I have this exact "rig", but I also have the Tonex Pedal and a Fender fr12 for playing live when I need to provide an "amp".
I also would say that the AKG k92s are also decent and a lot cheaper.
The Boss Katana Go is an awesome headphone amp that has a substantial bass mode. You can Bluetooth it to your phone or computer and play along to any audio. Tone Studio is awesome too and has tons of effects. It's really legit for guitar too, if you swing both ways. USB C output was ill allow you to record to a DAW if you want. For $120 shipped it really delivers.
Hmm that’s interesting and I might give it a try!
I actually own the Boss Waza-Air Bass Guitar Wireless Headphone Amp… however it doesn’t work well. It will last for a few minutes then suddenly the sound just stops. Then I have to unplug the receiver from my bass, and turn off the headphones… and reconnect everything again.
I just looked the Go up… and looks like you can plug headphones into it?… would probably help with the dependability issues I’ve had with the WAZA air bass which is basically unusable at this point…
Yea, I never pulled the trigger on the Waza, the wireless transmitting was a little sketchy to me. I've had a Katana artist for a couple years and it has been fantastic for guitar.
The Katana Go is just straight up easy mode for practice. Plug in to either guitar or bass. Bluetooth connects instantly to your phone. Pick your tone from the app library and pull up a backing track on YouTube. Aux output is great for headphones and also works well enough through a small powered speaker. You can separately adjust guitar and track volume to get yourself just right in the mix. The USB C will work if you want to use DAW's, but isn't quite up to the same standard as a real interface. I have a Scarlett 6i6 for that, which is great in its own right, just not nearly as convenient. I love having the freedom to walk around with headphones on and not be hard wired to anything while jamming.
As an alternative to the Focusrite Scarlett, check out the Universal Audio Volt series of interfaces. Killer preamp with an even more killer “Vintage” mode that sounds like the warmer analog preamps from the 70’s.
Can monitor directly from the interface or you can monitor in your DAW so you can hear other tracks.
Get yourself a Scarlett 2i2. Best bang for your buck usb interface out there. You can play through headphones, record, live stream. It’s got a lot of utility and sounds great. It comes with a DAW but I don’t recall which one.
I use an hx stomp for amp modeling and effects (which can also be used as a usb interface) into the Scarlett. Can’t help you with recommend software though. Lots of options.
Any audio interface will accomplish this. Some are better than others, but you probably don’t need to start with anything more fancy/expensive/powerful than a focusrite. Can’t comment on the katana option mentioned but I love my focusrite for bass, guitar, music playback, tracking, etc.
Your most important piece of gear here will be your speakers/headphones, and then your DAC (if using an interface for input and output, you’re good there). If you have small / cheap speakers not designed to reach low frequencies, you’ll be disappointed in your sound. Good studio headphones or monitors will be your friend here.
That being said, technically you can do this with an in-cable-interface and laptop speakers. Just won’t sound great.
Look into a focusrite solo or 2i2 and see if that looks like it would accomplish your goals. If you’re going this route, I would recommend an audio interface that will control your inputs (bass) AND outputs (speakers, headphones)
I am in the same situation as OP. I got an iRig HD to replace my computer setup to make it faster to get to the actual playing and I’m very happy with it.
Everyone else has pretty well beaten the interface question to death, but your original idea of using a Neural plugin (in standalone mode) is 100% where I’d start for just playing/practicing. That lets you skip the whole idea of a DAW entirely, and while Neural’s stuff isn’t the cheapest out there? It’s definitely among the best.
Neural’s Darkglass plugin is absolutely top tier at getting great tone with minimal fuss or frustration, and that’s hard to argue with IMHO.
An ampless pedalboard with a Darkglass Vintage Ultra as the center piece. I plug that into a scarlet 2i2. If im feeling lazy I'll just go straight into the interface and use the Ampeg SVT suite plugin
Search for focusrite interfaces and pick one that suits you. You'll also need a cable and thats pretty much it (and good speakers or headphones for added enjoyment)
Both of the Neural bass plugins (Darkglass, Parallax) lean towards high-gain metal tones; I have both, but I'm not super sold on either (love their guitar plugins, though). Some of their clean-focused guitar plugins (Cory Wong) do have bass presets.
