Ableton Forum

Here is what I am currently using:

Intel Macbook Pro 2.0 ghz, 1 GB 667 mhz RAM, OSX 10.4.10
MOTU Ultralite
Nord Rack 2x
Mackie Monitors
Ableton Live 6.0.5

I am having a problem with latency when trying to record/monitor audio in from the Nord Rack or from other sources (microphones, etc). I have adjusted the latency using the preferences window to various buffer sizes so that it equals to zero or -0.01. currently i have it set to a Buffer of about 300 samples, drive error compensation of -14.8. No matter how much I adjust it, there seems to be a split second of latency. When I direct monitor the Nord Rack, there is no delay at all, and sometimes when I record, there is no latency, but the monitoring in Live shows some, and it makes it difficult to concentrate.

I also noticed that this is not so much of an issue when I first load a fresh template set with next to no audio or midi, but as I start to increase the number of recorded samples / channels, the latency sets in.

Do you have any other ideas on how to fix this issue?

Thanks
Rob

Hello,

I'm not so sure I understand what you're doing, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

Latency is a 'property' of a digital audio system, it is something you can't really avoid. Your soundcard needs some time to convert the audio so it reaches the computer, and same the other way, it needs some time to deliver the sound to the speakers. So when Monitor is set to IN in Live, playing you synth, you'll always hear a 'delay'. Now, the lowest you set your buffer size for the soundcard, the better it will be, and generally, with a latency of up to 12 ms, it is playable (depends on who is playing).

Now, if monitoring is OFF in Live, meaning that the synth is monitored via a mixing board, or with the headphone, Live will automatically compensate for the latency. This is done according to the value reported by the soundcard for the buffer size. Some drivers, soundcards, report a wrong value, so we offer the 'driver error compensation' setting, that should only be used for that purpose. There is a lesson about setting it up, you should do it once with your sound card, set this setting, and forget about it. You can access the lessons via the Help menu, 'lessons table of content'.

Kind regards,
Amaury

I ran through the lessons for recording audio and drive error compensation and now the buffer has been adjusted to 105 samples with a compensation of 8 ms. When I use a new file, there is next to no latency when compared to the direct monitoring still, but as I add more channels and record more audio it slips to one beat off when using Live's In monitoring. Is that the rough equivalent to typical latency in most setups?

I've got the ultralite and i have my buffer set to 256...I'll put it up higher if i have more tracks etc. but yeah, 256 works well to record most stuff.