I have Line6 POD Express for bass. It lets me choose different amps, cabinets, and effects. But if I’m still playing it through my Fender Rumble 40, isn’t it defeating the purpose of using an amp sim? It does sound different when I select the different amp options, but it’s still coming out a Fender, so I’m not really getting 100% of the amp sim. I’m still getting some percentage of the Fender. Am I getting this right?
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They’re both going to color your tone. What you’re hearing is the combination of the Fender and the Line6. If it sounds good, then all good. If you want a clean Line 6 tone you’ll need to bypass the amp.
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I can’t remember if the Rumble 40 has it. But on the Rumble 100 and 800 you can bypass the preamp by plugging into the effects loop on the back of the amp.
It’s what I do in rehearsals with my pedal board. So the amp effectively becomes a powered cabinet and not affected my the EQ / Gain on the top of the amp.
To get a flat EQ for that amp try these settings:
- Bass, Low Mid, High Mid, Treble Clock Knob Settings at 10, 1:30, 2, 9:30
- Approximated to easy remember: 10, 2, 2, 10
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/fender-rumble-club.1118826/page-1184#post-20824714
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Yeah, that’s what I figured. Thanks.
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No, I’m not seeing a way to bypass the EQ.
Although you wouldn’t have the EQ (with the ability to bypass it), you would still have the Fender sound, or any cabinet sound for that matter if using another manufacturer. They each have their own “sound.” I guess what I’m getting at is the only way to get the pure bass sound of whatever bass you may have is to run your bass out monitor speakers that don’t have any inherent… brand bias… for lack of a better description.
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You’ll have to buy a Rumble 100 I guess 
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No, I think I’m headed down a completely different rabbit hole.
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Could do what I did, ditch amps entirely, and go with monitors/PAs
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Yep, that’s the thought. I need to understand a little better how all that goes together. 100% of what I do is turn on Songsterr and play along and I’m content with that. If I need to play quiet, I’ll put in AirPods and then a headset over them to hear both Songsterr & the bass. I’m sure there is a better way to do this.
I’d like to plug into something that gives a wide variety of amp & pedal effects (laptop app, iPad app, HX Stomp, whatever). Then somehow combine those with whatever Songsterr song I’m playing. Then just use a nice pair of studio monitors, in ear monitors, or even my headset without having to finagle AirPods and the headset. I’m not interested in recording or anything. This would also give me the ability to play my bass “unadulterated” if I chose.
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If you like what you hear, then it’s fine. But…I tend to use anp and cab sims for direct recording via an interface, or silent practice (ie through headphones), and bypass the amp and cab sims if I’m playing through a physical amp (band environment). The multi-effects unit I use allows me to set up a huge number of presets, so I’ve simply set up versions of my favourites, with and without the amp / cam sims.
Yes there is. My multi-effects unit has an aux in. I don’t use Songster, but use Moises all the time. I just plug my iPhone into the aux in and I’m away, no need for two sets of headphones. Oh, the headphones are studio headphones with a flat response.
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You can use the Pod Express as an audio interface via usb-c, you’ll have to download a driver for PC or Mac. Then all your laptop audio and bass will go through the pod express, and you will just need the one set of headphones.
You could also get another cable and connect the pod’s headphone out to the rumble’s input if you wanted to see how much the amp colors the sound. This would play your backing track through the amp as well, but it would probably not sound great for the backing tracks. It’ll be muddy since bass amps are really just meant for playing bass through. It is an option though if you just want to practice without headphones without having to buy more equipment.
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I’ve tried this. Didn’t sound so great. I also tried plugging a pair of speakers into the headset jack of the POD. That didn’t sound so great either.