Direct monitoring bug

[Tuomas]

I have had major problems with recording into Live, because i´ve found that the latency compensation doesn´t work with my interfaces (presonus firepod, firebox and Zoom H4) nor with macs internal audio card. When recording with direct monitoring (monitoring before Live, from external device or audiocards mix knob) there has been from version 5 a huge latency when playing the file after recording that spoils the timing and must have been warped or delayed afterwards. But I´ve found that when you record with Live´s monitoring off (not in auto mode) the latency compensation that you´ve made in the preferences kicks in and then recordings come out as they should. You can test this by making two audio tracks, mute them and put the first track to auto monitoring and second track to off. Then put the metronome on and coming out from your headphones. Put a microphone straight to your headphones and record to the same scene and to the same tracks a few clicks. After recording, unmute your tracks and listen how the first track is out of time, but the second track (recorded with monitoring off) is perfectly in time. I don´t think that this should be Abletons intention to do this, because anywhere in the manual there is no mention that the monitoring knobs should work like this. I also hope that we could some day get rid of that manual latency compensation (which is annoying when you use different soundcards in different situations), and something easily working (like in Logic).

Tuomas Fränti
Sound Designer
Finland

[p8guitar]

...
I´ve found that when you record with Live´s monitoring off (not in auto mode) the latency compensation that you´ve made in the preferences kicks in and then recordings come out as they should. ...
I don´t think that this should be Abletons intention to do this, because anywhere in the manual there is no mention that the monitoring knobs should work like this. I also hope that we could some day get rid of that manual latency compensation (which is annoying when you use different soundcards in different situations), and something easily working (like in Logic).

Tuomas Fränti
Sound Designer
Finland

+1!

thanks a lot for this hint, Tuomas. You're right, "auto" monitoring seems to disable the latency compensation, monitoring = "off" enables it. Easy to verify with high buffer settings.
I wish I had known this yesterday already when we had these "unexplicable" timing problems when making vocal recordings. The vocals were always late, although they were sung in time.

No thanks to Ableton for omitting this information in the manual.

Peter

[C2162]

Good to know! I've had this problem too.

[Palmer Eldritch]

Hi guys,

Ableton v8 Manual:

13.1 Monitoring

...
Monitoring can be turned off altogether by choosing the Off option. This is useful
when recording acoustic instruments which are monitored through the air, when
using an external mixing console for monitoring or when using an audio hardware
interface with a direct monitoring option that bypasses the computer
so as to avoid latency. Generally, it is preferable to work with an audio interface that allows for
negligible latencies (a few milliseconds). If you are recording into Live with monitoring
set to Off, you may want to make the Audio Preferences' Overall Latency adjustment,
which is described in the built-in program tutorial on setting up the Audio Preferences.
...

and some information why there is a diference between the Monitoring is switched to auto versus off in the tutorial > "Learn how to setup your audio hardware" > page 8 > lesson "Driver Error Compensation" > page 6:
"
Why does the Driver Error Compensation setting achieve, and why is it needed?
...
Why does this only matter when monitoring is off?
...
"


Cheers, p.e.