Audio interface & amp simulator

[Late Bloomer]

This might sound very dumb but I am looking for some advice on setting myself up to play/practice at home only using some form of PC solution. At the moment i am using a practice amp and my wife could do without that! questions are:

1. Best way to get sound. I presume not just my small Bluetooth speaker

2. Is there a way to play backing tracks from somewhere like YouTube on the pc and simultaneously play the guitar

3. I presume the amp sIms are guitar agnostic. I.e. a custom shop strat will sound the same as a squier

4. Advice on a good product

[Dad3353]

Does your practise amp not have a headphone socket..? That's your priority, I'd say: get a headset. Which one..? Spoilt for choice really, but the main criteria (apart from comfort...) is that it be of the 'closed' type, so that sound leaking out doesn't disturb others, and you're not disturbed by room noises. Budget..? I use a Superlux HD669, which costs £23.70. You can spend more, or less, but should be 'closed' for what you want.
Next up is something to get the guitar signal into the PC. There are several USB interfaces, starting with a simple cable adapter (I have one from Alesis; Thomann have a Behringer equivalent at £13.90...), or, if you will be wanting later on to record with a mic, or have better control, a free-standing interface such as the very popular Focusrite models, starting at £92.
Yes, you can play along to Youtube and the like, and amp sims will work (I've no idea what sonic difference there is between Custom Shop Strats and Squiers, even in the 'real' world, so, through an amp sim ...).
For amp sim software, there are quite a number to choose from, too. They become expensive if you want a bit of everything. AmpliTube are about £100 a pop, or £315 for a pack of amps; there's also Waves GTR3 pack at £26. Worth looking at free amp sims, too; there are some very good ones. Best to get a rig up and running first, then ask again once you get to that stage, maybe..? There's a free, slightly cut-down, version of AmpliTube 4 which is free, and a good jumping off point.
Hope this helps. 

Another option to consider might be this ...

Harley Benton DNAfx GiT ...

... which does all you're asking for (plus the headset...) in one pedal. Worth a look..? 

Edited September 15, 2020 by Dad3353

[EliasMooseblaster]

On 15/09/2020 at 17:21, Dad3353 said:

Another option to consider might be this ...

Harley Benton DNAfx GiT ...

... which does all you're asking for (plus the headset...) in one pedal. Worth a look..? 

That HB does look the business, especially for the number of options. I might propose an alternative setup - one which I use myself, and may work out cheaper:

Amp sim pedal & computer or phone playing youtube track -> Small powered mixer -> headphones

Amp sim / preamp pedals which do a single sound can be picked up fairly cheaply, especially if you go second-hand. I recently acquired a Joyo American Sound for less than £30, and it does a pretty good approximation of Fender amp voicings. Mooer and Donner pedals do similar things at similar prices. Certainly cheap enough that you could always try a couple, and re-sell any you didn't like.

Small powered mixer: I use a Behringer Xenyx 502. Again, could probably be acquired for under £30 s/h. Some of the fancier models (1002 onwards) have inbuilt effect like reverb, but may cost a little more. The key thing is that they have line in sockets which will take the feed from your amp sim pedal, a CD/Tape stereo input which can receive the youtube track from your computer's speaker socket (or smartphone headphone socket), and a 1/4" headphone socket to deliver the mix to your ears.

Headphones: Sony MDR-ZX100. Maybe £20-30 new? And they sound astonishingly good. (I mixed my first EP on a pair of those, and whilst they're hardly flat response, they were more than good enough for the job.) You'll need an adapter as well, to go from 1/8" to 1/4" stereo jack, but that can be had for a couple of quid.

All in, you could find yourself set up for silent practise while still south of £100. Biggest decision is probably reading up on the amp sim / preamp pedals and deciding whether you're after more of a Fender/Marshall/Vox/other kind of sound...but as I say, you could probably try a couple without breaking the bank!