TubeNet

I've found that for commercial auditions on tuba or bass (when there's no band to play along with), instead of trying to slash my way through a million notes showing virtuosity, it's nice to play actual basslines along with recordings. It seems the listeners appreciate hearing the audition in context.

That being said, I can plug my phone into my bass amp when playing bass, but I'd like something a little less ridiculous for when it's just tuba. I know there's a lot of options for plugging your phone into something, but in my experience, they actually don't even do as good as the phone's internal speaker, so they're pretty worthless.

I'm thinking of going for an old school boombox, but I wanted to know if anyone has been using something to play along with. It doesn't have to sound amazing or even be super loud, it's just a nifty way to give context to a walking or funk or rock bassline without boring the listener.

I have a Roland Cube that works very well. Mine is A/C powered; but Roland also makes battery-powered Cubes. I also use it to boost my metronome when working with a large group.

There are a myriad of portable Bluetooth speakers out there. My Oontx Angle is a tad weak for playing along with, but my friend's (Pro? Deluxe? Something like that) version is great. Bose, Audio Technica and the other usual suspects also have some strong products. Very mobile, and great for playalong tracks, metronome, drone, or whatever; as long as you get one that's loud enough.

I use a Yamaha THR5 for that sort of thing. It might be a tad pricey for your needs but I use it for accoustic and jazz guitar as well. The THR amps have really nice sound quality for their size. A Roland Micro Cube would also work well and you should be able find a used one for well under $100.

That's so funny that there's already two suggestions for the Roland! I thought about that before, but figured it might have been overkill for the price (though, I hear good things from bass players about the bass version). But in the bass world, it's considered pricey for what you get. Used might be the way to go, though.

Thanks!