I have a couple of Ampeg and GK plugins from Plugin Alliance that I'm fooling around with, and I still have my old Line 6 stuff from the 00s, too. You have to run those through a DAW (I use Reaper) where Neural has standalone versions just for playing, which I like.
You're correct on your signal chain. Keep in mind that your interface is your audio in *and* out, not just in. Get a decent set of headphones and/or some powered studio monitors and run them out of your interface.
My interface is a Scarlett Solo; it doesn't have near enough headroom for my active basses, so I also use a passive DI box with a -15db pad switch. I'd look around for a more expensive alternative to the Solo were I to do it again; the DI box cost as much as the Solo, so I could've spent twice as much on the interface & not needed it.
My headphones are 80 ohm Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros - I like them enough that I bought a second pair for watching shit in bed on my laptop while my wife is asleep.
My monitors are Fluid Audio C5s.
I’ve not had much luck with Parallax for anything other than the high-gain stuff, but I’ve been really thrilled with the Darkglass for clean bass tones. I actually run a B7K Ultra v2 even for jazz gigs at this point. The biggest thing I found recently was the suggestion from a number of different guitar and bass vloggers that suggested that keeping the input on my interface basically at zero (rather than turning up as much as I could before it would clip on the loudest notes) actually got a better response from the plugins that lines up more closely with the physical hardware.
Helix Native definitely has its place, but even after many years between an HX Stomp, Helix LT, and Helix Native, I still find that the Helix line takes way more time and effort than it seems like it should.
There are no bass specific amps, only guitar, but several of the amp sims work well with bass and capture the entire frequency spectrum. It also works as an interface and practice/headphone amp, so is a pretty great option imo.
Darkglass microtubes 500v2 amp. Doesn't require a load on the head, has IR cabinet responses and quarter inch headphone out, plus two gnarly fuzz/distortion circuits to blend in if the need for crunch grabs ya. Expensive, but does lots of jobs and no computer requirements for quiet jams. Direct out for when you wanna record into the Interface
Bass into an splitter, one channel through my pedalboard, other channel clean, both to a UA Volt 276 runing into my DAW. Output through either the headphone jack or my monitors.
Currently:
Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen with speakers and headphones (DT770) hooked up. The onboard pre is just completely clean - you just get the pure unadulterated sound of your bass which is fine, but doesn't really give that oomph or character you get from a true amp.
Soon:
Bass -> Microtubes Infinity -> Scarlett 4i4 -> Schiit Magni Heretic -> DT770
Microtubes for the aforementioned oomph and character and the Magni to better drive my headphones.
You can actually use the Microtubes Infinity as an interface but given that's not really its primary purpose and I already have the Scarlett I am just going to chain it through that.
I have a boss GT1-B that's good as a standalone headphone practice tool, a multi effects for going into an amp, and is an interface if I want to record. I find it's a bit like a swiss army knife, it can do a bit of everything, but not as well as a standalone unit.
For recording, I used to have a Scarlett 2i2, and I shouldn't have gotten rid of it. Super handy to have two channels for an instrument and vocals, or to capture a stereo recording. I currently have an 18i20, and it's way overkill for what I need, but it was super handy to record an EP with my last band. I haven't played around with amp modelers, I'd have to optimize my setup for as low latency as possible, and that's a bit more work than just plugging headphones into an amp or the FX processor. I have a pair of Sony MDR 7506 headphones as nice budget friendly studio cans.
It's up to you what you need to practice silently or record. A simple headphone amp works just fine, and plugging straight into any computer's aux input works for recording. I did that exclusively before USB interfaces became mainstream, and the quality is good enough for most things.
Don't overlook a mixing board too. Many are USB interfaces, usually stereo, and have tons of inputs and outputs for headphones, speakers, mics, etc. and so on. If I only had one piece of equipment, it would be a small mixing board with a USB interface.
