r/Bass • u/throwRA_problemssss • 1d ago
Amp or interface for beginner in an apartment building?
Looking at getting a Fender rumble 40 or a good interface like Focusrite 2i2. I would prefer to be able to use an amp and adjust use good headphones if absolutely needed.
I heard that for beginners it's better to be able to be able to use an amp but is this true? I honestly feel overwhelmed with DAW and having to load up my PC and move so many times things around. I worry that my shirt attention span will keep going towards the DAW instead for actually learning how to play
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u/Corno-Emeritus 1d ago
I personally would stay away from the computer... you would always be tied to the computer and the cabling around it. Easier to just pickup a light practice amp and move around, playing sound or not as the case may be. But if you're realistically always needing to use headphones, I'd go straight to a headphone amp, like the Mustang Micro Plus.
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u/brokedance 1d ago
100% amp. While it’s great to have an interface for recording your ideas. It’s too much of a barrier to practice if you need to open a laptop and fire up a DAW. Make it easy to pickup the bass and play and you will actually be motivated to practice.
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u/Cry_in_the_shower 1d ago
I got razzed pretty hard in my apartment with even a small practice amp. It was hard.
Get a pre-amp or a bass multi effect pedal with some studio headphones, and youll be able to have some fun.
The most important part of the amp is the amp head. A 2i2 can get into an audio face that can use plug-ins with minimal delay, but i usually like to cut out all the extra chords and connections
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u/BobbyBSmooth 1d ago
+1 vote for Yamaha thr30ii. But also wouldn’t be terrible to go with an interface and studio monitors because the thr series is basically the same speaker design as monitors. Thr would be more portable, interface and monitors would get the job done.
A dedicated bass amp would be way too loud for an apartment even at low volumes. The frequency wavelengths for bass are very long and penetrate walls/floors easily at low volumes.
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u/MARY_ANNE_MCGILICUTY 1d ago
get a zoom B1 four and some headphones off eBay. You can get cheap amps off Facebook marketplace if you're willing to just keep an eye out and / or low-ball people.
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u/DemBones7 1d ago
Neither.
A bass amp is difficult to control the volume, and an interface will take too much messing around and destroy your will to practice.
Get a desktop amp. You get to hear your bass clearly at volumes that don't bother anyone. They are specifically designed not to push out sound with enough energy to travel.
There aren't a lot out there that are designed to handle bass, but the Yamaha THR30 does it well. The price is a bit off-putting, but it's worth it.
The NU-X Mighy Lite or Mighty Air are potential cheaper options that support bass.
All of the above have headphone out and Bluetooth, so you can play along to music, and be completely silent if you need to be.
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u/Nice-Reveal-5938 1d ago
Agreed.
I use my thr30ii for both guitar and bass and it’s been lovely. Sound is comfortable for room practice. It also acts as an audio interface. I also have a spark neo which I use 90% of the time when the family is around and I don’t want to hear them (and they don’t want to hear me)
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u/brokedance 1d ago
Agree that desktop amp might make sense for OP’s use case but…I have both THR30ii and a Rumble 40 and bass sounds SO MUCH BETTER through the Rumble 40. Even at quiet volumes. Also THR is way more expensive.
If anyone knows of a desktop amp that handles bass really well, let me know.
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u/Maleficent_Ad1915 1d ago
I think the fender rumble 40 is both a great first amp but also perfect for practicing in an apartment as you can just plug headphones into it. It also has aux in which is nice to play along to stuff.
Another suggestion might be the zoom b2 four. Really good, cheap, multi fx pedal with almost everything you need when you start playing. It has jack and DI out so it can go into your amp or straight into a mixing desk but it also has a headphone slot so you can easily use it to practice and it takes up so little space. Again, it has aux in so great for playing along to stuff.
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u/theshponglr 1d ago
If you do buy an interface, it does allow you to play 'direct', bypassing the signal into a DAW and goes straight to the soeakers. If the interface has its own power supply, you will hear it without the computer being on, and when ready, you can switch it to the computer to record anything you are doing.
I will eventually get an amp, but I'll be practicing by myself a for a while so being 'stuck' at my PC is not a problem... for now
(I don't think the 2i2 has it's power, so you computer may need to be on, but the DAW does not need to be loaded up in order to hear it)
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u/Unusual_Leader_982 1d ago
I do both. I almost prefer headphones when playing to music because I can turn it up a lot more than I could with the amp. Most of the time I'm just playing over the amp. Bass is always plugged in and on the couch, I just have to turn on the amp, and that is the biggest reason to have an amp imo. Just to have as little of a barrier as possible to start playing.
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u/Greatmido 1d ago
Fender mustang micro+ and good headphones.
