What exactly is Automatic Delay Compensation?

[ryanjfaucett]

The title pretty much sums up the question.. I've been using pro tools for a little over 2 years now, and now that PT9 has come out, I'm hearing all this talk about ADC, but I don't know exactly what it is or what it does. I obviously didn't know that the previous versions didn't have it, so is it going to fix something that maybe I've had problems with in the past? I've gathered that it has something to do with plug ins and faster mixing or something like that. Guess I'm just wondering exactly what Avid is doing by making this available for us.

 

[miroslav]

I don't us PT...but it sounds like another term for Auto Quantize...it basically moves beats/notes to make them be in sync with a specified reference...probably the song's BPM/click...

...then again it may have something to do with latency and using external gear in sync with the DAW.


Like...what does the manual say about it?

 

[ryanjfaucett]

No.. I don't think it's quantization. I know what that is, and it's not ADC.. I haven't bought PT 9 so i don't have the manual, I've only read about it.

The only real thing I can find describing it is this: ADC Equips customers using version 9 of Pro Tools with the ability to create better sounding mixes faster. Users can now mix and record with increased alignment and phase accuracy, without the need to manually compensate for latencies from hardware I/Os, internal and external routing, and plug-in algorithm processing - the number one request on the Pro Tools IdeaScale User Forum.

So yeah, Maybe using outboard gear like you said? I never really work outside the box so I wouldn't have any experience with that, but I guess there might have been problems with latency and what not?

 

[Farview]

ADC is what compensates for the plugin's delay. When you add a plugin to a track, it obviously takes time to make those calculations. The more intense the calculations, the longer it takes. Without ADC, that track would play back late by however long it takes to make those calculations.

By inserting different plugins on different tracks, without ADC everything would be out of time with everything else. In PTle8 and before, you had to figure out the plugin latency and manually slide the track to compensate for plugin delay. All the other DAW programs have had ADC for 10 years, it took ProTools a while to catch up.

 

[miroslav]

All the other DAW programs have had ADC for 10 years, it took ProTools a while to catch up.

Funny that they made it seem like a "new" feature!
That's why I was thinking it was something else...but yeah, most DAWs have been doing that automatically for awhile now and some now also DO have groove quantize capabilities….not sure if PT does.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Farview has the answer 100%.

IMO, the feature was withheld from PTLE as encouragement for users to buy HD. It has been a huuuge drawback for many LE users for years.

yes miroslav, PT has beatdetective and quantizing tools.