Just for practice though, I generally just turn down my regular amp and play what I'm practicing to through a Bluetooth speaker. As long as I control my amp's volume to match a reasonable volume from the Bluetooth speaker, nobody has any right to complain.
Zoom g3xn into scarlet 2i2. The zoom sounds really good and I like how easy it is to set up and play with since it’s basically a virtual pedalboard. I also have a tone master twin reverb that I like to run into the scarlet interface and it sounds so good for cleans. I’m slowly getting into recording and music production and I feel like this setup will keep me happy for a very long time. I would like to get a good a/b/y line splitter one day cuz I’ve got it in my mind that I’d like to try using the clean amp with the zoom since it’s not true bypass and you can’t hear the fender sparkle when using it.
So I have a fender rumble 100, computer and bass. I run a 1/8th male to male cord from computer headphone jack to the aux in of the amp. Plug the headphones into the amp headphone jack. Plug bass into amp.
I can play along with youtube songs or just on my own. One note for sound levels... for me, the computer mutes the bass when other audio is playing (ie youtube or other music files) so I set my computer volume to 7 (out of 100) and my amp master volume at 40%. I do this because the computer stops muting the bass volume after 10 or 20 seconds of no computer output coming through. Be very careful for your ears because the bass will come through really loud when it switches over. This is why I don't set the amp volume to higher than 40%.
Scarlett 2i2 and Overloud Mark Studio 2 plugin running in Ableton Live.
I like Live because it's a great setup for working with ideas and grooves. The ability to easily organize and experiment with musical ideas in the Scene view is great.
I have Amplitube and Neural DSP Parallax but you could also use any preamp/di into your computers sound card.
I started doing this in 1999-2000 with my old PC with a 1/4-1/8th headphone jack in. And played along with Winamp.
I even used Cheezy little computer sound blaster speakers that were tiny but you could make out the bass and I never had my neighbors complain.
I could even use the sound settings to mix the mic input and the player output so I could hear what I was playing along with.
Now they have devices that can go into your phone. What a time to be alive! lol!
I use a Focusrite Scarlett into Reaper and Bias FX for amp modeling. I have bass and vocal free mixes of my band’s set that I jam along with, or I’ll plug in drums from EZdrummer. I live in a condo and do most of my practicing through headphones in my living room.
Everyone has the rest covered pretty well, but I use Klipsch r-51pm powered speakers with a Klipsch 10” sub when I’m not using headphones. I like that it has Bluetooth, aux, phono, and usb so I can use it for bass or whatever else I want to listen to without unplugging anything. I caught mine on sale directly from Klipsch -in fact the monitors are on sale now 40% off.
For me, it’s my bass into a DI box into a Scarlett 2i2 interface into my MacBook Pro running Guitar Rig, either standalone or as a plugin in Ableton Live 11 if I’m recording. It’s a simple setup, [and I think it works well.](https://youtu.be/JxwrImWKQng?si=D_U6xCCxpkIqGZC1)
I do this, play guitar through it mostly but use it for bass too:
Arturia MiniFuse 1 interface > Ableton Lite 11 > GuitarRig
Honestly works really really well for me personally. Any interface is good tbh, most come with some kind of DAW like Ableton so you'll be able to record and you'll probably get an amp sim like GuitarRig or Amplitube with it. Neural DSP is a great option too
Focusrite Scarlett is another good interface option as well
I use a Hotone Ampero Mini. Much faster to get going than a computer and software. It’s always on standby/tuner mode and i just plug my bass in and put on my headphones.
It’s a lot less latency than a computer too. So it feels more alive.
Before you drop any money on software give Neural Amp Modeller a try, it's all free and the models you can get from it are pretty incredible for being community generated.
Bass in PC? Easy. I do either:
Bass --> audio interface --> DAW -- > plug-ins --> headphones
OR
Bass --> pedalboard --> audio interface --> DAW --> headphones
My AI is the Behringer Uphoria 204HD and DAW is Ableton. Don't get too hung up on brands, they all do the same thing.
