Is this a latency issue?

Can you descibe your problem better?

Well I don't feel off when I'm playing. I feel like while I'm recording on my midi keyboard, I'm playing dead on with the metronome click and I don't notice a delay from the time I press a key to hearing the sound from the soft synth. I must just be playing ahead then. Doh!
I don't have Sonar in front of me at the moment but I'll definitely have to find the quantize algorithm you mentioned. Sounds perfect.

Are you using a combined audio/MIDI interface, or audio interface and keyboard connected by USB/MIDI? Whichever the case, you might try the alternate configuration.

Some interfaces seem to do odd things with MIDI timestamps that can cause an offset between MIDI and audio. You might try enabling IgnoreMIDIInTimeStamps in TTSSEQ.INI, and see if that thas any effect.

If all else fails, you can compensate for the offset by entering the appropriate Timing Offset value in Preferences (don't know the exact path in X1 off the top of my head).

Here's an exhaustive thread on the subject from a few years ago (has it really been that long?!):

http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?&m=1301345&mpage=1

novation sl mkII

 
This will help you figure out what's going on because a keyboard synth can generate virtually simultaneous MIDI and audio output (usually within 1ms) that you can use as a reference for what SONAR records.
 
The first thing you'll want to do is check the audio latency compensation of the Toneport by running the free CEntrance ASIO latency tester (Google it), and comparing what it reports for a round-trip time with what SONAR reports. Then enter the difference in samples (CEntrance RT - SONAR RT) as a Manual Offset in Preferences > Audio > Sync and Caching (not to be confused with "Timing Offset (msec)" mentioned earlier, which should be left at 0 for the time being).
 
Then set up to record simultaneous audio and MIDI from the Novation using Local Control. Record a few isolated MIDI notes along with a drum sound or other synth sound with a sharp attack, and zoom in to see how the recorded audio and MIDI are lining up. Setting the tempo to 125 BPM (2 ticks.ms) or even 625 (10 ticks/ms) will make it easy to see how much error you're getting without changing you timeline display to milliseconds. And do this with the metronome off; we'll worry about that later. We just want to see the relative timing sync between audio and MIDI at this point, without regard to where it falls in the timeline.
 
If corresponding MIDI notes and audio transients are within a couple milliseconds with the MIDI being late (since SONAR does nothing by default to compensate MIDI transmission delay), then everything is probably copacetic with the basic audio and MIDI interface set up.
 
If not, let us know what you're seeing, and we'll go from there.

I'm a little confused about step 1. Everytime I run CEntrance latency tester, I get a different number of samples.

But if I do (1195x17.44)/769, I get 27.1 so does that mean I don't need to mess with the manual offset?

I noticed here that clicking on the front of the notes in audio, you can see in the piano roll view that the midi started ahead. The first and fourth notes had the biggest chunk of midi data in front of them and the second and third were closer to being in sync

brundlefly, I just tried the suggestion in your first post. I put the manual offset back to 0, and above that I messed with the Timing Offset, right now I'm at 24msec and it seems to be pretty dang close. My midi data is lined up on beat and the audio data seems to be lined up too.
Do you think I should still try enabling IgnoreMIDIInTimeStamps in TTSSEQ.INI? And if so, how do I do that?

Okay. I read a little bit more. Here are a few more thoughts;

Yes, when doing the round-trip test with CEntrance, it needs to have an analog audio loopback path from output to input to send the "ping" around and measure the total time (latency). Without that, it shouldn't even be able to report a number.

Normally, you'd expect the round-trip latency to be twice the buffer size (same buffer in and out) plus maybe 88 samples (1ms each way) for A/D/A conversion, plus maybe another 20-30 samples of driver/bus latency, depending on the interface. This would give you 512 + 88 + 30 = 630. Thats why I'm surprised your CEntrance screenshot shows 769. But if it's variable, that's  big problem in itself. It should be consistent to within a sample, if not exactly the same every time. And the difference between what CEntrance reports, and what SONAR reports should be the same at all buffer settings, allowing you to set the Manual Offset and forget it.

Regarding CEentrance reporting "769 samples / 17.44ms". That's just sloppy symbology. It should really be "769 samples = 17.44ms at 44.1kHz" (769 samples / 44100 samples/sec = .01744 sec. = 17.44ms).

Looking at your screenshots, it appears that the audio track is a soft synth track with Waveform Preview enabled. That's not what you want to be doing. You want to set up a track to record the analog input(s) of your Toneport, and connect the audio output(s) of your Novation to the interface and record its synth module output at the same time you record the MIDI driving it.

Ah crap I figured I was probably setting it up wrong. Even with nothing plugged in to any inputs or outputs of my toneport, CEntrance still gives a random sample and ms number when I hit measure. And no, they are off majorly, like several hundred samples each time and several ms each time.
Looks like I need a better quality interface.
Is it even worth it to set up an audio and midi track like you mentioned if I'm having these funky driver problems?

sorry to dig up an old thread, but i had this issue today. came here, did a search and this topic came up. turns out, none of these solutions were necessary for me. what was necessary in my case was to disable the plugins i had placed in the audio fx bin of one of my tracks. i had totally forgotten that i had put them there, and as soon as i disabled them (didn't have to delete them), i was able to playback my midi drums without them triggering ahead of the beat. wanted to add this to the thread in case it helps someone else in the future.

I too have run into this and my fix was to go into the Configuration file (Edit, Preferences ((or just P)) Audio, Configuration file... Look for "Enable Device Output Latency Compensation.... Set this to 'False'.... hit apply. that should fix your trouble of Sonar 'over compensating'.

bobguitkillerleft


I recently attempted to turn my standard electric guitar into a Bass,via the "pitch shifter" in Amplitube3,and after much messing about[losing the phaser etc]I thought that the result was ok.......until,on playback the Bass parts sounded like a gig I played many many moons ago,where we all got super drunk,as we were the headline act over Rose Tattoo[minus Angry A-lead singer],and the heaviest bikers in Sydney packed the venue,and actually stayed to watch us!!!

I seriously thought we would all be killed,but we lived,with a bad enough hangover to make me [finally]realise how poisonous alcohol is.
Bob  http://soundcloud.com/rks26

if i may ask sir...what does this have to do with this thread?
this is just random jargin.

jimmypop13


Well I don't feel off when I'm playing. I feel like while I'm recording on my midi keyboard, I'm playing dead on with the metronome click and I don't notice a delay from the time I press a key to hearing the sound from the soft synth. I must just be playing ahead then. Doh!
I don't have Sonar in front of me at the moment but I'll definitely have to find the quantize algorithm you mentioned. Sounds perfect.

Yes your metronome fools you in SONAR because of audio latency. Its a known problem. 
 
 
Here is how to fix it!
You need to make a "Metronome BUS" send the output from the "METRONOME/Click"-Preference to that BUS.
On the "METRONOME"-BUS send the specific output but to "MASTER BUS" in SONAR. 
 
As you can see all MIDI recordings lines up correctly during recording when you follow the CLICK/Metronome.
 

go into the Configuration file (Edit, Preferences ((or just P)) Audio, Configuration file... Look for "Enable Device Output Latency Compensation.... Set this to 'False'.... hit apply. that should fix your trouble of Sonar 'over compensating'.

Blogman

Thank you, thank you!!!  I have been getting so frustrated with this MIDI synchronization problem where recorded MIDI notes were always ~20ms early, and was having a hard time finding anything in forums about it.  Making this adjustment fixed my problem!  I'm using Cakewalk Sonar X1 Essential, with all latest patches.