He also said 1) get open backed and over ear as they are more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time and 2) cable, not Bluetooth, to avoid latency issues.
I use a Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen plugged into my iPhone to record myself (my wife won’t let me use the ‘Big Mac’, plus it’s in her office, not mine ). With the headphones plugged in, you can perfectly hear yourself and any backing track.
As an alternate to plugging into a pc / phone via an interface, you could just use something like this for practice:
The Zoom B1four is cheap, even cheaper if you can find one second hand, has loads of pedal sounds and amp simulations, and you can plug headphones directly into it for silent practice.
I’ve got a lovely Orange 50w bass amp, but in reality, it’s just a dust collector!
As you like Jos’s recomemdations, I remember he recommended this too…
Also, some DAWs/effects have that in software, ie Presonus Studio…
I’m sure you’ll find a free option.
If you can connect the FocusRite to your phone, you could use an app…
The issue with open head phones is that you also hear everything around you and they “leak” to the outside. This might or might not be an issue at home, where everything is quiet possibly and nobody feels terrorized.
Outside it is a huge issue!
Open head phones are supposed to sound (slightly?) better, but a good closed head phone is better than a bad open head phone, especially in that price range.
Question about the pedal: how do you get this to work with software guitar effects? Doesn’t that collide?
I would rather go all software and use a pedal that can control the software effects. Just scanning the market for such a solution myself…
And about the bass amp - I assume that you have an additional source for music? Your stereo?
Using an audio interface and a DAW, in my opinion the speaker should be “neutral”, as it will not only output the bass, but everything else (the song, especially vocals and guitar)!?!?
Regarding the headphones, I only use them in my studio (also known as my office, or that xxxxing tip, as my wife calls it ), so I don’t have the problem of background noise or sound leakage.
Regarding the Zoom, I only use it for a) silent practice or b) when playing through the amp. I have used it when playing with my guitar buddy, but it is going to be retired from that as I now have a decent compressor and a couple of other stand alone pedals. I will continue to use it for silent practice though. When I’m recording, I just go straight into the Scarlett Solo, then use the digital effects in GarageBand. There is a song I intend to cover soon that I want a synth bass sound on, so will likely use the Zoom for that and see how it sounds. If it is rubbish, I’ll then go back to clean and see what I can do in GB.
Regarding the amp, it has an aux in, so can plug the iPhone into it; I can then use Moises for backing. As I said though, I’m not really using the amp. When I’ve played with the guitarist chap, we’ve used the amps that are for hire in the practice space / studio, so saves dragging our own equipment around. Amp hire is £4 for 3 hours. I do take the pedals though, and obviously the bass
Funnily enough, we don’t have a ‘stereo’ in our house, just iPhones and Amazon Alexa…
You had me at “synth bass”
Looking forward to that cover!!!
No stereo in the house? WTF? Don’t you love music (rhetorical question ^^)? Music needs to be felt too!!!
In @hobo 's case my guess is that the combination bass guitar / audio interface / headphones is the best solution, as this is cost effective, will allow him to start playing right now (with some bells and whistles) and extend his solution with all the pretty toys found in the GAS thread later
But do you really use them for monitoring and “sofa” playing?
I really understand open headphones for highend HIFI situations … but for practicing bass too???
I went with what my guitarist / producer buddy told me. He’s been in the music industry for the best part of 35 years, initially as a session musician, then as a member of a well known band. He said he uses the earphones I posted a picture of for both producing and also solo practice. However, he could be sitting in his studio for hours…
I figure he knows his stuff.
He’s also a cyclist btw. He used to get himself invited to pro training camps (bastard never extended the invite to me ) and also commentates on The Tour. And it was me that got him into bloody cycling as an antidote to the boredom of touring!
Just talked to a friend who is also a studio technician for obscure bands.
He even agrees with you, though he prefers (like me) Austrian Audio (both the 60 and 65, depending on what he does).
He says, that open is great for analytical monitoring and end mixes, closed is good for artists with loud/dominant instruments (drums, bass)…
By the way: there seems to be a correlation between playing bass and being a cyclist, right @BozzerWolf ?
Maybe we should organise a bass/bike “biathlon” event one day?
I ride MTB and gravel bikes, @BozzerWolf rides road bikes, @Al1885 rides strange kinds of MTBs and you … @sunDOG? I guess that would be road bikes, as lycra must be the fashion weapon of choice for Duran Duran fans
With MTBs, gravel bikes and road bikes we must meet somewhere in the … middle of the road (hey, a pun!). I propose gravel!
This is exactly the bike I imagined for you: black, technical, expensive!
I really like what you can do with carbon nowadays, but I ride good old aluminium (or aluminum, as they say in the colonies). First of all I am a “material breaker” and carbon does not forgive damage. More importantly I got fat (according to my girlfriend, though she uses more polite words to tell me) - and loosing a few kilos is cheaper than buying an expensive carbon bike.
@Hobo - sorry to have diverted from the original topic. If you have questions about bikes, BassBuzz is the way to go too
Still, gravel is a compromise between MTB and road bike. So, if we would organize a bass & bike biathlon event, this is a good compromise. Though I really would like to see @sunDOG going downhill in some offroad environment on his bike ^^
We just need to think about the rules. Ride X km/miles and then play bass for points? Kind of like biking would be skiing and playing bass would be shooting if it is anything like Biathlon? @BozzerWolf - you are German and therefore good at making rules, right? ^^
And maybe we should open a new thread about that?
I’m retired from competing, I oppose all points systems lol.
Waking up, eating breakfast, riding bikes for a few hours, taking a nap, then drinking beer and playing music late into the night, then repeat sounds like a great long weekend plan though.
). With the headphones plugged in, you can perfectly hear yourself and any backing track.
that bike only comes out to play when it’s dry and al the roads are smoooooooooth!