ideas back and forth. It's a small unit too and lives in my case. I bought the optional extra account adapter too but found that the 2 AA batteries it takes last for ages so I've never used it.

[pintspiller]

At the moment I use a Hartke Bass Attack pedal into M-Audio Pro interface into PC and Shure headphones.

[Gottastopbuyinggear]

Laptop, audio interface and amp modeller - I use Amplitube, which I got relatively cheaply when they were doing one of their frequent sales, but there are alternatives. The biggest advantage for me is the ability to play along to tracks on iTunes (or whatever media player you choose) which has all my music and backing tracks, without having to worry about plugging some form of physical media player into another physical device. It's also great if you want to check out stuff on YouTube, etc., while playing. I'd also guess that you probably already have a laptop and may well have an audio interface already too, in which case the additional outlay for an amp modeller is relatively small.

[Bobthedog]

PJB Bighead, PJB headphones and my iPad for me.

Alternatively I use my Boss DR-3 as drum backing for aimless noodling; a other times Scarlett 2i4 into my Mac and Shure HD1540 headphones and other times my Tascam DP-008EX and the Shures.

Alternatively I just sit and play unplugged!

I think I have it covered, and perhaps given you a few more ideas.