So this is for playing bass, but I figured I would ask this pretty knowledgable gear related bunch of dudes...

What would be a good piece of equipment, something small, that I could use to plug my bass into that would provide a minimum amount of effects, that I could listen to with headphones? (most likely just ear buds, I'm not talking recording quality stuff which I already have). Even no effects, just headphone amplification would be fine...but some minimal effects, overdrive, tone control, etc would be nice.

I often find myself up after 10:00 at night, the wife and boy in bed, and wish I could just sit on the couch, put on some earphones, plug my bass into something small, and plink away while I watch a National Geographic show...

I have a computer & external A/D interface (Apogee Duet), but hauling a computer, the Apogee, and sundry cables, dongles, etc into the living room at night is not really practical.

Anybody have any gear suggestions?

Thanks to all!

Randy

Hi Randy,

I don't know about Apogee specifically, but many external audio interfaces can function in "direct monitor" mode as a standalone instrument-to-headphones interfaces, you just need provide them 5V/1A power. I use a Zoom recorder (H6) for headphone practice.

If you are looking for a bass only unit, not for the Stick, so you don't need a stereo input, I can highly recommend Zoom B1on fx processor - it has good (for a multifx unit) drive/ampsim effects (at least on par with Line6 HD series), great reverb/delay/synth stuff (better than Line6 for my taste), a looper, an ok drum machine, a dedicated headphone output, AA batteries slot - and all for only $50.

Just traded my Sansamp for an EBS Microbass II. Headphone jack on top, has a channel with overdrive that you can also combine with the B channel. Or, activate both A and B channel and run stereo in/mono out from your Stick using the Link jack. Lots of tone options, I like the sweepable midrange. Serves as my primary preamp for my Stick into my PA and DAW.

I use the iRig, and go right into my iPhone(s) and use whatever headphones I want. I use it a lot to tune my Sticks and Geetars and Basses with the Pano Tuner App (that's not misspelled). http://panoapps.net/
I've got a few apps, which is a whole 'nother post. There's an IRig 2 out now:

$39 at Sweetwater and everywhere (Walmart even!).
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ ... oC7jTw_wcB

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHF0v9F8OpY[/youtube]

Adds: I just bought the iRig 2 because it now has that 1/4-inch jack out as well as the 1/8-inch headphone jack out. Really sweet little device! And well worth forty bucks US.


Aaaand there's apparently an iRIG HD ($79):

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/iRigHD

Hey Randy.
I use the same cable as Steve (Paigan) to run into my iPad. Its a pretty slick combo used in conjunction with an app called amplitude. Screen shot below.....tons of tools and effects. Not sure if you have an iPad though. Works with iPhone as well....

cheers,
kev

They're saying it works with Android devices now as well.


I love AmpliTube, by the way. http://www.ikmultimedia.com/amplitube I've never recorded with it--I've got "better" effects on my "real" computers, but for noodling around, or even playing a gig or two with a very minimum of equipment (or playing on your front porch with headphones), it's a very good tool.

Apogee Jam Is a lot better than the irig in my humble opinion for plugging in to an iPad. Both will get you what you need, I think!

I built my pedal board to be portable...it consists of two pedals and a mixer. The mixer has a headphone output for when I don't want to use the amp. If I want all of my FX (two pedals, funny I know) without having to carry an amp, it's easy enough to carry this into another room or stuff into a messenger bag.

Alternately, if I want max portable/battery and simple, raw practice, I have a Tascam DR-40 digital recorder I can use. It has two combo inputs that will pull in a Stick signal on the mic setting, and I can pan the output for each to go through both speakers. Somewhat limited- no effects (except for reverb), and it's not all that loud in my headphones. It isn't the primary reason I bought it (it's a great recorder, BTW), but if I just want to practice without lugging anything around, it's a viable solution. I bring this one up because you could make the argument that every Stick player should have one of these.

I don't expect either of these are appealing to anyone else, but maybe it will provide some food for thought.

If you were going to compare apples to apples, the Apogee Jam should probably be compared to the iRig HD, instead of the regular one, to get that 96kHz studio-level audio definition. But I have no experience with the Apogee and it looks like it does everything the iRig HD can do.

This article looks at both and a few other IOS gadgets. http://thehub.musiciansfriend.com/ios-b ... o-ios-gear

There's some lively discussions about which is better, the Apogee Jam or the iRigHD at the makers of the iRig (IK Multimedia):
http://cgi.ikmultimedia.com/ikforum/vie ... =18&t=6194

Yeah, I have 'em both. The Jam is a lot quieter, sounds a little more solid tonally to my ears... Either work in a pinch, though!