Latency problems (recording delay) with USB condensor mic?

You may need to get an interface so you can use direct monitorring, then latency is no problem at all for audio tracking. There are many and some of them used are cheap. Like the US-122 MkII and the Line6 toneport.... and sorry to say it but there are some really decent large diaphgram condenser mics, like MXL, that are prety cheap too. I think I saw a USB mic with a direct monitoring switch but I don't remember which one.
I think direct monitoring is your only real solution... but hey, I've been wrong before.

Julien

So basically what you're saying is that the delay in live monitoring is a problem associated with the mic itself, and probably can't be fixed...

Whereas the delay in the actual recording can be fixed by with Sonar's "Manual Offset" right? And I'm assuming that "Manual offset" is a setting that essentially just pulls back all of this particular mic's recordings a certain amount automatically each time I record a clip so that it is aligned with everything else in the project, yes?

The reason why I got this mic was that the audio quality is very good for its price (and I still think its very good). Problem was that I didn't consider the latency issue since its a USB mic as much as I should have. I probably will invest on a better mic eventually, but this USB mic will have to do for now.

jbow


http://www.pcworld.com/article/149123/review_usb_microphones.html

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GTrackUSB/

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MeteorMic/

The headphone jack on these mics will solve your problem until you desire a better sound.

Julien

Dang I wish my mic had a headphone jack...


But then that raises another question for me. If my headphone is plugged into the mic while recording, I will hear my own voice yes, but how will I hear the song that I'm singing to since the headphones are not plugged into the computer? 

vaultwit


So basically what you're saying is that the delay in live monitoring is a problem associated with the mic itself, and probably can't be fixed...

It depends on if you can monitor through the built in audio of the mic. In other words, can you set the mic so you can listen to your project with headphones while you are recording your vocal track without using Echo Input mode on the track?

Whereas the delay in the actual recording can be fixed by with Sonar's "Manual Offset" right? And I'm assuming that "Manual offset" is a setting that essentially just pulls back all of this particular mic's recordings a certain amount automatically each time I record a clip so that it is aligned with everything else in the project, yes?

Manual offset is when your recorded tracks do not line up with each other. That's different than the real time latency you are getting with your mic.

The only real way to really set your manual offset is to do a manual calibration by making a loop physical loop from an output of your sound card to an input of the same sound card.

The 'Reported Latency' in the Manual Offset section is rarely accurate. Basically you have to make a loop on your audio card. Play a test tone via a track in Sonar and take the output of your audio card and run it in to an input of the same card and record the test tone back in to Sonar. Then zoom in on the track you recorded and see how far apart the original and the recorded track are. Zoom in to sample level (until the wav's look like steps) and count how many samples apart they are and enter that in to your 'manual offset' box.

My Fast Track Ultra is 323 samples off even though the Reported Latency says it's 250 samples off.

Well, here's how it normally works.

Audio interfaces have inputs for a guitar and microphone and outputs that go to your speakers and another output for headphones. If you are using an internal sound card such as PCI/PCIe the sound is routed to your DAW via the motherboard. If you are using a USB sound card, the sound is routed to your DAW via the USB connection. The connection between your audio interface and your recording software is where the latency delay happens.

Normally you plug your microphone in to the audio interface. When you do that, most interfaces will let you hear your microphone before it ever gets sent to your DAW so there is no delay when you record. This is called 'Input Monitoring'. The way it works is, you monitor your mic while the project is playing back during recording. That way there is no delay.

Most interfaces have a simple reverb and delay built in to them so you can monitor with effects, but will actually record a dry signal so you can add what you want later.

The problem with USB mic's is they have the audio interface built in, so when you plug them in to a USB port, you bypass any other audio interface you are using. I'm not sure if you can route your USB mic back through an audio interface? That would be the only solution, but I've never used a USB mic so I can't say for sure.

Input Echo 'On' means you can monitor your input (Guitar or Mic) on the track you are recording through your DAW after it leaves your audio interface. The problem is the latency. Especially when you have a bunch of tracks, and the more effects you have in your project, the more your latency goes up.

Input Echo is the button on every audio track to the right of the red record enable button.