software monitor lag
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Posted on Nov 23, 2004 02:43 pm
Cougar
Member Since: Nov 08, 2004
I'm (a home recording novice) using Deck 3.5 recording studio software on my Mac, just running a line from the "phones out" on my Yamaha SY77 straight into the 'audio in' on the back of my Mac G3. This is probably considered an archaic setup, but hey, it had worked OK for me. Anyway, I HAD been using the "record monitoring" capability and just running everything out of my computer speakers, but there's a definite lag between key-press and sound, and it's even more pronounced with Deck 3.5. (I had been running Deck II.) Well, I needed an amp anyway. So I picked up a Fender KXR-60 off of eBay (which hasn't arrived yet), and I expect I'll be able to instantaneously monitor my sound AND send the signal to the computer for recording. Now I'm wondering exactly how I'm going to be getting the signal out of the amp to the computer. I don't think there's an external speaker out. There is an effects loop - do I use the "out" from there and send it to the computer audio in? The amp also has a place to plug in phones. Do I send that signal to the computer?
Another rather key question -- I'm a one-man multi-track band, building up tunes over many tracks. When I'm playing along with an already recorded track, are the two tracks going to sync up? Or how do I get them to?
I appreciate the comments from all you experienced home recording artists!
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Nov 23, 2004 02:48 pm Your problem is presumably your sound card. ALl I see is you saying "audio in" which tells me that you are likely using the built in sound device that came with your PC.
What you are experiencing is called "Latency" from using a sound card not made for recording, but for gaming and system sounds and such.
I higher performance sound card would liekly help.
If I am wrong and it is a higher end sound card, tell us so we can look elswhere for the problem.
CougarMember
Since: Nov 08, 2004
Nov 23, 2004 03:08 pm Right. "audio in" = built-in sound input on a Mac.
And "latency" is exactly right. I noticed that term in the Deck documentation. I should go back and read that because there may have been instructions to get around this latency. (Sending the computer output to the amp?)
I don't know if "sound cards" are even part of the discussion in Mac-land... they're certainly not discussed as much as they are in PC-land.
I'm also going to be shifting over to a Powerbook G4, which doesn't even HAVE an "audio in". So I've got to get an iMic which converts mini-plugs to a USB plug. I hope Deck doesn't have any problem recognizing this input....
Nov 23, 2004 04:10 pm no no no, what you want to get is a high quality USB or Firewire external sound device.
Here is a few to look at www.homerecordingconnecti...t&cat_id=22 they are more expensive, but if you don't get a decent one, you will have to live with latency...
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CougarMember
Since: Nov 08, 2004
Nov 24, 2004 09:29 am Here's what the Deck manual says...
"It is strongly recommended that you monitor your
recording in the analog domain [as opposed to the digital domain, where I had been] when recording live or overdubbing. Use your analog mixer to monitor the
analog audio signal while recording in Deck. When
you record monitor in Deck, there will be a latency
equal to twice the size of the ASIO buffer (e.g. at
44,100 with a 2,048 byte buffer size there will be
almost 93ms of latency from when you recorded the
signal into Deck to when you hear it come back out of
the speakers). Monitoring the recording in the analog
domain avoids this problem."
As I said, the latency was very noticeable.
