latency correction

[rockizoid]

by the time i add a bunch of plugs to my tracks, things get delayed in varying amounts, destroying the groove of the song. when you hold command and click 2ce on the volume field, it will tell you how much delay there is on each track. what should i do next? how can i slide things back to where they should be? also, if i record a new track with this mess, how do i know "where" the new track is positioned in time relative to the other tracks? if you record while listening to delayed tracks, it compounds the problem. is it wise to shut off all plugs while recording to ensure you are playing to the correct click? is there another way, so that you can record while retaining the plugs so you can get a better vibe for the performance?)
this is where i really miss tape lol
thanks to the gurus...

HD3 ProTools 7.4.2
MacPro 10.5.4
2 x 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Xeon
6 GB 800 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM
Digi 192i/o

[KingFish]

Well, most stay away from recording with Delay Compensation Enabled - When I'm going into a Big Tracking situation, with a bunch of Pre-Pro / Playback in ProTools that I want to track to... I make a Tracking session with everything printed, onto tracks... however, I'm often tracking on "Outside rigs" in tracking rooms around the city, so it's become common practice.

Meanwhile... back in my Overdub Hut... i have had success, doing overdubs on sessions "Almost mixed" with a ton of plugins, with the following variables in Check

- NO Master fader, completely Inactive or Deleted
- Delay Compensation ON
- "Compensate for Input Delays After Record Pass" Box CHECKED in i/o INPUT dialog.

You can experiment with this to make sure it's working, by recording your speakers on a track (Hold up a mic, just make sure you're not monitoring it / Track Level to -inf) when playing back with these settings, and see if it's phase accurate.

[WernerF]

We always track with delay comp on. There should't be any problem as long as you record straight onto the track as opposed to going through an aux on the way in. You just have to make sure that the "compinsate for input delays" box is checked in the IO setup dropdown menu for input and output. By doing this you are listeniing to the fully in sync delay compensated track while you are performing and then, when the record pass is finished P Tools moves the audio to the correctly compensated place relative to the track. And so on down the line for any new track.

[jeremyroberts]

We always track with delay comp on. There should't be any problem as long as you record straight onto the track as opposed to going through an aux on the way in.

Can't do this if you work to a 2mix or cue bus and you have ANYTHING with substantial delay feeding the cue bus (such as reverbs or big fat compressors).

Workaround: with ADC on, make a ref mix to overdub to, and then turn ADC off. DO your ODs and then everything is happy.

[WernerF]

I'm just talking about overdubbng onto a full tracking or mix session that is in progress, not to a premixed two track. That is what I think the OP is asking about doing.

[jeremyroberts]

yes, me too.

it all has to do with bussing and routing -- and in many bussing configs, ADC is a very bad thing for the talent while in OD mode -- because UNTIL THE TRANSPORT STARTS, there will be latency making it impossible to communicate, rehearse, etc... forget about a live midi instrument -- so in the case of a singer asking for help discovering a harmony - they can't hear themselves, and the producer playing the midi keyboard hears the instrument 150ms late. very non-musical.

NOW, once the transport rolls, ADC solves some of this -- but it's not organic.

SO I turn ADC off while tracking or OD.

[WernerF]

Makes sense if your workflow involves live midi and the nescessity to work out and rehearse parts over the talkback. A lot of that doesn't happen that much when you are working with a rock band. Each situation is different and ADC works in one whereas it, unfortunately, doesn't work in another.

[pmklein]

It gives me a headache just thinking about it. I usually leave delay comp on with the "compensate for input delays" checked in the i/o setup like Werner says. If I start hearing strange sync problems I take 3 Advil and wait for the migraine to set in. I then prepare my speech to explain to the talent why things are all of a sudden sounding like 4 different bands playing the same song.

[rockizoid]

we have sessions that were tracked at various times on different systems, and dont know how they were tracked. one thing is certain. when mixing, the more plugs you add, the more the track slides and becomes late relative to the other tracks. doesnt sound like delay compensation is compensating for this at all. should i bounce stems and then visually line up all the peaks by sliding each track manually?

[crizdee]

Originally Posted by rockizoid

we have sessions that were tracked at various times on different systems, and dont know how they were tracked. one thing is certain. when mixing, the more plugs you add, the more the track slides and becomes late relative to the other tracks. doesnt sound like delay compensation is compensating for this at all. should i bounce stems and then visually line up all the peaks by sliding each track manually?

Hi,

Have you actually got ADC turned on?

Chris