HDX Monitoring Latency vs TDM Accel

[XJENSEN]

One tip I can give, though, is to always keep a close eye on the dly indicator in the edit window transport section.
When it turns red, you have a problem with delay compensation that needs fixing.
Hovering over the dly indicator with your pointer will reveal the nature of the problem (e.g. unresolvable ADC loop in bussing).
This helped me solve some errors in my routing.

[Zep Dude]

Good tip!


I just switched from HD Native to HDX (former TDM user) and am just getting up to speed on the hybrid engine etc. I have a question...

One thing I used to do with TDM for tracking was keep the plugin load light and only use low latency stuff like Sonnox EQ's (4 samples) etc, then disable delay comp to be sure the musician wasn't hearing any delay. Reverb plugins might be delayed by their longer latencies but that's called pre-delay so no problem there for basic tracking. The only issue would be if I started mixing and then we had to do an overdub. Then, I would disable as many plugs as possible looking at the delay comp for each track until latency was down below 15 samples or so and do the overdub, then re-enable the plugs and keep mixing.


It would seem that this same methodology would make sense for HDX,


HOWEVER

With HDX there is also now a HW Buffer (64, 128 smpls etc) even without the hybrid engine engaged.


So my question is, if for tracking I stay with only low latency HDX plugins, does the HW buffer impose any additional delay for the musician? Or is that only applied if using native plugins?

[BScout]

Originally Posted by Zep Dude

Good tip!


I just switched from HD Native to HDX (former TDM user) and am just getting up to speed on the hybrid engine etc. I have a question...

One thing I used to do with TDM for tracking was keep the plugin load light and only use low latency stuff like Sonnox EQ's (4 samples) etc, then disable delay comp to be sure the musician wasn't hearing any delay. Reverb plugins might be delayed by their longer latencies but that's called pre-delay so no problem there for basic tracking. The only issue would be if I started mixing and then we had to do an overdub. Then, I would disable as many plugs as possible looking at the delay comp for each track until latency was down below 15 samples or so and do the overdub, then re-enable the plugs and keep mixing.


It would seem that this same methodology would make sense for HDX,


HOWEVER

With HDX there is also now a HW Buffer (64, 128 smpls etc) even without the hybrid engine engaged.


So my question is, if for tracking I stay with only low latency HDX plugins, does the HW buffer impose any additional delay for the musician? Or is that only applied if using native plugins?

If you are in hybrid mode it is NOT the same thing as your TDM system. You have to put the track in DSP mode (lightning bolt on the channel.) If you do not, you have all the normal latencies of a CoreAudio system and yes, that buffer settings is part of the total latency in that case (doubled if the musician is monitoring the Pro Tools output.)

If you want the same functions as TDM, you need to have your playback engine in "classic" HDX mode (not hybrid.)

Also, FYI, on audio tracks, delay comp is disabled automatically when in record or input enabled by default. You don't need to do anything (only aux tracks will also have delay comp on since they don't have input enable or record)

[LDS]

Originally Posted by Zep Dude

HOWEVER

With HDX there is also now a HW Buffer (64, 128 smpls etc) even without the hybrid engine engaged.

So my question is, if for tracking I stay with only low latency HDX plugins, does the HW buffer impose any additional delay for the musician? Or is that only applied if using native plugins?

TDM has always had the same HW buffer settings as HDX. It refers to the native sample buffer, and only gets invoked when you use native processing in a session - RTAS plugins in a session instead of TDM plugins, or in the case of HDX, AAX-Native plugins instead of AAX-DSP.

If you are in classic mode and only use AAX-DSP plugins, the HW buffer setting is bypassed in HDX in exactly the same way as it is in TDM.

Here is the same settings in HD TDM:

[Guy McDude]

Originally Posted by BScout

If you are in hybrid mode it is NOT the same thing as your TDM system. You have to put the track in DSP mode (lightning bolt on the channel.) If you do not, you have all the normal latencies of a CoreAudio system and yes, that buffer settings is part of the total latency in that case (doubled if the musician is monitoring the Pro Tools output.)

If you want the same functions as TDM, you need to have your playback engine in "classic" HDX mode (not hybrid.)

Also, FYI, on audio tracks, delay comp is disabled automatically when in record or input enabled by default. You don't need to do anything (only aux tracks will also have delay comp on since they don't have input enable or record)

Hi,
are you a regular user of Hybrid Mode while recording?

If so, id love to hear about your experiences, as mine have not been positive at all.

thanks in advance

[BScout]

Originally Posted by Guy McDude

Hi,
are you a regular user of Hybrid Mode while recording?

If so, id love to hear about your experiences, as mine have not been positive at all.

thanks in advance

Yes. I've used it for smaller recordings (VO, etc.) Lots of stuff where sync is very important. (Large recordings -- orchestra -- I use Classic HDX mode.)
Zero problems.
All those systems I used hybrid/recording are Mac Pro 7,1 (intel) and I haven't used them after 2023.6 for recording. But sync was perfect each time.

Generally hybrid systems for me are only for mixing because it's just more steps when using it for recording. When recording is done in hybrid, it's because I just need a quick add to a mix. Haven't been recording with the Apple M processors (only mixing.) Not because of any choice -- just how the systems are set up in the different locations.