My wireless, latency free Rocksmith bass configuration

[FredEffinChopin]

I've seen the splitter method brought up plenty in several places on the internet, but the method I'm using doesn't seem to be discussed quite as much, and some threads I've seen in regards to it contain unchallenged warnings about it that, in my experience, are without merit.

Seeing as how the holiday sales are on and there may be some new people coming in who I would hate to see turned off by the latency they will experience with a standard configuration, I thought this would be a good time to create this thread and share the configuration that I've been very happy with since I started playing this game.

Ingredients:

1. Amplifier with line out - Orange Crush 50BXT.
That's the amp I'm using, but of course you can use another. You cannot just use any bass amp though. It has to be an amp with a "line out" jack in it. Before this one, I've used an Ampeg BA-108 and an Ampeg BA-110, both of which worked great. If you're looking into one of those, be sure to get the older line, with the controls on top, as the younger line (with the controls on the front) does not contain a line out. If one is lucky, one might find the BA-108 for $50. It depends on your local used market.

You're going to plug your RealTone Cable into the amp's line out and then plug it into your PC as usual.

2. Wireless system - Mefe Rechargeable Wireless Guitar System
A little over a year ago, the market for more compact wireless guitar systems (as opposed to the bulkier units designed for stage usage, that come with units you basically need to wear) was pretty small, and the few available items were expensive. Since then, a few more brand names have released their own, and a bunch of models from China (some of them identical models that appeared under multiple brand names) have been floating around EBay and Amazon as well.

I'm not sure exactly where the Mefe falls on that spectrum, but I do know that out of the four models of wireless guitar systems that I've tried, the Mefe was the best combination of features. It has very good battery life, I haven't experienced any dropouts with it in the month I've been using it, it doesn't have any issues with active instruments (which some others, even expensive ones, do), there is no noticeable latency, it's design makes it possible to maintain a low profile and sits firmly on most instruments (as opposed to others that jut out hopelessly if the input jack on your bass/guitar and/or move around too much, possibly causing static), and it fits in all basses and guitars I've tried without any extra equipment, which none of the others did. I had to purchase adapters to make all the others fit into certain basses that I own - specifically, Ibanez SR basses from the last 10-20 years, that have the angled, concave cable input. The fact that this wireless system is about half the price ($80 on Amazon, currently) of the XVive or the Line 6 is just the greatest of coincidences, on top of it having comparable-to-superior features. There is a system made by a company called Kithouse that is well reviewed and has a couple of extra features for a price similar to the Mefe, but be advised that it appears to ape the physical shape of the XVive, which is one that required an adapter/extension to fit into some of my basses.

You're going to use this as you normally would with an amp. Plug the transmitter into your bass, plug the receiver into your amp's input and turn them both on.

3. (optional) Aux cable
If your amp has a line out, it almost certainly has an aux input. This isn't necessary to play wirelessly and latency-free, and I don't even keep it in the configuration myself most of the time, but it's worth noting for those who would rather hear the bass and music coming out of the same speaker. The type of cable you will need depends on your aux input. One end of the cable should be 3.5mm, the same type that you would find on your phone's headphone jack. The other end should match your aux input. It could possibly be a 3.5mm as well, but could also be the old red & white aux inputs. Determine which you need and grab the appropriate cable. It shouldn't be more than $5-10.

You're going to plug one 3.5mm end of the cable into the speaker jack of the PC and plug the opposite end into your amp's aux input

The final step is to go into Rocksmith, go to your audio settings and turn the in-game guitar and bass volume all the way down so that your're not hearing the same instrument twice, one of them delayed.

And you're done.

What you gain:
Aside from latency-free Rocksmith (a gift in itself), the best part of this setup as opposed to the splitter setup, and with its wireless component, is the convenience of it. You may have heard people say that much of what determines whether someone will practice or put off learning an instrument is how convenient it is to pick up and play. Down to the point where I've seen people recommend keeping a guitar in the room at home they spend a lot of time in, as they're more likely to neglect to play if it's kept elsewhere. With this Rocksmith configuration, you can keep your amp tucked away near your PC with the RealTone Cable plugged into both at all times. Personally, I have it plugged into the back of my PC, totally out of sight.

The wireless part of the configuration presents one less obstacle as well. Forget about the mess of cables with a splitter setup, you don't even need to unravel a single guitar cable to get going or coil one up when you're done (or leave it laying around on the floor). Getting going it just a matter of picking up your guitar, plugging your transmitter in (I leave me receiver plugged into the amp most of the time) and turning the amp on. Plus, there really is something to be said about being able to play without a cord underfoot and dangling around you or otherwise being in the way.

What you lose out on with this setup:
All of the Rocksmith tones. I personally don't really care about them, but I know some people may, so it is worth mentioning to anyone considering this configuration.

That's it. I hope this thread helps someone at some point. Enjoy the game!

[FredEffinChopin]

Originally posted by thejohnnewton:

...Of course if you just want wireless but with the RS tones a lot of guys will just run wireless at their instrument and then plug the RealTone cable into the other end of the wireless system and then into the PC as normal.

Hi there. Scanning the history I see....

Yes, for someone who wants to do something entirely different (just play wireless Rocksmith), that would be an adequate solution in theory - although it would require an F to F adapter to even experiment with, and since I haven't, I can't verify that it would work without issues.

What I'm describing is how to go latency-free, wireless, and with all audio coming from one amp if one wishes, which I can speak to because I've used it. As I mentioned, I saw a couple of threads where people asked about a line-out layout and were persuaded away from it, so I thought that alone was worth making a post about, and since I was doing that, I thought I should share the rest of my configuration, which has been sublime for me.

[FredEffinChopin]

No need for any apologies.