LevelSongD
New member
Hi, I’m going to be putting together a PC for digital audio production, and since a big chunk of my work includes playing softsynths with a MIDI controller (through FL Studio), I’ve been reading about latency for the past few days to try to get my head around the concept. I think I understand the basics, and while the following 2 statements are bound to be oversimplifications, I want to make sure I didn’t make any mistakes in my reasoning. So, please correct me if I’m wrong -
1 - The sound card/audio interface (and the cables going into it) are largely what determine the latency between the instrument and the computer.
2 - Dropouts are on the computer’s end. As long as the drivers are good and the operation isn’t CPU-intensive (aka, multi-track audio input, realtime effects, playing layered samplers/VSTs, etc.), you should be able to set a low buffer size, get a low latency, and hear what you’re playing in near-real-time.
Is that correct? If it is, I’ll be focusing mainly on getting a good audio interface (and drivers), and won’t be worrying as much about getting a blazing-fast CPU with tons of RAM, as I’m content to record the MIDI data via lo-fi virtual instruments, then switch over to higher-quality instruments and add effects in post. The first 15 years of my music career were spent playing live, so I just need to be sure I can lay down that MIDI without lag!
1 - The sound card/audio interface (and the cables going into it) are largely what determine the latency between the instrument and the computer.
2 - Dropouts are on the computer’s end. As long as the drivers are good and the operation isn’t CPU-intensive (aka, multi-track audio input, realtime effects, playing layered samplers/VSTs, etc.), you should be able to set a low buffer size, get a low latency, and hear what you’re playing in near-real-time.
Is that correct? If it is, I’ll be focusing mainly on getting a good audio interface (and drivers), and won’t be worrying as much about getting a blazing-fast CPU with tons of RAM, as I’m content to record the MIDI data via lo-fi virtual instruments, then switch over to higher-quality instruments and add effects in post. The first 15 years of my music career were spent playing live, so I just need to be sure I can lay down that MIDI without lag!