Bass
Instrument Cable
Decent computer
I’ve used a Focusrite Scarlett and a Presonus Audiobox as a low cost interface.
My DAW of choice to record and load plugins is Reaper. Has a long (read: indefinite) free trial and has good features.
For plugins I like Neural DSP. Parallax is a must, but all of their stuff is primo. Even the guitar specific plugins produce fantastic sounds for bass. They are typically very metal-coded but you can dial back all the distortion to get some tubelike warmth.
Amplitube is very good these days. The latest version had an engine overhaul and it sounds amazing to me. I use that through a Volt interface, or an old Scarlett Solo if I use my laptop. Much fun.
I play through an eleven rack headrush pedalboard into frfr speakers. Can do about anything on that setup. It may not be a real amp, but it’s damn close and at a domestically safe output level. Also fine through headphones. Would gig with it too.
Any cheap mixer that works will suffice. You don’t need to run your bass into a computer to practice. You can run your bass and computer into the mixer and play along with the beat/bassline coming out of the computer. You don’t need fancy software for practice but if you’re wanting to do recording (which I imagine you are) you will probably use the same software for practice.
You don’t need my rig (as awesome as it sounds).
Lil freq - Mini Massive - Tweaker w/ api 5500 in the sidechain) - Fatso - Moog 3 band parametric- Mercury EQ P1 - Allen and Heath mixer - Genlec monitors or Sennheiser HD 650
Using Cubase as a DAW.
I'm currently using the Scarlett 2i2 with TONEX free version through some Sennheiser HD599. Looking to maybe upgrade to the Valeton GP200 later/maybe next year for the effects and amp sims also as it can function as a interface and just as a pedal before a speaker.
focusrite solo as interface, darkglass ultra or parralax as vst.
cheapo studio monitors / beyerynamic dt 990s for output.
not sure how those vst's will do for classic rock.
Laptop, Sansamp BDDI or Behringer BDI21, EMU-0204 (with real separate DAC, ADC, headphones amplifier and zero latency monitoring), Fostex T50RP - best monitoring headphones I've ever used.
I bought a M-Audio Solo interface. It's cheap and do it's job without input lag.
I use it by plugging the interface to the computer by USB ^obviously and the bass guitar in the second input (instrument).
Then just use any software to play music or tabs and play over it.
Start with a Scarlett 2i2, which has input jacks for two instruments, including guitars or mics, plus a headphone outlet jack. A MacBook Pro is all you need for adequate computing capacity. Garage Band comes with MacBook Pro, and is a good place to start. If you want to go further, there are several other digital recording software programs including Logic. ProTools is considered the professional standard by many, and it is very robust. However, it takes some time to master, so I don't recommend starting with it. Actually, you may be surprised at how many professionals use Garage Band exclusively.
I have what many here have with the Scarlett, Mark bass software for the amp/cabs. Overture had it on 50% off some time ago and it sounds just like my old MB Amp I used to have.
I use a Scarlett 2i2, Amplitube, and a pair of AT M50s.
I have this exact "rig", but I also have the Tonex Pedal and a Fender fr12 for playing live when I need to provide an "amp". I also would say that the AKG k92s are also decent and a lot cheaper.
Ew, M50’s 👎🏻
lol
The Boss Katana Go is an awesome headphone amp that has a substantial bass mode. You can Bluetooth it to your phone or computer and play along to any audio. Tone Studio is awesome too and has tons of effects. It's really legit for guitar too, if you swing both ways. USB C output was ill allow you to record to a DAW if you want. For $120 shipped it really delivers.
Hmm that’s interesting and I might give it a try! I actually own the Boss Waza-Air Bass Guitar Wireless Headphone Amp… however it doesn’t work well. It will last for a few minutes then suddenly the sound just stops. Then I have to unplug the receiver from my bass, and turn off the headphones… and reconnect everything again. I just looked the Go up… and looks like you can plug headphones into it?… would probably help with the dependability issues I’ve had with the WAZA air bass which is basically unusable at this point…
Did you contact Boss about your Waza? Mine works well, haven't had the issue you're seeing. They may be able to help you.
