Hi, fairly new to Ardour, previously used Logic Pro on mac and Cubase on windows. I am having trouble with software monitoring in the project. I have calibrated the device and got a small latency round trip, and applied it.
My problem is that when I record (guitar, vocals) I get quite a bit of delay on the output using software monitoring. The track records in time, but the audio output is delayed by roughly 250msec.
No if I go into say the plugin amp head or speaker and add a latency compensation of 250msec, then the monitoring is perfect, but the recording is now off from the click track, I assume by 250msec.
I have the audio setup as 44.1khz and 256 samples.
I sounds like you might be overthinking it a tad. Either use your interface’s built-in zero latency monitoring (if available) and any medium buffer size OR use as low a buffer size as you can manage without getting x-runs and audio glitches and use software monitoring. It goes without saying that you should be using ASIO as the driver and either 44.1k or 48k as the sample rate.
There might be something else going on but you can at least try/check this first. I’ve never bothered to calibrate my USB device with Windows + ASIO.
I can’t use the interfaces monitoring because I’m using a plugin for the amp. Also how is it I can achieve near 0 latency when I adjust latency in the plugin, and how is the system 250msecs off?
I don’t think I’m overthinking it, if I was getting 10msec sure, but 250msec?
With 1 track, 44.1khz and 256 samples (of course using asio) no effects im still getting that 250msec latency.
That 10ms is one way audio - audio going into the system. If you’re using a software based amplifier, I recommend:
Record your signal completely dry
Do all the amplification post-processing
Optional: Disable track monitoring on that track, run the amp as a standalone (for the feel), and record that way. Adjust the track for latency, and then add the plugin as a part of the plugin strip pre-fader on the track.
This also has the advantages that you can change amp settings after doing the initial recording. This is just my .02 though - your mileage may vary.
Im not getting 10msec. Im getting 250msec. As i said in the previous statement, IF it was 10msec I would be fine with it, but it is not.
I am unsure what you are saying. I am not using an external amp as I don’t have one ATM. I am using the software Amplifier and Cab. So i can’t do it that way.
It is strange that software monitoring the track gives me 250msec latency, but when i do the system calibrate with a cable, it only gives me 15msec or so. Is something going on here maybe?
Have you tried software monitoring on an empty track WITHOUT the plugin? Is that the same latency issue?
Seablade
EDIT: This should be tested in an empty session without any plugins at all actually. See if the problem persists. If it doesn’t, then add the plugin and see if it appears. If it does it points to something specific with that plugin and the latency it is adding.
That 10ms is one way - meaning that’s from signal source to DAW, or from DAW to output. The 250ms latency is round trip - signal from the guitar, into the DAW, processing, and then out to the speakers/headphones.
Piling on what Seablade said, are you getting latency if you run the standalone plugin (the plugin that is a .exe file, runs outside the DAW)?
Yeah I did without any effects and still occurred.
That’s why I don’t get what is happening.
I’m using a 18i8 focus rite sound card. I also downloaded the free presonus one to test and it works perfectly. So not an issue with the soundcard
Meaning an empty session like Seablade suggested, or you just put your current effect in bypass?
Free Presonus what? Amp simulator? I can’t find that on the Presonus web site.
That suggests that perhaps the plugin is reporting incorrect latency values to Ardour, and the DAW is trying to compensate. What plugin is this? I could not find where you said exactly what plugins you were using for other people to try to duplicate. If the plugin has multiple versions available, which version is it (VST2, VST3, etc.)?
I’ll check again today. I did an empty track with no plugins, I had say 5 tracks in total in there.
I was using lepou le456 amp and nadir cab I think. I will get more info soon.
I would like to think 5 tracks wouldn’t affect the outcome that much, considering all of them were blank with no recording.
If there is a plugin giving incorrect latency information on one track, all tracks will be delayed to match. You need a session with no plugins loaded, then you can systematically add plugins one at a time until you find the one causing the problem.
Hey thanks all. Started a new session and it worked fine. Put the guitar amp and cab plugins back in and still worked fine. So I will go through the old session and work out what is causing it.
It could be something particular with some routing you have set up.
Latency compensation has to look at all the tracks, and find the audio path with the most latency, and delay all the other tracks/audio paths to it to align everything. This gets difficult if, for instance, you have a send from one track to another track, or a possible feedback loop in there, etc. There are some routing scenarios that make this very complicated if not outright impossible sometimes but it tries as best as it can.
Yeah it was a basic setup with next to nothing in it. The only thing in there was 3 audio tracks and an avl drum kit. Which is another issue all together now haha.
In the new session the x42 avl drumkit crashes the project when I try to open up the GUI.