Nov 01, 2002 08:49 pm mickman,how do you check the latency on a card?
Thanks
VST instruments on cards with no midi
Posted on Nov 01, 2002 06:39 pm
mickthaman
Member Since: Oct 31, 2002
So if I were to buy the M-audio Delta 44, and then plug my keyboard through a usb port, would I be able to play Vst instruments through it in realtime? It says zero audio latency but as it doesn't support midi, I don't really know where I stand with VST instruments, as I have quite a few. This is one area where my audigy doesn't do too badly! (2ms latency)
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Nov 01, 2002 08:49 pm mickman,how do you check the latency on a card?
Thanks
Nov 02, 2002 01:51 am well with the audigy it was written all over the box as one of the main selling points, but i don't know with other cards
Nov 02, 2002 02:18 am mick, that's great latency on that card. My friend had audible delay from a keystroke on his Yamaha keyboard to the playback on his SB Exigy soundcard.
As for VSTi's, oh yeah! Your VST host will have two differnt options for you to choose. One will be the "MIDI in" which you'll set to your midi device, and the other will be your "wav out" which you'll set to the Delta44. The software will handle the midi data to digital audio conversion as fast as your machine will allow.
But, please understand that the Delta44 boasts "zero latency monitoring", that means that you can hear all 8 channels with no latency since the DAC/ADC's are all in the breakout box. No soundcard/DAW has zero latency for conversion purposes.
I've been using the Delta44 to sequence VSTi's for several years, but mind you I've never tried realtime MIDI controllers. So far I've had nothign but great results from sequenced VSTi's. Your latency will all depend on your hardware/software setup.
Nov 02, 2002 06:37 am Bwahahahaha, latency written on the box, that's funny, and probably horribly inaccurate. Latency is determined mostly by the quality of the card but also is effected greatly by the application it is running it, which driver you are using, the speed of the system the amount of ram you have an much more.
My old Echo Gina 20's latnecy would very by up to 500ms in Cubase depending on the driver I chose to use. It would also very greatly between Cubase and Vegas. Many programs text the hardward when it "profiles" the card upon first strartup of the app, and any time it detects a card change. Sonar and Cubase do for sure, I don't recall seeing it in Vegas, but it may.
One thing to remember, don't believe marketing hype completely, it's just that, marketing hype. M-Audio markets "Zero Latency" and as a whole it is, but if I put my Audiophile 2496 is an old PC that meets the cards minimum requirements I doubt I would get it.
If you notice you will see many software and hardware makers have begun to print "minimum requirements" and "recommended requirements"...and you will also notice they are substantially different.
Nov 02, 2002 10:49 am I'm sorry but you're gonna have to spell it out in black and white for me . If I run my evolution keyboard through usb using cubase, and the delta 44, would there be a noticable gap between the time a key is pressed and a note sounds (with a vst instrument) my machine is an athlon 1.8gigahertz with 256 ddr ram.
ps i've just sold my old keyboard so some new equipment is gonna be on its way shortly, yay!
Nov 03, 2002 08:58 pm M-Audio and some other's are now using what they refer to as zero latency monitering. This is really a great thing to use for those of us who use soft synth's and also moniter DSP FX in real time for our audio. What it essentially does is read ahead of the audio wave and match everything together. It really is monitering the soft synth or DSP FX and avoid's going through all the software recording app's goodie's before you hear it. The latency is still really there, but the DSP on the audio card make's up for it and you don't get the big delay you are used to. I have had my Delta down to about 2ms without using the sero latency monitering, and even at about 13 milisecond's you can play a soft synth live and not be too far off. Then it is a matter of just going into your recording app and moving the wave over a few millisecond's and your done. But the zero latency thing is the kat's backside if you ask me, and it's been along time coming. But I am sure it willalso be improved to near perfection in the near future.
And as a side note, M-Audio was the first card to start doing this, and the other's were soon to follow. But they all have not come to the front of it yet.
Nov 04, 2002 11:12 am Thanks a lot for the feedback. Does anyone know if M-audio are going to be releasing any new soundcards in the future along the lines of the delta 44? I don't really understand soundcard technology but I know that computers outdate within a year, and as the delta 44 has been out a while now, is there likely to be something with better technology coming out soon? or does something like a decent soundcard last for many years before coming outdated?
Nov 04, 2002 02:10 pm I don't think there's gonna be real big changes in digital audio anytime soon, unless you're looking to get into multi channel surround and multimedia focussed stuff. I've had a Delta44 in my PIII machine for two years. I plan on building a P4 this spring and I'm almost certain the Delta44's going in it.
A quick glance at the m-audio.com website and it doens't look like they're mentioning any new audio interfaces, but they have just begun publishing an electronic newsletter that will keep us all updated on the newest products. If anyone's interrested, you can read the pilot isssue at
m-pulse.m-audio.com/index-november2002.html
or subscribe on the mainpage at m-audio.com
Nov 04, 2002 08:52 pm With the Delta card's it is more the software, meaning the driver's that the card use's to talk to your audio application's that are important. And I can tell you right now, M-Audio is probably the best in the biz for keeping their driver data base updated. The have current driver's for even their oldest stuff. I have one of the original
D-Man audio card's and it has driver's available for Win XP, and that card was made before
M-Audio was given it's name, the company was still known only as MidiMan. They are alway's striving to keep their driver's current and they depend on cusomer input to fix any bug's that may occur when new audio software is developed. So don't be afraid to buy one now and think it will be out of date next week, it won't. They have even made the PCI interface card so it can be added onto with one of their other outboard interface's, which give's the card more input choice's just by adding another breakout box.
Nov 04, 2002 10:41 pm no doubt, Noize. I've had my eye on an Omni upgrade for my 44 card... but I'm just broke right now! Got other things to pour my savings into. Man, you can never have too many toys! -j
Nov 05, 2002 01:41 pm Thanks everyone, I'll be going for the delta 44, just as soon as i've sold this darn audigy. I think i have a buyer though...
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