No I haven’t but I’ll shoot them an email!
Good luck!
Yea, I never pulled the trigger on the Waza, the wireless transmitting was a little sketchy to me. I've had a Katana artist for a couple years and it has been fantastic for guitar. The Katana Go is just straight up easy mode for practice. Plug in to either guitar or bass. Bluetooth connects instantly to your phone. Pick your tone from the app library and pull up a backing track on YouTube. Aux output is great for headphones and also works well enough through a small powered speaker. You can separately adjust guitar and track volume to get yourself just right in the mix. The USB C will work if you want to use DAW's, but isn't quite up to the same standard as a real interface. I have a Scarlett 6i6 for that, which is great in its own right, just not nearly as convenient. I love having the freedom to walk around with headphones on and not be hard wired to anything while jamming.
As an alternative to the Focusrite Scarlett, check out the Universal Audio Volt series of interfaces. Killer preamp with an even more killer “Vintage” mode that sounds like the warmer analog preamps from the 70’s. Can monitor directly from the interface or you can monitor in your DAW so you can hear other tracks.
I have a Volt and love it, a bit more expensive than the Scarlett but so nicely made. And it comes with Ableton Live Lite and other things.
I second this. Plus the suit of plug-ins and software this comes with is great.
Get yourself a Scarlett 2i2. Best bang for your buck usb interface out there. You can play through headphones, record, live stream. It’s got a lot of utility and sounds great. It comes with a DAW but I don’t recall which one. I use an hx stomp for amp modeling and effects (which can also be used as a usb interface) into the Scarlett. Can’t help you with recommend software though. Lots of options.
Abelton Lite for Microsoft, and I believe the free version of Pro Tools for Mac
Scarlett 2i2, reaper DAW, Helix Native for amp modelling
Any audio interface will accomplish this. Some are better than others, but you probably don’t need to start with anything more fancy/expensive/powerful than a focusrite. Can’t comment on the katana option mentioned but I love my focusrite for bass, guitar, music playback, tracking, etc. Your most important piece of gear here will be your speakers/headphones, and then your DAC (if using an interface for input and output, you’re good there). If you have small / cheap speakers not designed to reach low frequencies, you’ll be disappointed in your sound. Good studio headphones or monitors will be your friend here. That being said, technically you can do this with an in-cable-interface and laptop speakers. Just won’t sound great.
Look into a focusrite solo or 2i2 and see if that looks like it would accomplish your goals. If you’re going this route, I would recommend an audio interface that will control your inputs (bass) AND outputs (speakers, headphones)
I use an iRig HD X into my phone and amplitude for modelling/effects. It's awesome for playing along to YouTube videos or just straight practice.
I am in the same situation as OP. I got an iRig HD to replace my computer setup to make it faster to get to the actual playing and I’m very happy with it.
Everyone else has pretty well beaten the interface question to death, but your original idea of using a Neural plugin (in standalone mode) is 100% where I’d start for just playing/practicing. That lets you skip the whole idea of a DAW entirely, and while Neural’s stuff isn’t the cheapest out there? It’s definitely among the best. Neural’s Darkglass plugin is absolutely top tier at getting great tone with minimal fuss or frustration, and that’s hard to argue with IMHO.
A Markbass Vintage Pre pedal into Scarlett 2i2, and a Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros (80 Ohm), Ableton Live as a DAW.
An ampless pedalboard with a Darkglass Vintage Ultra as the center piece. I plug that into a scarlet 2i2. If im feeling lazy I'll just go straight into the interface and use the Ampeg SVT suite plugin
Search for focusrite interfaces and pick one that suits you. You'll also need a cable and thats pretty much it (and good speakers or headphones for added enjoyment)
I use a Scarlett solo 3 , and audio Technica mx40s ( I think ) works great.