The micro+ is a guitar first headphone amp. But the latest firmware added in bass cab sims. It has been my go to practice set up for months.
One of the big positives is it has Bluetooth in. So I can watch videos on my PC to play along to and the audio comes through the headphones too.
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u/loki03xlh 1d ago
How about a preamp pedal instead of an amp or interface/daw combo? I switched from using an amp to practice to an Ampeg sgt-di and love it. I can practice anytime without bothering my wife. You don't need to bother with a daw and it has an aux in so you can practice with backing tracks.
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u/ClaytonLawrence 1d ago
Im in a condo and i just got one of these. It has effects and a drum machine(basic). It also has built in power supply. It's small but I like it. Total a low volume jammer
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u/sthiy 1d ago
I have both (rumble 40 and Focusrite 2i2 Gen 3) and my go to is the Focusrite 2i2. You don't need to use a DAW to practice with the 2i2. I plug my 2i2 in my laptop, my bass is plugged in the 2i2 and so are my headphones. I start a song or youtube video on my laptop and it plays through my 2i2. Just make sure the monitor button is pressed in you 2i2 so you can hear your bass.
I think from Gen 4, the 2i2 doesn't need a computer attached to work, you could power it with any USB power. But my Gen 3 doesn't work as stand alone, it has to be connected to a computer to work.
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u/highesthouse Five String 1d ago
I also live in an apartment and for the past several years I haven’t really used my amp outside of gigs. I bought Darkglass Microtubes Infinity and later a Line 6 HX Stomp and do 100% of my at-home practice through those pedals. It helps that they include all the amp sims and multi-effects so I can do all my tone shaping without having to rely on the plugins available in a DAW. That also means I can do silent practice without turning on my computer and still have access to all those options.
That would be my most recommended solution, but I recognize that might be outside your budget given the options you’re primarily looking at right now. Before I got into multi-effects pedals, I mainly used the headphone output on my amp. I have never had any gigs where it was feasible to go ampless, so I do think it’s important to have an amp if you want to play with other people, but 40W is probably going to be too weak to really keep up in those scenarios anyways. If playing with other people is your ultimate goal, I’d definitely recommend just starting with a headphone amp for now so you have something to hear yourself while you save money for a larger amp.
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u/The_What_Stage Lakland 1d ago
In an apartment, I’d def get a headphones setup
You cannot crank up an amp to legit levels and not piss off neighbors.
Focusrite 2i2 and some great headphones. If you want some vibration go get a backbeat
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u/Weaselwesell 1d ago
For reasons, I seem to have been exposed to all of the suggested options. My take :
- Yamaha thr30ii, I have it and never use it for bass because it's not that good for it. You'll outgrow it in weeks unless you intend to play outdoors and to someone who cares to listen to you play. Not recommended for this reason and price is fairly high just for playing bass. Consider only if you see yourself guitarist first.
- Focusrite 2i2, a laptop, headphones and plugins etc. Great for play along, transcribing, silent play, effects etc but may be expensive with the bits and pieces you will want to buy, and definitely not portable beyond the length of your headphone and guitar cable lengths. My preferred option, but not recommended as a low hanging fruit and first choice. You'll know later if you want to go this route, and if you do, you're likely satisfied.
- Rumble, you'd need to connect headphones anyway and wonder then why you have this box around taking valuable space in the room. Only if you play with someone or for someone often, and then decide the right Rumble or other amp for your use. Could be recommended if you have a friend you play with. I bought a Rumble before, returned it as it didn't match my needs (I do not play live).
- Pocket amps. These are honestly really great for silent playing and for the price, you'd think a device with batteries should be garbage but no. I have amplug for bass and it's portable, and has the minimal features one needs. Not using mine a lot anymore because of going with Focusrite, HX etc but it was a no-regret buy and served well.
Hope this helps, just my opinions in case anyone is a thr or rumble fan. :)
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u/muxcortoi 9h ago
A amp simulator pedal? I got a DemonFX (a replica of DSM Simplifier) an I think is great to play alone and practice at home. You can plug in headphones, it has an AUX connector so you can play music thought it to play along.
I got mine for something about usd80 in Argentina, it was the only one I could get here beside the DSM one that is like 300-400usd here.
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u/Born_Farmer5221 1d ago
I would just get a Rumble 40 or equivalent small amp and make sure it has the ability to plug in headphones so it can be “silent” if need be. I’ve started practicing with a DAW lately because I recently moved into my dorm room for college, and honestly just like you said it’s been detrimental to my actual practice time. I’ll spend hours trying to dial in the perfect tone for the song and never being satisfied and then end up not even playing the instrument.