Trouble with latency - home recording newbie

[JeggaNegg]

I have just started to experiment with recording on my DELL laptop computer, with ableton live, and im experiencing some very annoying latency. I am plugging my guitar straight into the line in jack of the computer (not into an interface) so could that be the problem? or could it be the sample rate of the driver? i still experience the latency when just playing at the windows desktop, so it isn't ableton causing the problem. does anyone have any experience or advice with this? thankyou

 

[noisewreck]

Yes. Get an interface with ASIO drivers. Problem solved.

 

[JeggaNegg]

allright ill see what i can find. thanks for the advice

 

[oretez]

Yes. Get an interface with ASIO drivers. Problem solved.

not necessarily

an ASIO supporting device might help, but even then for a novice to diagnose latency from other signal chain issues is not always easy

Latency between recorded track A and adding track B, is simply a fact based on time need to process information . . .

0 latency always involves some compromise . . . for example you are monitoring input for the second track rather then hearing sound that is actually on recording media while ASIO has become the standard . . . how it is implemented still determines how useful it is

and initial question does not provide enough context to determine just what the irritating latency is . . . from my experience with dell laptops 'speed' of HD data bus can be as contributing a factor, which ASIO by itself will not cure

 

[tonesponge]

The trick for dealing with latency is called "leapfrogging" by some. Basically, you record your first track. Then, when you record your second track while listening to your first track, you simultaneously record a third track that is the playback of your first track fed into your input on your third track.

Then, for your fourth track, if you have more than 2 inputs, you can record your fourth track while listening to your second and third tracks (mute or delete the first track) and simultaneously recording your second and third tracks to fifth and sixth tracks. Keep going in this fashion until you run out of inputs.

Once you run out of inputs, you will basically have to mix down your past tracks to a single backing track while recording your new track. For example, if you have only two inputs, then when it is time to record your fourth track (which is for your third part) you will have to mix your second and third tracks onto a fifth track while listening to them and recording your fourth track.

Hope this makes sense. Latency sucks, but if you try some times, you just might find, you get what you need.

 

[gecko zzed]

The trick for dealing with latency is called "leapfrogging" by some. Basically, you record your first track. Then, when you record your second track while listening to your first track, you simultaneously record a third track that is the playback of your first track fed into your input on your third track.

Then, for your fourth track, if you have more than 2 inputs, you can record your fourth track while listening to your second and third tracks (mute or delete the first track) and simultaneously recording your second and third tracks to fifth and sixth tracks. Keep going in this fashion until you run out of inputs.

Once you run out of inputs, you will basically have to mix down your past tracks to a single backing track while recording your new track. For example, if you have only two inputs, then when it is time to record your fourth track (which is for your third part) you will have to mix your second and third tracks onto a fifth track while listening to them and recording your fourth track.

Hope this makes sense. Latency sucks, but if you try some times, you just might find, you get what you need.

That's certainly a neat way of getting around the problem. But it is also the long way around. A good interface and good drivers should not require such a work-around. I first dipped my toes in the digital world of recording in the mid-nineties with an emagic soundcard using Logic. Despite running on a 600mhz machine with 250 gig of RAM, I had no latency problems.

Curiously, the first time I heard about latency was when I joined this site some ten years after, when I noticed others experiencing something that I never had. My good luck, perhaps. It certainly wasn't through careful planning. However, these days, reasonable interfaces should not present latency problems.

 

[robdean]

Google 'ASIO4ALL' - free ASIO driver which tends to improve things even with lousy laptop sound chipsets.

Beyond that, the cheapest way is a dedicated USB gizmo which looks like a guitar cable with USB at one end (it isn't though - there's circuitry in it too!).

Re. plugging straight into line input: that's not causing the latency. The circuits will not be well matched if you plug the guitar straight in but if the tone & dynamics are OK don't worry about it. If you have any kind of FX box which has a line-out you could use that in between...

 

[TheGuitarMan]

The trick for dealing with latency is called "leapfrogging" by some. Basically, you record your first track. Then, when you record your second track while listening to your first track, you simultaneously record a third track that is the playback of your first track fed into your input on your third track.

Then, for your fourth track, if you have more than 2 inputs, you can record your fourth track while listening to your second and third tracks (mute or delete the first track) and simultaneously recording your second and third tracks to fifth and sixth tracks. Keep going in this fashion until you run out of inputs.

Once you run out of inputs, you will basically have to mix down your past tracks to a single backing track while recording your new track. For example, if you have only two inputs, then when it is time to record your fourth track (which is for your third part) you will have to mix your second and third tracks onto a fifth track while listening to them and recording your fourth track.

Hope this makes sense. Latency sucks, but if you try some times, you just might find, you get what you need.

Is a manual recording offset not that common in DAW preferences? Reaper has it. All you do is record a click, loop it back through a line in to record it on a second track, determine the latency, then punch it in to the settings.

 

[tonesponge]

Is a manual recording offset not that common in DAW preferences? Reaper has it. All you do is record a click, loop it back through a line in to record it on a second track, determine the latency, then punch it in to the settings.

No, I don't think it is that common. It sounds like a good idea, but if I'm not mistaken, doesn't the amount of latency change as you add tracks? If so, wouldn't the offset become inaccurate after adding a few more tracks?