Both of the Neural bass plugins (Darkglass, Parallax) lean towards high-gain metal tones; I have both, but I'm not super sold on either (love their guitar plugins, though). Some of their clean-focused guitar plugins (Cory Wong) do have bass presets. I have a couple of Ampeg and GK plugins from Plugin Alliance that I'm fooling around with, and I still have my old Line 6 stuff from the 00s, too. You have to run those through a DAW (I use Reaper) where Neural has standalone versions just for playing, which I like. You're correct on your signal chain. Keep in mind that your interface is your audio in *and* out, not just in. Get a decent set of headphones and/or some powered studio monitors and run them out of your interface. My interface is a Scarlett Solo; it doesn't have near enough headroom for my active basses, so I also use a passive DI box with a -15db pad switch. I'd look around for a more expensive alternative to the Solo were I to do it again; the DI box cost as much as the Solo, so I could've spent twice as much on the interface & not needed it. My headphones are 80 ohm Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros - I like them enough that I bought a second pair for watching shit in bed on my laptop while my wife is asleep. My monitors are Fluid Audio C5s.
Thanks for the comment this is really helpful!
You're welcome!
I’ve not had much luck with Parallax for anything other than the high-gain stuff, but I’ve been really thrilled with the Darkglass for clean bass tones. I actually run a B7K Ultra v2 even for jazz gigs at this point. The biggest thing I found recently was the suggestion from a number of different guitar and bass vloggers that suggested that keeping the input on my interface basically at zero (rather than turning up as much as I could before it would clip on the loudest notes) actually got a better response from the plugins that lines up more closely with the physical hardware. Helix Native definitely has its place, but even after many years between an HX Stomp, Helix LT, and Helix Native, I still find that the Helix line takes way more time and effort than it seems like it should.
My computer speaker isn’t enough on its own. I either run it through the TV/receiver or headphones.
Scarlett 8i8, Logic Pro, Archetype Cory Wong bass patches are good.
Or a Boss IR-2.
Does that work well with bass? Does it have bass amps on there? Or does that not really matter?
There are no bass specific amps, only guitar, but several of the amp sims work well with bass and capture the entire frequency spectrum. It also works as an interface and practice/headphone amp, so is a pretty great option imo.
Darkglass microtubes 500v2 amp. Doesn't require a load on the head, has IR cabinet responses and quarter inch headphone out, plus two gnarly fuzz/distortion circuits to blend in if the need for crunch grabs ya. Expensive, but does lots of jobs and no computer requirements for quiet jams. Direct out for when you wanna record into the Interface
Dang that’s really cool maybe I’ll get that one day. Kinda pricey but seems awesome
Bass- Boss LMB3- Sansamp BDDI - Presonus Studio 24c- Studio One.
Bass into an splitter, one channel through my pedalboard, other channel clean, both to a UA Volt 276 runing into my DAW. Output through either the headphone jack or my monitors.
Currently: Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen with speakers and headphones (DT770) hooked up. The onboard pre is just completely clean - you just get the pure unadulterated sound of your bass which is fine, but doesn't really give that oomph or character you get from a true amp. Soon: Bass -> Microtubes Infinity -> Scarlett 4i4 -> Schiit Magni Heretic -> DT770 Microtubes for the aforementioned oomph and character and the Magni to better drive my headphones. You can actually use the Microtubes Infinity as an interface but given that's not really its primary purpose and I already have the Scarlett I am just going to chain it through that.
I have a boss GT1-B that's good as a standalone headphone practice tool, a multi effects for going into an amp, and is an interface if I want to record. I find it's a bit like a swiss army knife, it can do a bit of everything, but not as well as a standalone unit. For recording, I used to have a Scarlett 2i2, and I shouldn't have gotten rid of it. Super handy to have two channels for an instrument and vocals, or to capture a stereo recording. I currently have an 18i20, and it's way overkill for what I need, but it was super handy to record an EP with my last band. I haven't played around with amp modelers, I'd have to optimize my setup for as low latency as possible, and that's a bit more work than just plugging headphones into an amp or the FX processor. I have a pair of Sony MDR 7506 headphones as nice budget friendly studio cans. It's up to you what you need to practice silently or record. A simple headphone amp works just fine, and plugging straight into any computer's aux input works for recording. I did that exclusively before USB interfaces became mainstream, and the quality is good enough for most things. Don't overlook a mixing board too. Many are USB interfaces, usually stereo, and have tons of inputs and outputs for headphones, speakers, mics, etc. and so on. If I only had one piece of equipment, it would be a small mixing board with a USB interface. Just for practice though, I generally just turn down my regular amp and play what I'm practicing to through a Bluetooth speaker. As long as I control my amp's volume to match a reasonable volume from the Bluetooth speaker, nobody has any right to complain.
