Delay Compensation Question

[Roulette Records]

(as I'm still running HD Accel PT 7 !!) lol, I was wondering, does PT 10 or 11 have that "Ping" thing it can send out to/through your hardware chain to detect the exact latency ? And if so, are the actual numbers of the results visible ?

I know Studio One and a few other DAWs offer this now, and was impressed as that would help so much in testing different set ups for latency. I was told when selecting it and engaging "delay compensation" for hardware (NOT software/plug ins, etc. but hardware/converters/ob, etc..) Studio One sends a "Ping" signal out for a complete return loop and then you can choose for it to either automatically adjust the delay compensation to that and/or visually look at the number results.

Was wondering if PT DAW does this yet ?

Thanks for any info in advance

[Craig F]

No ping
It is easy enough to make a 1 frame tone burst, send it through the insert, record it to a new track, then measure the delay.

[Roulette Records]

Originally Posted by Craig F

No ping
It is easy enough to make a 1 frame tone burst, send it through the insert, record it to a new track, then measure the delay.

Bummer... Hopefully they implicate this simple feature in a future update. The feature would be a lot more simple than to do the manual way you describe. Plus so many of the competitor's DAWs are doing it already. Also, the ping is possibly more accurate.

But thanks for the info and good input. You are right, for now that way will work. But if it matters at all, put one more customer's suggestion down for this feature. PLEASE.

Hey, is there a way to separate the results for IN latency and OUT latency ? Would be cool to know them independently. This is all so important when tracking live drums. Them damn drummers are so finicky ! - lol

Thanks again !

[mattrixx]

Someone should make a really simple AAX called, "Tell ProTools we're late.." and all it does is report a phantom latency to ProTools, to make the external path auto sync by the prescribed value and keep everything in perfect syncy harmony, regardless of changes throughout the other parts of the session.

[Jack Ruston UK]

More accurate? Trust me, nothing is more accurate than firing a tone out and having a look at when it comes back yourself. That's accurate!

J

[Roulette Records]

Originally Posted by Jack Ruston UK

More accurate? Trust me, nothing is more accurate than firing a tone out and having a look at when it comes back yourself. That's accurate!

J

Yea, your right. I guess after I typed that I realized I didn't mean it that way. It was more of a "I'd rather/wish PT just had that ping feature" thing - haha. Trying to push my agenda I guess.

It would be quicker for me. Also, maybe along with that a "log" it kept of all past "pings" and a way to label them. So its like as easy as, hey, I'm running this set up again, no problem and no need to check again, I'll just pull up my "said setting" saved ping result and be ready to go.

That'd be cool !

[Jack Ruston UK]

Understood.

But there are limited times in which you'd need to measure the latency surely. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking 1. If you're using outboard with digital conversion or processing, and 2. If you're summing externally or using a desk, and want to align the two track return back to the sources.

Regarding the digital stuff, it's a question of measuring it at the various sample rates it uses and making a record of that. With the two track I used to just print a click sample at the top of each mix and realign it once it was printed back to PT.

Are you doing things in other ways which require this?

J

[Roulette Records]

Originally Posted by Jack Ruston UK

Understood.

But there are limited times in which you'd need to measure the latency surely. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking 1. If you're using outboard with digital conversion or processing, and 2. If you're summing externally or using a desk, and want to align the two track return back to the sources.

Regarding the digital stuff, it's a question of measuring it at the various sample rates it uses and making a record of that. With the two track I used to just print a click sample at the top of each mix and realign it once it was printed back to PT.

Are you doing things in other ways which require this?

J

lol, yea I guess now a days its limited moments.... but mainly for when I'm tracking live drums, with sometimes different channels running through different outboard and even different conversion. And for some reason drummers are NUTS as far as what they can feel is not right/off'ish... even so slight.

I have several different converters/interfaces and use them almost like I use outboard pres for different flavors/color pallets to my tracking. Not to mention lots of different outboard. As all this adds to so many different awesome flavors and colors to wisely chose for each sound, it also introduces lots of possible routing/therefore latency combinations. I don't trust advertised latency specs, so I like to know whats really what.

On top of that, I purchase new gear a lot. When I do, I usually get all the choices I narrow it down to on a "gear test evaluation" week, then return the ones I don't want. During that time, latency is something I like to test the units for and is a bit the deciding factor of the purchase at times (having quality be the top deciding factor though). Anyway having a quicker and more simple way of doing it would really help.

Add all this to the fact that pretty much every one of my tracks run through some sort of different outboard chain and conversion/interface. So it would help.

Also, a slight bit of my point is simply, the competition does it, so PT should catch up on that one. I could name at least 15-20 different features right now that PT has that I could care less about, but it has. So why wouldn't it have this one if other DAW's do ?

Don't get me wrong though, tbh, I've been getting along just fine pretty much doing what you said with the click/blip at the beginning of each track, realign, etc... And as far as live drums, just using savvy work arounds, so sure, I can get it to work. But asking to make it more simple especially once I learnt other DAW's had this feature caused me to ask is all. And I don't think its asking too much or is totally left field odd or anything.

[Jack Ruston UK]

Ah ok I see. I think you're a brave man to track drums across different converters deliberately. It must be a nightmare adjusting for those latency differences, not to mention any differences in phase response. But each to their own I say.

J

[Bookerv12]

Hi,

Just hijacking the thread....

Long time TDM user who just switched to HDN.

I have been trying to reproduce some craziness that I have experienced while running out of the box as an insert.
I have some dedicated inserts going to hardware.
I have had a few issues with recorded tracks not lining up.
I went ahead and played a white noise burst with an external insert and recorded that to another track.

Upon looking at the time alignment, they are pretty much right on.
44.1k.
Avid interface or Lynx Aurora.
When I mix externally processed tracks with ITB, they are phased.

What is the best way to see what's going on?
As I said, I have never had an issue until upgrading.

Thanks