Hi! I’ve been playing bass using an audio interface and Amplitube VST Plugin as my DAW. I never owned a bass amp and now I’m thinking of getting a Fender Rumble 40 (or a Laney/Hartke equivalent) coz there will be a big sale coming this week in my local. So is it worth it? I mean will playing the bass w/ a real amp feel and sound better than a simulated amp (VST)?
Will an AMP+Headphone sound better than an Audio Interface+Headphone? Thanks!
Here’s my two cents worth:
If you’re not going to be bothering anyone by playing with a booming bass amp in the house/apartment then go for it. If you find that those around you are screaming “TURN IT DOWN!!!” then you’re better off with the headphones you can crank up until your ears bleed. 
Probably not.
But it can go both ways, Yo can get a pretty awesome sound with audio interface + headphones, it all comes done to how good the hardware is + the settings.
audio interface + headphones are much more cheaper, and you can get more different sounds out of it.
What I would do if I want to have an amp like experience: Probably get something like a PA speaker FRFR, or what’s the acronym?) and use an amp sim driven by my GT-1000CORE, which is an audio interface and multi effects device, all in one.
This^^^
Both will sound and feel different
To reiterate, if you’d ever play in front of people then amp would make sense, but nothing would ever sound better to “you” than a good pair of headphones or iems.
A real amp will feel better but not sound better.
Yeah actually I think the better modern amp sims are pretty spot on and actually sound better in several ways. Relatively inexpensively you can have a wide variety of sims of very good amps that sound way, way better than any amp most here are likely to buy. And then the sim is always going to be spot on - it doesn’t need to warm up, it won’t drift, it doesn’t break, it won’t get random noise, etc.
I’ve got an amp, an Orange Crush Bass Amp, that I’ve used, ummmmmmm, three times since I bought it. It’s basically a dust collector in my office / practice room.
For practice, I started out with a Zoom B1four and a decent pair of headphones. For recording the bass in to GarageBand, it was straight into GB via a Scarlett Solo, and use the amp sims there.
Currently, I’m using a Hotone Ampero One. For the money, this thing is fantastic. Loads of effects, amp and cab sims, plus you can use it as a pedal into an amp, direct into a mixing board, for silent practice with headphones, or as an interface in to your DAW (eg GarageBand).
For band rehearsals, we’re frequenting places with a back line / PA, so no need tj hump an amp around. We’re doing an open mike later this month (first one), but they have a PA, so no need for an amp. I guess at some point, I might need the amp, but so far…
I absolutely think so.
I have all the plugins and models in Logic ready to go in headphones, but I still prefer to hear my bass in the air through my lil’ ampeg practice amp.
I don’t think so.
I imagine it would sound similar or worse.
But! If it offers you the option of sometimes playing into the air instead of the headphones, I still say it’s worth it.
Probably not. Depends on which amp and interface you are comparing, but to give you my specific case study, since I got a Katana Go, I only use my amp with headphones when I’m also using my Beatbuddy, since I haven’t figured out how to bluetooth it to the Go yet.
The Katana Go is just so much more feature rich than my amp, and I’m not an effects guy. I like a basic rich clean tone, but even with that simple goal, I can tweak the nuances way more with the Go. Also Stage Feel is pretty stinking cool.
I have a few practice amps. One is the Ampeg BA108, which sounds great for what it is and allows me to play with people with acoustic guitars or low volume electrics in a small room. I think the Fender Rumble 40 will do the same type of job. Depending where you live, OfferUp and Craigslist will have these pretty cheap—well under $100. Most times, they are barely used.
Okay my current kit is a Focusrite Solo Gen 4, a Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro as my headphone and Edifier R1700BT as my acting speaker monitor.
Edifier R1700BT pretty much is doing most of the job but it just feels lacking esp on deeper bass levels maybe because that it only has 4" woofers… So will upgrading to a 5" woofer like the pair of Edifier S1000MKii or a single KRK Rokit 5 do a better job?
I have a pair of JBL 305P-II that I love, and are perfect for representing the mixes I am going for. However if you really want a 10-12" speaker thud you’re going to need either a subwoofer to pair with the monitors, or a bass amp/cab.
It depends on your goals. If it is recording music and production like me, stick with the monitors. If it’s live play or just fun noodling, go for the bass amp. If it’s both, consider running a DI out from the amp to the audio interface and do both.