Latency Issues...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Composer IV
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Composer IV

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Hello,

I'm an older fellow just getting into digital recording. Over the years I have done everything in studios and haven't had a need for any "home studio." But now.. times are changing and I have always admired the independence some composers have using modern methods. My situation is as follows:

The keyboard I have been using to record with only has a USB output. I plug this into my computer's USB port and then run a VSTi (typically something from EWQL) through a recording program. However, there is a latency between what I play on the keyboard and what I hear through my computer's speakers. I have been told that I need to upgrade my sound card...

I have been looking for sound cards but they all seem to require MIDI connection from my keyboard... I just need to get rid of this latency and possibly learn something from those more experienced. Also, is it possible to use an external sound card to solve my problem? That portability would be helpful...

Thank you, everyone! I know it can be a pain to guide those who know so little about a certain a field.. Especially one as complex as modern recording!

---Composer IV
 
For the same price as you would pay for a good soundcard, you can pick up a midi keyboard of similar quality.
Somebody want to tell Composer what to look for?
By the way, what's your budget? They start at $100 and go a long way up.
 
Hello, thanks for the reply!

The issue with that, however, is that my sound card does not support MIDI input so I would still have the same problem...

And due to my urgent need for a quick fix and limited budget I need to figure out a way to make my USB keyboard work without latency. I'm not that knowledgeable in this stuff but I hope that the sound card hunch will be it.. I just need assistance in finding one! :o..

I've been looking for a good external one but not with much luck.. It's a pity because I'm running out of time! :(
 
Since the keyboard is connected via USB, it's probably the keyboard itself creating the latency? Possibility, at least.

You COULD try Asio4All drivers, however i'm not sure if they have any effect on USB latency.
 
Curfew,

I have installed the ASIO4ALL drivers and it seems to be helping! I do have the slightest feel of latency but it's nothing that will affect my recordings (nothing like how it was before)... This is perfect for the meantime, so I thank you for your suggestion!

This will allow me to really invest in other things now that I can hold off. I would like to buy a hard drive (15,000 rpm) which I can dedicate solely on music recording as well as a mid to high end sound card.

If anyone else has any other suggestions that can supplement curfews advice feel free to join in! I'd love to hear of other methods, if possible. :)
 
I'm glad it helped. In the Asio control panel, you can lower the sample rate, which will give you less latency as well.

15,000 rpm? Sheeesh thats fast. And probably expensive :$
 
A lot of times this can be remedied by adjusting the audio buffer size used by the sound card. With my configuration, for instance, if my ASIO buffer size is set to 256 samples then I have no noticeable latency at all.

However, reduced buffer sizes come with a cost. As you start adding tracks to a project or use more sophisticated VSTs, you'll find you'll need to increase the buffer size so you don't get dropout.

It's a tradeoff (more so for those of us on budget hardware). Quite often if I need to record a new MIDI track, I'll mix the current state of the project down to a single track, record my new MIDI track with a low buffer size, and then bring the MIDI track into the original project with a larger buffer size. If I find I have timing issues after the fact, I'll often manually offset the MIDI data with experimental values until everything sounds like it's lined up right. It's not perfect, but it works.

-Shane
 
The issue with that, however, is that my sound card does not support MIDI input so I would still have the same problem...
Click to expand...
Well, No!
The keyboard would be USB and also act as your audio interface.
 
Windows Vista or Windows 7? I had bad latency issues and while the Asio4All helped, I could still feel the lag. Got a second PC with XP and everything is just fine.
 
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