a begginner's guide to bass amplification

[maxbeckmann]

hi,

 

my question may sound silly but i must know.

 

is it possible to play through a bass amp head without a cabinet ?

 

i am wondering if i can plug a bass head (in my dreams, that would be an obvious orange ad200 mk) direct into a sound card (my actual focusrite scarlett 2i4) and listen to myself through headphones ?

 

the thing is that i live in a condo. i am not "allowed" to make too much noise. i do play via amplitude's orange ad200 amp, but i'm getting tired of emulation. i am looking for the "real deal".

 

i don't gig. it's for a strict personal use.

 

you guys get my point. i want to "recreate" as close as possible geddy's sound. (i'm in the process of purchasing all the rig i.e. sans amp rpm, avalon etc.)

 

as always, thanks for your consideration.

[The Analog Grownup]

Short answer: No! An amp head must see a resistive load (like a cabinet or a speaker emulator box) otherwise you'll destroy it.

 

You can however put a speaker emulator box where a speaker cabinet would be, and feed that signal to your sound card. But ask before you do, just to be safe :)

[maxbeckmann]

Short answer: No! An amp head must see a resistive load (like a cabinet or a speaker emulator box) otherwise you'll destroy it.

 

You can however put a speaker emulator box where a speaker cabinet would be, and feed that signal to your sound card. But ask before you do, just to be safe :)

 

ok. i see geddy is using a Palmer PDI-05 speaker simulator (as listed in his gear list). is it something like that i would need ?

 

also, why is he having orange obc 410 cabinet in his gear list ? why would he need that ? (i am not sure to understand the concept)

 

thank you very much for your help.

Edited May 18, 2014 by maxbeckmann

[The Analog Grownup]

You can use a Palmer PDI-05 but if budgets are tight there are some more affordable products around. I just can't think of any other than Palmer right now. About Geddy having a 4x10 cabinet could be for tonal variation. I suppose he blends the signals together.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Geddy's tone comes from his hands. His rig is too complicated to reproduce with one signal path.

 

The closest you are going to get is with multiple instances of Amplitube (and/or other like apps) and even then good luck. Understanding that the tone of a given rig and player is unique is half the battle. Not to mention it's a moving target because of amp/bass changes along the way. Just plug in and get things the way you like then wail away and have fun.

 

If you gave Geddy a Squire and a Sidekick it would sound amazing because he's playing. The gear plays little part.

[KennyLee]

I use an MXR-M80. It is also a DI box but will work for what you are doing. With a Fender Jazz bass it will get you close on that tone. Good mid-scoop and a little distortion (just a touch) for that growl. Play aggressive and dig-in a bit.

 

You can go out of the MXR right into your sound card, headphones, mixer, whatever.

[maxbeckmann]

I use an MXR-M80. It is also a DI box but will work for what you are doing. With a Fender Jazz bass it will get you close on that tone. Good mid-scoop and a little distortion (just a touch) for that growl. Play aggressive and dig-in a bit.

 

You can go out of the MXR right into your sound card, headphones, mixer, whatever.

 

are you telling me i could plug an amp head directly into my sans amp bass driver di and then into my sound card without worrying for the head im/explosion ?

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

You won't need the amp in front of a DI, but if the amp has a line out then theoretically you could run that through the DI but a SansAmp is an amp sim in itself. You could run that into your sound card directly. That's what it's made for.