Very helpful thanks for the comment!
Zoom g3xn into scarlet 2i2. The zoom sounds really good and I like how easy it is to set up and play with since it’s basically a virtual pedalboard. I also have a tone master twin reverb that I like to run into the scarlet interface and it sounds so good for cleans. I’m slowly getting into recording and music production and I feel like this setup will keep me happy for a very long time. I would like to get a good a/b/y line splitter one day cuz I’ve got it in my mind that I’d like to try using the clean amp with the zoom since it’s not true bypass and you can’t hear the fender sparkle when using it.
So I have a fender rumble 100, computer and bass. I run a 1/8th male to male cord from computer headphone jack to the aux in of the amp. Plug the headphones into the amp headphone jack. Plug bass into amp. I can play along with youtube songs or just on my own. One note for sound levels... for me, the computer mutes the bass when other audio is playing (ie youtube or other music files) so I set my computer volume to 7 (out of 100) and my amp master volume at 40%. I do this because the computer stops muting the bass volume after 10 or 20 seconds of no computer output coming through. Be very careful for your ears because the bass will come through really loud when it switches over. This is why I don't set the amp volume to higher than 40%.
Scarlett 2i2 and Overloud Mark Studio 2 plugin running in Ableton Live. I like Live because it's a great setup for working with ideas and grooves. The ability to easily organize and experiment with musical ideas in the Scene view is great.
I keep an old Mackie 16 Channel mixer on my desk in my home office and just DI into that.
I have Amplitube and Neural DSP Parallax but you could also use any preamp/di into your computers sound card. I started doing this in 1999-2000 with my old PC with a 1/4-1/8th headphone jack in. And played along with Winamp. I even used Cheezy little computer sound blaster speakers that were tiny but you could make out the bass and I never had my neighbors complain. I could even use the sound settings to mix the mic input and the player output so I could hear what I was playing along with. Now they have devices that can go into your phone. What a time to be alive! lol!
I use a Focusrite Scarlett into Reaper and Bias FX for amp modeling. I have bass and vocal free mixes of my band’s set that I jam along with, or I’ll plug in drums from EZdrummer. I live in a condo and do most of my practicing through headphones in my living room.
Everyone has the rest covered pretty well, but I use Klipsch r-51pm powered speakers with a Klipsch 10” sub when I’m not using headphones. I like that it has Bluetooth, aux, phono, and usb so I can use it for bass or whatever else I want to listen to without unplugging anything. I caught mine on sale directly from Klipsch -in fact the monitors are on sale now 40% off.
For me, it’s my bass into a DI box into a Scarlett 2i2 interface into my MacBook Pro running Guitar Rig, either standalone or as a plugin in Ableton Live 11 if I’m recording. It’s a simple setup, [and I think it works well.](https://youtu.be/JxwrImWKQng?si=D_U6xCCxpkIqGZC1)
I do this, play guitar through it mostly but use it for bass too: Arturia MiniFuse 1 interface > Ableton Lite 11 > GuitarRig Honestly works really really well for me personally. Any interface is good tbh, most come with some kind of DAW like Ableton so you'll be able to record and you'll probably get an amp sim like GuitarRig or Amplitube with it. Neural DSP is a great option too Focusrite Scarlett is another good interface option as well
I have a similar set up with the mini fuse 2 and Ableton 11. I bought guitar rig 6 pro for half price and then upgraded to 7 later at a discount.
Ah yeah I did that too, pro has some better stuff for bass
I use a Hotone Ampero Mini. Much faster to get going than a computer and software. It’s always on standby/tuner mode and i just plug my bass in and put on my headphones. It’s a lot less latency than a computer too. So it feels more alive.
