Irig pro i/o or other options for ampless practice

[budget bassist]

Hey guys,

I'm on the lookout for a solution that'll let me practice at home without using my amp and the IK Multimedia IRig pro i/o or the Irig HD 2 looks like what I need, has anyone got/used one and can comment on functionality etc? I'd probably lean towards the pro simply because it comes with the full version of Amplitube but would appreciate if anyone has any input.

 

I'm looking for something that I can connect to my laptop to use with amp modelling software and play along to music ie spotify etc. whilst being able to look at tabs etc. so if anyone has any alternate suggestions they'd be welcome.

In terms of requirements it just needs to have the single 1/4" jack, connect via USB, I guess it'll have a headphone jack though I plan to use bluetooth headphones. The fewer wires the better.

 

Thanks all

Edited December 27, 2021 by budget bassist

[Bunion]

Waza Bass Air 

 

 

Great bit of kit, everything built in metronome, drums, eq and patches for saving your custom sounds.
Hooks straight up to phone for more options and media playback. Great headphones for just listening to music. 
Make sure it’s the Bass version not the guitar version though it has more options. 

[thodrik]

I have the iRig HD2. Really easy to use. Comes with amplitude which is great for guitar and so so for bass unless you buy extra gear. Used it for some basic recording and it worked well with a few different DAWs.

[Velarian]

4 hours ago, budget bassist said:

though I plan to use bluetooth headphones.

I think you’ll find that won’t work at all.  The latency will make it unplayable.  The Boss Waza Air gets around this by using other non-Bluetooth wireless technology. 
 

The NuX MP-2 Mighty Plug is a good contender at around £50. It does has Bluetooth to connect a phone to as an aux device to stream music to play along to (where latency is not an issue) and to run the app that controls the device. 

[budget bassist]

Thanks for the above replies, I should have mentioned that I plan on using this for guitar and bass so anything bass-specific is out of the running.

 

12 hours ago, thodrik said:

I have the iRig HD2. Really easy to use. Comes with amplitude which is great for guitar and so so for bass unless you buy extra gear. Used it for some basic recording and it worked well with a few different DAWs.

Thanks - out of interest what do you mean when you say it could use extra gear for bass?

Edited December 27, 2021 by budget bassist

[Phil Starr]

I guess it depends upon exactly how you'd use it (and we are all different) but if losing wires is a priority there's a different approach. The Zoom G1/B1Four runs off batteries so that loses one lead. It has effects/tuner/drum machine/metronome/headphone amp built in and you can mix in a stereo signal to play along to so it is a complete standalone solution. I think you can download patches, though I've never tried. That might let you have a a mix of bass and guitar patches on yours, you'd have to investigate that. I've used the G1ON for bass and got some good sounds with bass.

 

You'd lose the interface aspect though and if you were combining your practice with recording it wouldn't be as good a fit. You'd also lose the laptop modelling as it would all be on the Zoom. On the plus side it's so cheap you could have it as well as what you have just for those times when all you want to do is play. It's probably not what you want but but as a plug and play practice machine it's worth a mention.

[fretmeister]

On 27/12/2021 at 17:27, budget bassist said:

Thanks for the above replies, I should have mentioned that I plan on using this for guitar and bass so anything bass-specific is out of the running.

 

Thanks - out of interest what do you mean when you say it could use extra gear for bass?

AmpliTube has a free version with a selection of guitar and bass amp models.

 

Then if there’s one you really want as well you can buy additional models for a couple of quid.

 

AmpliTube has pc and smart phone / iPad options. It’s a great practice tool.