Home practice - amp head/combo guys, how do you listen to what you're playing at home?

[Hollowway]

I've always been a plug and play amp to cab guy for home practice. BUT, sometimes it gets a little loud, due to crappy MVs on amps, and I'm worried about my ears. I've been watching a lot of youtube videos lately, and I see a lot of those making videos are running the amp into an interface (Ox, etc), and then into the computer. That allows them to get the level up, and not have to worry about the volume through a cab. So I'm thinking about maybe doing that, but wondering what people are doing, in general, for home practice. So let me know what you guys are doing that's working for you.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Amp > Suhr RL/IR > Headphones/Speaker/Cab

It's all in one and super flexible. Not super cheap, but worth every penny. I probably wouldn't even have amps anymore without this thing. Highly recommended.

 

[Werecow]

I use a cab, mainly because i like playing through a cab, but also i really hate having my guitar coming out of the "same place" as whatever i'm playing along to is coming from. I don't know why, but i just massively prefer my guitar coming from the opposite side of me to any speakers playing backing tracks or songs.
I then use my head or body position if i need to hear my guitar more or less. I'll either walk closer to the cab or turn an ear towards it etc.

 

[Asdrael]

A low wattage amp into a good 1x12 is all I ever use. I might consider an attenuator if I ever get a shitty MV amp. I have tried headphones, but it's not for me really. I might try again interface into monitor but that would require quite a change in my routine and I'm too old for that shit.

 

[budda]

When i ran a real amp at home, I just used computer speakers for whatever I played along to. Headphones werent a thing til I went digital.

My last home rig before digital was my fx8 setup a/b into a marshall mg15 and fender mustang i(i?) to mimic my 2203/twin rig.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

If I'm trying to be quiet or I want to practice for a while: amp->torpedo reload-->audient id14-> sennheiser hd6xx

If not then amp+cab. I'm fortunate enough to have some amps with very good master volume tapers (revv, peters) so I can practice at lower levels if need be.

 

[Pietjepieter]

Amp -> Torpedo capture X -> interface -> headphones (or monitor but mostly headphones)

Really happy with the setup. used a kemper for years but very happy to be back on tubes with pedals!

 

[bracky]

Preamp pedal into effect return of my peavey classic 30. The level knob gives perfect volume adjustment down to a whisper.

 

[laxu]

The way I see it, you either use a real amp into a guitar cab, or you just use digital modeling into studio monitors or headphones.

To me tube amp -> reactive load -> cab sims -> studio monitors/headphones is no better than just skipping all that and going full digital modeling.

The quality of said studio monitors and headphones matters.

 

[gnoll]

Guitar through cab, monitors for backing track/click etc.

If it's too loud I move the cab or use ear plugs.

 

[gabito]

Helix + monitors or Helix + headphones.

 

[Deadpool_25]

Sometimes I use a real amp and cab. More often I use one of my digital solutions (FM9 or a NDSP plugin).

 

[BabUShka]

Marshall JVM plugged into a 2x12 V30 cab. As often as I can. Hotone Ampero and headphones for evening when family is sleeping.

 

[Demiurge]

Through a cab. For the longest time, I was living in a thin-walled condo and playing through a headphone rig to be considerate. After moving to a house and no longer sharing a wall with neighbors, I've just gotta fill the room with sound- it's so much more satisfying.

 

[loganflynn294]

My amps with good masters get plugged straight into a 4x12 for all home jamming. This is in an upstairs apartment in an old house with neighbors that have a newborn below. Amps with shitty masters that go from nothing to full blast go to a Two Notes Captor or Captor X then into said 4x12. I find plugging full sized heads into 4x12s more fun than an interface and headphones. Not better, just more enjoyable.

 

[Kyle Jordan]

Axe Fx III + Headphones or monitors/sub or Peavey Vypyr 30 1x12 for a while now.

There are about 5 or so heads I have on my radar, with 2 of them being fairly serious future purchases as opposed to just desires. I don't want to lose the flexibility of the Axe, so they'll be a load box involved to allow the amp to be run through the Fractal, but I'd also like to get a cab to eventually shoot my own IRs of with my chosen speakers and mics.

One option you've not mentioned is something like the Fryette Powerstation. It's got the built in power amp that you could basically use for slaving whichever amp head you wanted. Run the head however high you wish, and use the PS in to a cab for volume. You can also run the head in to your computer/monitor/headphones using the Powerstation.

 

[cardinal]

I just use the cab. At lower volumes I might use a bit more gain or whatever to help compensate.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

I generally just play through amps and cabs at a low volume and will "save" certain amps with jumpy master volumes for those times where I don't have to worry about volume or when I'm recording through my Suhr Reactive Load.

If I need to play quiet enough to warrant going into my load box direct through impulses and studio monitors, I'll usually just save a few steps and play through plugins I'll still usually reamp through real amps and the load box for final versions of recordings, but the difference is small enough that I prefer the convenience of plugins whenever I'm just practicing, writing, or making DI tracks. I've been using Helix Native a lot and have dialed in a few presets that are very convincing when put up against the real amps they're imitating

 

[Alberto7]

Guitar > Interface > Computer (mostly NDSP) > Monitors/Headphones

Been wanting to move to Amp > Reactive Load > Monitors/Headphones just because I want to own an amp again, but it's a bit of an investment that I don't need and takes up space in my apartment that I don't have. So do guitars, but I'm more of a guitar guy than an amp guy, so guitars are my priority.

 

[MoistTowelette]

I’ve been at the same apartment for the past 4 years mainly because it’s an old building with extremely thick walls so I can actually play through a 412 at a reasonable volume. Nothing beats an amp through a 412.