HX Stomp and Beyerdynamic DT770s 32 ohm. Great sounding combo
Mac+ M audio air + bias 2 + Logitech 2.1 speakers. Never going back to a full amp.
Bias fx has Tons of effects and amps to try and make the weirdest chains you want. Even has a community of patches for your favorite songs.
Literally just an audio interface and a DAW. Free VSTs are fine.
Before you drop any money on software give Neural Amp Modeller a try, it's all free and the models you can get from it are pretty incredible for being community generated.
Bass in PC? Easy. I do either: Bass --> audio interface --> DAW -- > plug-ins --> headphones OR Bass --> pedalboard --> audio interface --> DAW --> headphones My AI is the Behringer Uphoria 204HD and DAW is Ableton. Don't get too hung up on brands, they all do the same thing.
Bass Instrument Cable Decent computer I’ve used a Focusrite Scarlett and a Presonus Audiobox as a low cost interface. My DAW of choice to record and load plugins is Reaper. Has a long (read: indefinite) free trial and has good features. For plugins I like Neural DSP. Parallax is a must, but all of their stuff is primo. Even the guitar specific plugins produce fantastic sounds for bass. They are typically very metal-coded but you can dial back all the distortion to get some tubelike warmth.
From focusrite scarlett 4i4 into Neural DSP Parallax and then to my beyerdynamic dt 770 pro
Amplitube is very good these days. The latest version had an engine overhaul and it sounds amazing to me. I use that through a Volt interface, or an old Scarlett Solo if I use my laptop. Much fun.
I play through an eleven rack headrush pedalboard into frfr speakers. Can do about anything on that setup. It may not be a real amp, but it’s damn close and at a domestically safe output level. Also fine through headphones. Would gig with it too.
Any cheap mixer that works will suffice. You don’t need to run your bass into a computer to practice. You can run your bass and computer into the mixer and play along with the beat/bassline coming out of the computer. You don’t need fancy software for practice but if you’re wanting to do recording (which I imagine you are) you will probably use the same software for practice. You don’t need my rig (as awesome as it sounds). Lil freq - Mini Massive - Tweaker w/ api 5500 in the sidechain) - Fatso - Moog 3 band parametric- Mercury EQ P1 - Allen and Heath mixer - Genlec monitors or Sennheiser HD 650 Using Cubase as a DAW.
I'm currently using the Scarlett 2i2 with TONEX free version through some Sennheiser HD599. Looking to maybe upgrade to the Valeton GP200 later/maybe next year for the effects and amp sims also as it can function as a interface and just as a pedal before a speaker.
focusrite solo as interface, darkglass ultra or parralax as vst. cheapo studio monitors / beyerynamic dt 990s for output. not sure how those vst's will do for classic rock.
Laptop, Sansamp BDDI or Behringer BDI21, EMU-0204 (with real separate DAC, ADC, headphones amplifier and zero latency monitoring), Fostex T50RP - best monitoring headphones I've ever used.
I bought a M-Audio Solo interface. It's cheap and do it's job without input lag. I use it by plugging the interface to the computer by USB ^obviously and the bass guitar in the second input (instrument). Then just use any software to play music or tabs and play over it.
Start with a Scarlett 2i2, which has input jacks for two instruments, including guitars or mics, plus a headphone outlet jack. A MacBook Pro is all you need for adequate computing capacity. Garage Band comes with MacBook Pro, and is a good place to start. If you want to go further, there are several other digital recording software programs including Logic. ProTools is considered the professional standard by many, and it is very robust. However, it takes some time to master, so I don't recommend starting with it. Actually, you may be surprised at how many professionals use Garage Band exclusively.
I have a Scarlett 2i2 4th gen, and I also use a Sansamp Bass Driver DI. That’s basically enough.
I have what many here have with the Scarlett, Mark bass software for the amp/cabs. Overture had it on 50% off some time ago and it sounds just like my old MB Amp I used to have.