What to do to get less latency?

F

Filipe Marquez

New member
Hello guys! I wanted to ask you some questions:

1) What to do 1st to get less latency? Get more RAM, change the Processor, or change the HD?

2) My HD has a Seektime of 8.5 ms. Does that mean that when plugging my guitar directly on the computer and running a standalone Amplitube, will i get 8.5 ms of latency or more?

3) In the preferences box of Gutar Rig 5 standalone, it says i'm getting an overall of 4ms of latency. Is that true or is there something else to analyse?

I ask it all cause i'm not really ABLE to hear any or much latency, but as of some of you may know i'm a bit neurotic when it comes to gear, so i just want to be sure i'm getting the best. Thanks!
 
Re: What to do to get less latency?

In basic concept terms, computers load programs into RAM memory. It will only pull data from the hard drive when it needs something it doesnt already have loaded into ram.

The best thing you can do for performance is optimize you amount of ram and cpu usage by not loading on startup, unneccessary programs thata arent needed all the time. There are also a ton of OS optimizations you can do by turning off uneeded features in windows.

Unless the latency is really bad, you probably wont notice it at all until you start recording. Then its possible you may notice something you recorded in perfect timing could end up off slightly when you play it back.
 
Re: What to do to get less latency?

Filipe Marquez said:
I ask it all cause i'm not really ABLE to hear any or much latency, but as of some of you may know i'm a bit neurotic when it comes to gear, so i just want to be sure i'm getting the best. Thanks!
Click to expand...
If you can't hear the latency, you don't need to worry about it.
Easiest cure for it is an optimized audio chipset and a lotta fast ram.
IOW, a stand alone audiocard, PCIE or USB, will do you much more for reducing latency than anything else.
The more horsepower/ram you have, the better your software will run.

And again, if you *can't hear it*, don't worry about it.
 
Re: What to do to get less latency?

Thanks guys! I am a bit neurotic by this indeed. I don't think i can hear any latency, not even when recording, but i am in doubt if i hear less attack than when i play through an actual amp, idk...

But thanks for giving me the tips, i will get some more ram today, just to guarantee! :D Thanks!
 
Re: What to do to get less latency?

Filipe Marquez said:
Thanks guys! I am a bit neurotic by this indeed. I don't think i can hear any latency, not even when recording, but i am in doubt if i hear less attack than when i play through an actual amp, idk...

But thanks for giving me the tips, i will get some more ram today, just to guarantee! :D Thanks!
Click to expand...

In your software reduce the latency until you get pops and crackles then you've gone too far - bump it up until they disappear. 12ms is acceptable.
 
Re: What to do to get less latency?

Any properly working computer from 1997 or so on should be able to record and play audio without audible latency. The whole latency thing in the area of working computers is blown out of proportion. If you stand 10 meters away from your speakers you get 30 msec delay just from the speed of sound.

Now, the problem is that not all computers are working properly and sorry to say that problems with MS Windows are the usual reason. Either the thing is too busy with some malware or anti-malware (the latter usually doing more damage to performance), or some third-party hardware drivers sucks. There are also all kinds of problems with USB, on all levels, cables, port, hubs etc. It's not the old 1.1 USB. USB 1.1 is fast enough for stereo music. It's crap - crappy hardware, crappy drivers, crappy software - that does the damage.

Of course you can overload your computer, namely with audio effects, or software synthesizers. In those cases your CPU load will be 100% and you need a faster CPU or back down on the processing.

So, if you have an audible delay without doing too much, fix your computer.

If not, don't worry about it :)
 
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Re: What to do to get less latency?

Yeah, my computer is mid-level, not bad not good. I just got some minutes ago 4 more GB of RAM, now i have 8GB. The processor is Core i3 3.4ghz, HD Seagate Barracuda 500GB and Gygabite motherboard...I think it's more or less right?

I pretty much just use it for recording and internet, have no games or anything...

And thanks for the information about the 10 meters away man, i'll use that in further conversations about latency! lol :P
 
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Re: What to do to get less latency?

I record and monitor via a MOTU audio/MIDI interfacing box and a Firewire cable.
 
Re: What to do to get less latency?

Hm, and that's another question that i didn't clear fully yet, what's the real difference between usb and firewire? I'm too lazy to read, so if you know the answer :D
 
Re: What to do to get less latency?

Practically, from a data throughput perspective, very little between USB2 and Firewire400. If I remember rightly, USB2 looks as if it's faster using the bare numbers, but that particular protocol constantly polls to check it has a device connected to it, where Firewire doesn't. It may be the other way round, but that's my recollection of the key difference.

As for USB3 and Firewire800, I really couldn't tell you. Maybe you could research it and tell us... ;)
 
Re: What to do to get less latency?

Of course, for guaranteed absolutely zero latency every time, you could always use (gasp!) analogue tape.
 
Re: What to do to get less latency?

Probably much the same as it would to your tapes at a guess. Fortunately, I don't run any recording s/w on my laptop :D

Without tape we wouldn't have 'Wasted Light'. Now some may say that wouldn't be a bad idea, but I tend to disagree
 
Re: What to do to get less latency?

Apologies to the OP for the temporary hijack. Getting back on topic...

My experience with recording guitar into a computer via an external audio interface is that, nowadays, latency is something that you feel rather than hear.

Driving NI Guitar Rig (or, in my case, Apple Logic's Amp Designer plug-in) should feel exactly like playing through an amplifier. Recording a mic'd up amplifier should also feel normal.

If you are experiencing the degree of hesitation that used to happen with guitar synthesizers and MIDI Guitar systems, it is time to reset your buffer.
 
Re: What to do to get less latency?

Oh errr... Yeah.

I've just been looking at my setup to see what it's capable of. Results so far are:

M-Audio Delta 2496 - 1.5ms
M-Audio Delta 1010 - 1.5ms (same driver used as 2496)
Focusrite Scarlett 18i6 - looks as if it will go to 1ms, but is currently defaulted to 10ms
Line6 POD X3 Pro - 1ms

Bear in mind I've not tested these exhaustively, but the Deltas (which are PCI based) look good for those latencies. The other two are USB based, I've yet to test in anger.
 
Re: What to do to get less latency?

Chris, that's exactly it, i FEEL but i can't hear it. It seems like i have less attack plugging into the computer, but i can't actually listen a latency. I don't remember having this issues with a POD though.

Now i'm in doubt, i'm thinking of getting the Vox AC4TV for practicing and recording purposes. Either that or the Vibro Champ XD.

What do you guys think? :)
 
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