ProTools Control App meters lagging on Android

[ramonetl]

Hey has anyone noticed this? I recently got an android Tab A with the intention of using it as a meter bridge vs ipad for the S1. Was playing with it on the dock and I noticed that there is a significant display lag on the meters with the Android. I swapped it with the Ipad and the metering is perfect. Both are using the same 5g network in the same exact spot. I checked what I could but this could be a problem and I wonder if its an android issue or the control app. I had not noticed it before but I did last night and was like hmmm. Anyone else notice this? Im only running maybe 14 tracks so its not a huge session. Thanks.

[EddieJones]

Whats the Android device ?

[ramonetl]

Samsung Tab A. Just got it from costco. Its the 128gb wifi model.

[EddieJones]

um, thats the one we used at all the shows (3 together)

[rockafella]

Originally Posted by EddieJones

um, thats the one we used at all the shows (3 together)

@EddieJones - I am curious, in your setups, are the meters on the Control app ever EXACTLY in sync with the computer display's meters in Pro Tools?

I have an iPad Air 2 running the Control app for my Dock, and a Fire 10HD for the S1 "meter bridge". Since the Fire won't run on Ethernet, it's on 5G Wi-Fi, but the iPad is on ethernet. I even tried moving its plug to the same switch my computer is on, but it's the same...

Basically, when I put a simply kick drum on each measure, and then hold the iPad up to the screen, it lags a tiny bit - I'd guess 10-30ms. It's visible, but barely (but definitely noticeably late compared to the attack of the sound).

Oddly, the Fire 10HD on Wi-Fi is just about the same as the iPad (had expected that to lag due to Wi-Fi and slower tablet, although perhaps not that much slower).

Then the other thing I noticed is, the built-in LED meters on the Dock DO sync up perfectly to the software's meter!

So I am thinking, either it really does need a more recent tablet, or perhaps the Control app will always have that very slight delay, no matter what? I'd love for it to be perfectly in sync, things like that always bug me. (and if no way to get it in sync, I would even consider getting the S3 to get its built in LED meters, assuming they'd be spot-on like the Dock's meter is)

Curious to see what your thoughts are. If better tablets really would improve it, I'd consider it, I guess. Wouldn't mind the extra knobs and displays of the S3 though, either. (but if I remember correctly, still no ability, and no plans to add the capability, of having the Control app as meter bridge to the S3, right?)

Thanks!

[EddieJones]

A faster tablet would definitely help but by how much could also depend on the available CPU speed on the WS and network. Theres quite a few things that effect it. ramonetl says his iPad is the same as PT so there is a golden scenario. I'm going to do some more tests here and see what I can come up with. The S3 can use the new Avid Control Desktop App for meters...have you tried it ?

[rockafella]

Originally Posted by EddieJones

A faster tablet would definitely help but by how much could also depend on the available CPU speed on the WS and network. Theres quite a few things that effect it. ramonetl says his iPad is the same as PT so there is a golden scenario. I'm going to do some more tests here and see what I can come up with. The S3 can use the new Avid Control Desktop App for meters...have you tried it ?

Thanks for the feedback... the workstation has plenty of power, it's HDX2 and i9 18-core, and I'm just testing it with a one track project with a sample repeating on loop. I've noticed that, if setting meters to the "Classic", then they look like they're synced more closely, but on the other settings (especially the PPM or K metering where it falls slowly), it's even more obvious than the default that it's just a bit behind.

Again, it's probably 10-20 milliseconds at most, so many might not even notice it that readily.

I will try to borrow a more recent iPad sometime too to try (and wire it in also). I am kind of thinking the app just has a bit of built-in latency though in responding to the input it gets, whereas the meters on the Dock (and the S1 too, I realized, on its OLED displays) are locked in tight.

I also used the slow motion video capture on my iPhone just to be sure I wasn't imagining it... :) it's definitely close, but I can see where clearly the controllers and computer screen show the meters popping to the top, and the two Control apps are still not on the rise. it seems to be just one frame, but that would still be 16 ms at 60 FPS.

Thanks for the info on the S3 and Control - I had read about it, but I guess got mixed up in my memory of whether it worked with Control - that might be cool.

[Oops - just realized you said "Control Desktop" - didn't realize there was a desktop version now! That might work too, and should be in exact sync since it's on the workstation as well. Thanks again!]