PT 12.8.2 Virtual Instrument latency

[[email protected]]

Hi All

I'm a long time PT user and know it well but have only just really started using VIs in anger. I've always experienced latency when monitoring VIs but worked around it by playing notes in hearing my keyboards own sound and recording the midi, then playing back the midi to the required Vi and getting what I want. However now I am working with better artists and the work arounds won't wash anymore. I have to be able to have good VI live playback while recording with sub 10ms latency at the fingers.

What is very annoying is that I recently installed Logic and had a dabble and I don't seem to have any delay issues when using VIs in there. I've not tested it on a big session, but it seems so much quicker. I LOVE PT and would be very reluctant to do projects in Logic just so I can reduce latency - there must be a way - please help.

I think I have a really strong setup in terms of hardware, yet I can't seem to configure things to solve this problem. My typical scenario is that I work on a session with an artist - tracking say drums (8 mics) , guitar bass, and may end up with 20 or so tracks all using various plugins. THEN they say oh lets add some cool keys/synth so out come the VIs at which point I can't really run the session at buffers=32 as I'll get too much crackle due to the load of existing tracks and plugs. I can maybe get away with buffers= 64 or 128, but at these setting I get too much latency on the keys before hearing the instrument.

I happen to use UAD interface hardware and use lots of their plugs as well as host based ones, I'd have thought because their plugs run in their external DSP that this would help me but I still have the issue.

I could just always track keys first - but life and creativity isnt always like that! How do you guys get around this issue... and don't say use Logic!

Some of my instruments are pretty heavy on CPU but even the light ones are too slow. Help.

Setup:
Mac Pro - 12 core 2.7Ghz
System disk 1 TB PCIE SSD with OS and PT installed
Projects disk 1 TB external Thunderbolt SSD
RAM 32GB
Interface: 2 x UAD Apollo 8p
Keyboard Controller: Akai Professional 49 (USB midi)

PT Payback Engine settings
H/W Buffer: 32-128 as described above
Host Engine: Ignore Errors during playback TICKED
Minimize additional latency TICKED
Dynamic Plug in Processing TICKED
Disk Playback Cache size: 10GB

In Options menu
Delay compensation is TICKED
Low latency monitoring NOT ticked

[Southsidemusic]

We also use several Apollo interfaces and lots of VI and have never had this issue and all three of us here are 20+ years piano players so we would notice if we had the problem you have.

So tell us what VI you have issues with and go from there.

[[email protected]]

Hi Christopher

Thanks for replying - and you have given me hope...

VSTIs I have and want to use are:

Spectrasonics - Keyscape
Spectrasonics - Omnisphere
Hybrid
Vienna Instruments Pro
Plus the stock stuff...
Xpand2!
Mini Grand
DB33
Vacum etc

I realise Keyscape and Omnisphere are pretty CPU heavy.
If I deselect delay compensation in the options menu I get no latency.. but the tracks of course goes out of synch on playback.

My UAD config is:
Limit DSP Load to: 100%
DSP Loadlock - TICKED
Extra Buffering TICKED
Release all UAD DSP resources on AU bypad NOT ticked
Force use of logic pros live mode on tracks containing UAD plugs: NOT ticked

[Tobias Eichelberg]

Have you tried rolling back to Pro Tools 12.7.1? I have experienced serious performance problems with PT 12.8.x on my MacPro, PT 12.7.1 is considerably better with software instruments and perforance.

In my opinion PT 12.8.x is a total mess and a big waste of time.

[albee1952]

Running 12.8.2 here and have no latency issues playing VI's from a midi keyboard(Motif es8). I'd start looking at other sources of latency(granted, I don't run UA Apollo and never track with UA plugins).

Re Keyscape being a hog, I totally agree, but it doesn't have latency here, it simply causes cpu spikes(and will stop playback). My solution is to record midi with MiniGrand or Lounge Lizard(Wurly or rhodes sounds) and once the midi performance is good, swap the VI plugin to Keyscape and use Track Commit

[[email protected]]

Thanks Dave

I've been through 3 UAD interfaces plus firewire -> thunderbolt so I suspect that journey and legacy of drivers hasn't helped my issue.

This is beginning to feel like a full reinstall ....joy!

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by [email protected]

Thanks Dave

I've been through 3 UAD interfaces plus firewire -> thunderbolt so I suspect that journey and legacy of drivers hasn't helped my issue.

This is beginning to feel like a full reinstall ....joy!

Ugh! I feel your pain. To lessen the torture in the future, grab a big external drive and save drive images at several stages. I did the following:
image 1-just the OS installed and tweaked according to Avid's recommendations
image 2-after Pro Tools and all AVID software is installed
image 3-after drivers and 3rd party plugins
image 4-save this one after everything has been solid for 3-4 months.
This way, in the future, if something hoses your rig, restore from the relevant image(its waaaaay easier than starting from scratch again)