Get a FREE fully-working copy of Steganos Security Suite 7 (worth £49.99) when you sign up to the Practical PC Newsletter. Fixing Audio Latency Part 2
Latency - in this second and final part Ian Waugh explains a workaround for high latency systems and looks at the latency in SoundBlaster cards...
In the first part we explained what latency is, the problems it can cause and how ASIO drivers can help reduce it. In this part we look at a workaround for systems that have a high latency and conclude with few words about the popular SoundBlaster range of sound cards.
Click and mute
There are a couple of ways to overcome the latency problem caused by monitoring pre-recorded tracks while recording new ones. If the latency is noticeable but you can still work with it, one option is simply to mute the recorded material and play along to a click track. Maybe you lose a little feel but the new material will be in time.
One common manifestation of latency is when using virtual instruments as the signal from the keyboard has to be routed through the system's audio section. So, if you are using a virtual instrument for a track, a second way to reduce latency is not to! That is, don't use a virtual instrument but instead use one of the sounds built into the sound card.
Alternatively, if your keyboard has built-in sounds, use them. This will ensure that you get an instant response to what you're playing. After recording the track, then you can set it to play through a virtual instrument.
Likewise, if you are recording audio material, monitor at source, not through the sequencer software.
Okay, this isn't a perfect solution but then we're dealing with systems which are less than perfect. If you want to avoid this sort of thing the only solution is to use a sound card with low latency.
It's a Blast!
Creative Labs' Sound Blaster Live! has been one of the most popular sound cards for both general use and for music. However, the lowest latency most systems achieve is about 46ms which is on the edge of acceptability and most users adopt one of the two workarounds mentioned above.
Throughout the life of the card there was the underlying promise - or hope! - that low-latency drivers would appear. However, with the launch of the SoundBlaster Audigy complete with long-awaited low-latency drivers, this is now almost certainly out of the window. If you want a SoundBlaster with low latency you need to upgrade to an Audigy. Cynical? Nah....
The Audigy promises latency as low as 2ms although in practice it's likely to be 4-7ms but this is well low enough for most people.
Not only but also...
If you don't want to go the Audigy route, there are many companies producing sound cards with low latency designed for music making. These include Midiman (www.midiman.com), to name but one company, who manufactures a good range of cards and interfaces at very reasonable prices.
Or type 'low latency sound card' into your favourite search engine to see what else is on offer. Remember, you want ASIO drivers (see part 1) or else custom drivers with low latency.
But the bottom line is simply that latency is a function of hardware and drivers and if they produce a high latency there's not much you can do about it other than get a low latency card.
However, we must also add that under certain circumstances, if a sequencer and sound card are not set up correctly or optimally, this can cause delays. This is not the same as having a high latency system and most set up problems can be corrected by reading the manual (stop groaning!) and following the developer's set up and troubleshooting sections.
