Hi all!
 
First post for me on the forum!
I´m using SONAR Platinum with a well spec´d PC (i7, 32 GB RAM) and a SONAR VS-100 soundcard.
I´ve set the ASIO buffer size to 128 samples (2,9 msec) and this gives me a TRL of 18 ms.
Seems very high to me! 
How high are your TRL? Same figures or lower?
Any idea why this could be so high?
(I must say that at the moment I´m working on a project with 15 tracks, 6 synths and a couple of FX and I don´t have any problems with latency, the synths playback just fine with no delay, it´s just the TRL figure that seems to be very high)
 
Also, when I add an instance of Izotope Ozone to one of my tracks, suddenly the latency is very much noticeable.
From that moment, there´s so much latency in the project that it becomes almost impossible to play a synth in real time.
Any idea why that could be?
 
Thanks for your help! 
 
Regards,
Gis
 

What's your RTL with all effects removed from the project? Does it make any difference if you freeze the synths?
 
The 2.9 ms theoretical latency based on buffer size alone does not take into account plugin latency nor added latency from additional buffering in your interface. With your buffer size, and an audio-only project, you should be getting around 4 or 5 milliseconds. So yes, your 18 ms is high. However, it's most likely explainable by plugin latencies.

18ms with 128 samples buffer is usual RTL with low quality USB interfaces (it is 17ms with 133 samples buffer on my Focusrite Scarlett 8i6). As I know some Roland cards have some setting for it (double buffer, CPU performance, or something like that).
Good RME USB interfaces have 8-9ms as I know, and PCI/ PCI-E are the best.
I have some troubles with that, because I use hardware synths, and I'm gonna upgrade to RME in the future. If you only use VSTis, it is less important.

Can you HEAR the latency?
 
18ms isn't particularly low but it's not "high". I'm guessing my RTL is higher than that when I set my interface to my lower buffer settings for tracking and there is no audible delay.
 
ms = Milliseconds
 
Milliseconds be short, yo.

Yup... just as I suspected. My RTL is 22.1 and I was recording solos all morning.
 
I can get it down to 12ms RTL but why risk glitches?
 
Edit: and welcome to the forum... sorry I thought you were someone else for a second.
 
Cheers.

18 ms of delay is the amount of delay between you and a loudspeaker that's 18 feet away. 
 
I suspect drummers tend to be most picky about latency not just because they keep time, but they're used to hearing that snare just a couple milliseconds away from their ears. When I'm on stage playing guitar my amp is at least 10 feet away so that's 10 ms right there.
 
To minimize latency, wear headphones. If your near-field monitors are 4 from your ears, that's already 4 ms of latency. Also as bitflipper points out, plug-ins can add latency, sometimes enough to make real-time recording difficult if not impossible. As these are generally designed for mixing or mastering, you might not notice the latency when used in those applications.

Thanx for the replies!!
I´ve taken away the FX and frozen the synths, but the RTL stays at 18 ms.
Anyways, I have no problems recording, I was just wondering if that was a normal number, which it seems to be according to some of you.
So, I´m happy with that.
 
I also got around the problem with Izotope Ozone which DOES add noticeable latency to the signal.
When I record, I just switch all FX off, record it and put all FX back on again.
 
Now, just a final question.
I´m using the VS-100 as my soundcard but I also have a Fractal AXE FX (guitar processor) hooked up to my PC via USB.
I have DESELECTED the corresponding in- and outputs of this AXE FX in the DEVICES tab, so only my SONAR VS-100 in- and outputs are selected, but when I go to the SYNC AND CACHING tab, the record latency adjustment device is selected to the AXE FX. I can choose the VS-100, but then as soon as I select APPLY, the device jumps back to the AXE FX.
This is weird (any maybe something to do with the RTL.....???)
 
Is this normal behaviour or should my VS-100 figure here as the record latency adjustment device?
 
Thanks ever so much!!!!
 
Gis

Some ASIO drivers will conflict with others (at a Windows level), and USB drivers as mentioned above tend to have higher RTL.
 
Do you have the Fractal AXE FX drivers handy for a re-install? If so, you may want to try uninstalling them to check the system. FWIW, I have an older Digitech GNX3000 whose drivers conflicted, and if I want to "bake FX" into a signal I just go with the direct audio out->Interface route since the latency is significantly lower that way.

Tried that. Uninstalled the drivers. They didn´t show up in Sonar, only the VS-100, still the same RTL of 18,5 seconds.
Anyway, it´s ok for me. I can work with it, if the latency get´s too much, I just temporarily switch off all FX to record something and that´s it!
Thanks for all the replies
Very much appreciated!
Got me a better understanding of my system

You might want to try renaming the OP to include VS-100 and your Windows version. There are VS-100 users that would pick up on that more quickly and chime in (the subject line can be important).