What's better for practicing home: An amp or an audio interface?

I use the aux port connect my phone to the amp and play music for me to practice with. Works well

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Yep me too! Pretty useful for any drum loop apps or samples! And at handy advice from @DaveT I currently have my interface connected that way as I don’t personally need to invest in monitor speakers right now :slight_smile:

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Hello!!
I ve had an amp all my life, (that is since 2010 I got my first bass) but when everyone sleeps is a pain to practice. My amp is not very good also, it’s an old harley benton model.
On Xmas of 21, I decided to get my vox amplug for bass and I couldn’t be happier. It also has an AUX input so I can put my tablet play the lesson/song/whatever, and via my headphones I listen to my bass too. I find it very good because I don’t pressure my fingers to play, it makes playing easier and very accessible.
I dismissed the audio interface because my chair has armrests and I can’t play correctly there.

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the only diff i can see is that an ai could be more flexible (if you use plugins for instance) and a practice amp would be more portable.

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Never thought about the Vox Armplugs, as I just saw a video but I know no one that uses them. Seems something like I should keep my eye on!

And yes, I have a 2009-2010 Harley Benton amp too…sadly :grinning:

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I have the Vox headphones, which is the Amplug built into a set of headphones. It sounds really good.

It’s really fragile. I don’t recommend it

I just plug my headphones into l my amp.

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If you already have an Amp and you think about adding a DAI into the mix: There are some effect pedals that can be used as an DAI and can output the sound on your Amp.

There is the OMEC Teleport, that is doing just that: Offering the possibility to get your guitar/bass signal into your computer, add some effects and then get it back into your signal chain.

I am using the Boss GT-1000CORE, which can also be used like this, get the signal into the computer, do something with it, get it back into the signal chain. It can use the clean signal or any effects that might have been added in the GT-1000 signal chain.

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Ya not the best amp, but I wasn’t sure if I’d keep playing so the budget bundle won over quality.
As for the Voxamp 2 for bass, it’s really ok for practicing generally. I think it’s a value for money and I don’t even have the best headphones for it. It also has beat metronome u can adjust and a tone wheel also. Very handy.
Okay it’s plastic and maybe it wouldn’t survive hard usage like toss it around or step on it, but I think it’s the most decent for portable and quiet practicing.

edit: what won me over Amplug 2 is the AUX input - so I can get my music stand, my tablet and headphones plugged on vox and I am good to go any hour of the day. I was trying to practice songs with headphones on amp and headphones on a laptop and it was a mess. Plus my (and I suppose yours too since they 're from the same manufactor) amp, is not stereo, but mono. This little champ is stereo when you plug your headphones in.

Edit2: I had the reply all wrong, wanted to tag @DavidAlacant hehe shies away

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Does the job :+1:

Too many try to make something into something its not. Take it for what it is.

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Certainly does the job yes!

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I agree 100% and like @itsratso said:

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Idealy you want to have both.
An amp to play loud and feel your body (and hause) vibrate; and an audio interface to play silent.
Multi effects units with usb conection are great.
You can use the multi effects as an audio interface to go silent and you can plug it to your amp to go loud if you want to play with other people.
And the best part: You don´t need to purchase any extra plug-ins. You have all you need on a single unit. You learn to use it once and take your effect chains with you to your gigs.
A must for bass players: Be sure to buy an unit that allow parallel routing. This way you can have your instrument signal splited in two. One with effects and the other clean.

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he, he, was that auto correct “Armplugs” :grinning:
I haven’t used them with bass, but I have the Classic Rock and Blues for guitar and they are great for an easy means to quickly pick up and play with decent sound. Once you start adding audio via aux in, you can get a bit tangled, but they still work great. I use mine with some AKG K77 headphones. They were cheap but super comfy and sound it pretty decent.

Sitting on a couch to play can sometimes lead to bumping the controls, but it’s definitely workable.

I’m lucky enough to have a few options. I have my Rumble 15 I got with my Squire starter pack that sounds reasonable. I like that I can feel the bass as well as hear it.

I probably spend more time either plugged into my Yamaha THR 10X with music/videos playing via the aux in. Sometimes I’m using the speaker, but more likely headphones as I play early or late when family are in bed.

That said, I did have some fun with my iPad and iRig recently where I used drums in Garageband and played both bass and guitar via Garageband as well.

I sometimes plugin via my iRig and laptop and have been enjoying a couple of plugins. Once I’m more confident with my DAW, I’ll probably use this setup more and record more often.

And because I like gadgets, I’m considering getting the Mooer Prime P1 which has firmware for both bass and guitar. It’s basically a headphone amp combined with an interface. It can connect via bluetooth to your phone so easy to get to extra features such as included drum tracks and looper, but you can also connect to your phone via an OTG cable and record. I’ve watched a few demos for both bass and guitar and it sounded pretty good. I like that it should be easy to use for both. I’m in Australia and it’s not available until at least next month unless I buy from Amazon.

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The iRig is great for this, I just wished it was a bit more sturdy. Still interested how the more higher end iRig gear holds up.

Actually that Mooer P1 looks interesting :thinking:

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I got a prime p1. It is awesome. Well built. Rechargeable battery. Effects. Metronome and drum loops. It also has a looper that you can use you to create loops but I use it to record myself practicing. The Bluetooth works great.

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I use both setups but it depends on where I am. If I’m at work, I use a DAI AND my Rumble 15 so I can hear music from my laptop. At home, I use the DAI with monitors and my studio mixer.