Helpful Reply[Resolved] Soft Synth Latency doing my head in!

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Eggster
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2011/10/06 05:44:58 (permalink)

[Resolved] Soft Synth Latency doing my head in!

OK, i seem to spend more time trying to get my set up working than actually using it...

Last night I opened up a project I recorded about 5 years ago, and decided to add a soft synth part. The latency made it impossible - when i hit a note on the keyboard, there was a distinct time gap before the note sounded. 

I tried another soft synth, same problem.

I turned Sonar off, and opened up stand alone versions of the synths - there was no notable latency.

Then i started a new project, launched a synth, there was no notable latency. 

I'm using X1c, Onyx400F and Win7 32.

What am i doing wrong?
post edited by Brandon Ryan [Cakewalk] - 2011/10/06 15:06:07
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    BlixYZ
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    Re:Soft Synth Latency doing my head in! 2011/10/06 06:36:35 (permalink)
    sonar adjusts the latency automatically based on how big the project is, or rather, howdemanding it is on the cpu.  this is why a new project has no latency.   a trick that i use is to disable all bus FX temporarily while i use a soft synth.   then, when the part has been recorded, i turn all the bus and master plugins back on.                  freezing some of the other synths in use could also do the trick.       if a project is really huge, u may have to render it, bring that wave up in a new project and add your new synth part.       hope this helps.
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    John T
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    Re:Soft Synth Latency doing my head in! 2011/10/06 06:37:22 (permalink)
    Well, latency isn't static over the lifetime of a project. The more effects you add, the greater the latency will be. Reverbs can be ad a lot, as can any processors that use any kind of "look ahead" method. This is almost certainly why your new "clean" project doesn't have latency and your old one does.

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    John T
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    Re:Soft Synth Latency doing my head in! 2011/10/06 06:38:23 (permalink) ☄ Helpful
    To solve it, try switching off PDC, or use the global effects bypass. They're next to each other in the control bar.

    http://johntatlockaudio.com/
    Self-build PC // 16GB RAM // i7 3770k @ 3.5 Ghz // Nofan 0dB cooler // ASUS P8-Z77 V Pro motherboard // Intel x-25m SSD System Drive // Seagate RAID Array Audio Drive // Windows 10 64 bit // Sonar Platinum (64 bit) // Sonar VS-700 // M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 // KRK RP-6 Monitors // and a bunch of other stuff
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    Guitarhacker
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    Re:Soft Synth Latency doing my head in! 2011/10/06 07:41:45 (permalink)
    Latency... the bane of the digital DAW. 


    You can set the latency slider and the buffers to different levels..... experiment to see what works best for you. 

    BUT... the first question that really needs to be asked is: What sound card are you using?


    Is it a factory card in either a desktop or a lappy? Normally they use a cheap sound card..... either realtek or soundblaster, and the truth is neither of them are good cards for serious recording. They can not process the data fast enough to get the latency to under 10ms where it needs to be. 

    The solution is to get a dedicated USB based audio interface. These are normally sold at music stores in their recording/pro audio departments.  They have what it takes to deliver multiple synths on many tracks to the speakers in "real time" to make the experience a joy.

    My website & music: www.herbhartley.com

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    #5
    Eggster
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    Re:Soft Synth Latency doing my head in! 2011/10/06 07:42:14 (permalink)
    Thanks guys - I'd never given those ideas a thought. Can't wait to get home and try them out!
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    Eggster
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    Re:Soft Synth Latency doing my head in! 2011/10/06 14:29:35 (permalink)
    OK - turned off the FX and tried the PDC. Both worked perfectly. Thanks again for the help!
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