I am looking to obtain a good set of speakers to use for play-along with BIAB. I have a Dell XPS laptop and the built in speakers are not sufficient for what I want to do.
I am a jazz double bassist and would like to play along with speakers blue-toothed to my computer. I am looking to mostly practice playing melodies and soloing along with backing tracks of chord changes.
Given the instrument I play standing up, plugging in or microphoning through headphones may be a bit more difficult, but I'm open to suggestions. What is a good audio configuration with BIAB for a stand-up double bassist?
Older laptops were notorious for having very poor soundcards and the recommendation was to upgrade your soundcard for improved system sound. This has been greatly improved in recent years.
I have Barry MS-40s that I highly recommend. They are near-field monitors so take a bit of getting used to. They are fully capable of peeling paint or wallpaper so they should handle your bass adequately.
You probably know, there are powered and unpowered speakers. We generally call the powered ones monitors.
I highly recommend getting a modest audio interface such as a Focusrite 2i2 that connects to your laptop via USB. It bypasses the laptop audio (although Don is right, they are getting better) and it bypasses those horrid little headphone mini-jacks on laptops.
Since you play bass, can we assume the low end response is not as important for you?
What genre do you favor? The answer for classical might be different than for heavy metal or disco.
And, what's your budget!
BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
Size: It'd be nice to have the speakers on a desk or table if possible. If the speakers would need to go on the floor, I would want them able to be tucked away somewhat when not in use.
Low-end response: While I do play bass, and intend to use the speakers for play-along, it might also benefit me to use the speakers for listening and transcribing as well. So, it would be good to have a decent low-end response. For play-along, I would mostly be doing jazz standards (piano/guitar + drum BIAB backing track). For listening and transcribing, I also like a lot of 60s/70s Soul + R&B in addition to jazz.
Interface & Budget: I hadn't thought of getting an interface at this time, but it may be worthwhile for recording purposes as well. Would it be possible to acquire the interface and speakers for around $400-500? If you have possibilities in mind that are a bit outside this range, please do suggest them as well.
With the laptop, I would recommend that you buy several things.
1. A USB external interface running ASIO.
2. A pair of powered, studio reference monitors.
Depending on what you buy, you're looking at a budget of around $500 for these items. They will, however, allow you to do so much more with your music and recording.
Connect the interface to the laptop and plug the speakers into the interface and you're ready to go
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 12/27/2004:13 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
With the laptop, I would recommend that you buy several things.
1. A USB external interface running ASIO.
2. A pair of powered, studio reference monitors.
Depending on what you buy, you're looking at a budget of around $500 for these items. They will, however, allow you to do so much more with your music and recording.
Connect the interface to the laptop and plug the speakers into the interface and you're ready to go
Great advice. While it's possible to spend TONS of money on an audio interface and powered monitors, you might want to consider a quality, entry-level bundle. Here's a terrific one for $310.
Pioneer S-DJ50X powered (Active) monitors should be about US$300 (pair). I did a fair amount of research and a lot of listening to various products before settling on these.
BIAB & RB2024 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
One thing to consider is the speaker's frequency range.
I have a friend who got the aforementioned Presonus kit, but has yet to get the computer to hook it all up to, so I look forward to hearing it but can't comment yet. I did note these speakers only go down to 80Hz ..
The ones mentioned by VideoTrack and Don go down to 50Hz, which is a little better but still not quite what I personally need for monitors.
In my research you need a little bigger woofer to get down farther in the lower range. However these take up more room, so there is always a tradeoff.
Make your sound your own! .. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
That's part of the reason I mentioned the PreSonus bundle. I've got excellent 8" monitors, but even those won't fully cover a double bass. The OP can always upgrade the monitors in the future, using the same audio interface. The bundle will still be a significant upgrade in audio over his built-in speakers.
ThinkPad i9 32GB RAM 7TB SSD; Win11 Pro; PreSonus Studio 1810c; BiaB 2024 Ultra Studio One 6 Pro; MuseScore 4; Melodyne 5 Studio; Acoustica Premium 7; Guitar Pro 8 Gig Performer 5; NI S61 MK3; Focal Shape 65; Beyerdynamic DT 880 & 770
This is an interesting discussion and got me thinking. As Rharv suggested, speakers with a bigger woofer would be helpful, but wouldn't a sub accomplish the same thing?
I ask because I find myself in the same situation wondering about my KRK 8's.
A sub can be helpful, but good ones (for mixing) are pricey. A VST like Fundamental Bass from W.A. Productions is useful when mixing low freq material.
Jeff, I have KRK 8s in my larger room for play-along. They work fine and bring good volume if needed. I would not use them to mix. The OP asked for speakers to play along with, and I think they are great for that.
BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
I just have two KRK 8" speakers, no sub. I've always wondered what the KRK sub would do for my system. Since my current 8's speakers themselves apparently go down to 36HZ (+/- 3db), the sub 10" sub apparently goes down a bit further to about 30hz.
Didn't seem to offer much bang for the buck. Their 12 incher apparently goes down to 26Hz but far outside my budget.
A "2+1" computer speaker system (2 treble speakers plus 1 sub woofer speaker)likely will match your need and budget. This +++ Logictech Z407 Computer Speakers +++ system is Bluetooth, micro USB and 3.5 mm capable, comes with a wireless rotary controller, 40 watts RMS of power and is $80 US at BestBuy. A 20 watt RMS system is $40.
User Video: Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box®
The Bob Doyle Media YouTube channel is known for demonstrating how you can creatively incorporate AI into your projects - from your song projects to avatar building to face swapping, and more!
His latest video, Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box, he explains in detail how you can use the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box with ACE Studio. Follow along as he goes from "nothing" to "something" with his Band-in-a-Box MIDI Melodist track, using ACE Studio to turn it into a vocal track (or tracks, you'll see) by adding lyrics for those notes that will trigger some amazing AI vocals!
Wir waren fleißig und haben über 50 neue Funktionen und eine erstaunliche Sammlung neuer Inhalte hinzugefügt, darunter 222 RealTracks, neue RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, abspielbare RealTracks Set 3, abspielbare RealDrums Set 2, zwei neue Sets von "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 und mehr!
Add updated printing options, enhanced tracks settings, smoother use of MGU and SGU (BB files) within PowerTracks, and more with the latest PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 update!
Download and install this to your RealBand 2024 for updated print options, streamlined loading and saving of .SGU & MGU (BB) files, and to add a number of program adjustments that address user-reported bugs and concerns.
Did you know... not only can you download your Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK purchase - you can also choose to add a flash drive backup copy with the installation files for only $15? It even comes with a Band-in-a-Box® keychain!
For the larger Band-in-a-Box® packages (UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition), the hard drive backup copy is available for only $25. This will include a preinstalled and ready to use program, along with your installation files.
Backup copies are offered during the checkout process on our website.
Already purchased your e-delivery version, and now you wish you had a backup copy? It's not too late! If your purchase was for the current version of Band-in-a-Box®, you can still reach out to our team directly to place your backup copy order!
Note: the Band-in-a-Box® keychain is only included with flash drive backup copies, and cannot be purchased separately.
Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!
With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.