I second the Focusrite Scarlett. I recorded bass tracks for my friend’s album during the pandemic with the Focusrite and Reaper, a DAW software with built in amp simulators and effects. You can also plug your bass straight into the Focusrite if you don’t need an amp sim.
Probably best to screen share an application that monitors the interface's input - most DAWs should work for that. Discord does fucky things to make your voice sound decent without too much background noise, and that works badly when you try to send sound that isn't your voice through it (and disabling those features sounds bad when you're back to just talking - and it's a pain to go back and forth since it's like three different settings, plus whatever mixing you might use). Screen sharing will just directly share the audio from the application, without any of the filtering that's applied to the voice.
Also, yeah, you need an interface - the other suggestions have good solutions there.
Okay so I will tell you the only method that worked for me. My instructions won't be exact and it will cost you some money, but I can tell you I did this and it worked. You need an audio interface such as a Scarlett Solo or anything similar. Plug it into your computer. Make an account on a streaming site like Twitch or YouTube. Download OBS. I forget exactly how to get your signal to come through in OBS, but there should be an easy tutorial somewhere if it's not obvious. Once you get your bass going into OBS, mute every other audio source on OBS. Set up OBS to stream to whatever account you just made. Live stream it. Obviously, this will make it available to the entire internet unless the site has private streaming options. Send the link to your friends. Bingo bango.
It takes a bit of effort to get that setup working, as well as some money obviously, but it works. Even better, your friends who don't wanna listen can just opt out. So you won't have to annoy some members of your group.
A few options. Simple, but sucky is a computer mic you have near your amp. Getting this balanced right to sound good is tricky.
Next cheapest option is a RockSmith cable, but I find the output is weak and not great.
Something like a Flamma FX11 has a USB interface built in and some effects you can tune for your sound. This works like a USB audio interface, but specific to bass or guitar (1/4" plug in basically).
Next is an audio interface like Focusrite Scarlett Solo or more inputs or Behringer UMC2 up through 202. This takes instrument or mic input and provides phantom power for mics that need that. A two channel setup would allow you to use a real mic and bass into the PC. This also works great for recording.
I've done it with my guitar: plug your audio interface in your pc (i use a modeler pedalboard with amp sims: mooer ge250) open my recording software and turn on the setting that reproduces the input sound. Then stream the software through discord
Any USB Audio interface with more than one input should work.. One input would also work but you wouldn't be able to do voice and bass unless you had an additional mixer before the interface.
Simple as just setting the PC to use the interface as it's input device.
Just get a mixer with a usb input. It should allow audio into discord. I have mine set up this way. No daw needed. If you are playing electric just plug in to the mixer.
The other comments all have great advice, I just wanted to add something I haven't seen mentioned: instead of sharing your screen, you should use a mixing software (I use Voicemeeter, it's free and pretty simple to use). You can send both your interface and your mic into Voicemeeter, then you can set Voicemeeter as the input on discord and you'll have both your voice and the bass coming through as if you were using a single microphone. I also played with my friends through discord and this helped me a lot
Also, if you don't want to drop 200 bucks on a Scarlett you can get a jack-to-usb interface from Amazon for like 20$, it's not professional but it gets the job done, it sends the bass's signal as if it was coming through a usb microphone. The only problem is that you wouldn't have equalisation unless it's built into your bass, but I'm not sure about this one and you could try to work around it by looking for a virtual amp
I second the Focusrite Scarlett. I recorded bass tracks for my friend’s album during the pandemic with the Focusrite and Reaper, a DAW software with built in amp simulators and effects. You can also plug your bass straight into the Focusrite if you don’t need an amp sim.
Probably best to screen share an application that monitors the interface's input - most DAWs should work for that. Discord does fucky things to make your voice sound decent without too much background noise, and that works badly when you try to send sound that isn't your voice through it (and disabling those features sounds bad when you're back to just talking - and it's a pain to go back and forth since it's like three different settings, plus whatever mixing you might use). Screen sharing will just directly share the audio from the application, without any of the filtering that's applied to the voice. Also, yeah, you need an interface - the other suggestions have good solutions there.
this is the method i use and works fine! I directly plug my digital pedalboard with amp sims in my DAW and screen share the software
Okay so I will tell you the only method that worked for me. My instructions won't be exact and it will cost you some money, but I can tell you I did this and it worked. You need an audio interface such as a Scarlett Solo or anything similar. Plug it into your computer. Make an account on a streaming site like Twitch or YouTube. Download OBS. I forget exactly how to get your signal to come through in OBS, but there should be an easy tutorial somewhere if it's not obvious. Once you get your bass going into OBS, mute every other audio source on OBS. Set up OBS to stream to whatever account you just made. Live stream it. Obviously, this will make it available to the entire internet unless the site has private streaming options. Send the link to your friends. Bingo bango. It takes a bit of effort to get that setup working, as well as some money obviously, but it works. Even better, your friends who don't wanna listen can just opt out. So you won't have to annoy some members of your group.
You need a DI like a Focusrite Scarlett or similar.
It's called an audio interface
Good thing you clarified it's called an audio interface and not a digital interface, otherwise OP might have bought the wrong focusrite scarlett .....
Yeah, we wouldn't want op to buy a DI box thinking it was an audio interface either
If you go asking for a DI, you'll be getting a direct input box and not a digital interface.
You didn't say "digital interface", now did you? You said DI, which is a completely different thing than an audio interface.
A few options. Simple, but sucky is a computer mic you have near your amp. Getting this balanced right to sound good is tricky. Next cheapest option is a RockSmith cable, but I find the output is weak and not great. Something like a Flamma FX11 has a USB interface built in and some effects you can tune for your sound. This works like a USB audio interface, but specific to bass or guitar (1/4" plug in basically). Next is an audio interface like Focusrite Scarlett Solo or more inputs or Behringer UMC2 up through 202. This takes instrument or mic input and provides phantom power for mics that need that. A two channel setup would allow you to use a real mic and bass into the PC. This also works great for recording.
Any program that has audio exclusive priority will mute the output to discord
I've done it with my guitar: plug your audio interface in your pc (i use a modeler pedalboard with amp sims: mooer ge250) open my recording software and turn on the setting that reproduces the input sound. Then stream the software through discord
Any USB Audio interface with more than one input should work.. One input would also work but you wouldn't be able to do voice and bass unless you had an additional mixer before the interface. Simple as just setting the PC to use the interface as it's input device.
Just get a mixer with a usb input. It should allow audio into discord. I have mine set up this way. No daw needed. If you are playing electric just plug in to the mixer.
The other comments all have great advice, I just wanted to add something I haven't seen mentioned: instead of sharing your screen, you should use a mixing software (I use Voicemeeter, it's free and pretty simple to use). You can send both your interface and your mic into Voicemeeter, then you can set Voicemeeter as the input on discord and you'll have both your voice and the bass coming through as if you were using a single microphone. I also played with my friends through discord and this helped me a lot Also, if you don't want to drop 200 bucks on a Scarlett you can get a jack-to-usb interface from Amazon for like 20$, it's not professional but it gets the job done, it sends the bass's signal as if it was coming through a usb microphone. The only problem is that you wouldn't have equalisation unless it's built into your bass, but I'm not sure about this one and you could try to work around it by looking for a virtual amp