Are post pros using Auto Delay Compensation?

[KingTor]

I've been a Big Fan of the idea behind Auto Delay Compensation, but I couldn't help but notice that none of the mixers I knew in Los Angeles were using it, and I'm curious whether there are post professionals out there using this feature, or whether it's purely relegated to the music folk who care more about drum kit phasing, etc.

I think I've finally spent enough time mucking around with it to understand why it's deemed by many to be untrustworthy. For the sake of simplicity, here's a session setup that doesn't behave as I would like it to:

• SOURCE TRACKS: 3 mono audio tracks, each with a 2 pop at the same time with outputs 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 (think D M E)
  
• STEM MASTERS: 3 stereo aux tracks, each routed to 3 more busses (9-10, 11-12, 13-14)
  
• STEM RERECORD TRACKS: 3 stereo audio tracks with inputs 9-14 all with the output bus 15-16
  
• 2-MIX RERECORD TRACK: 1 more stereo audio track with input bus 15-16

It doesn't matter what plugins are on the SOURCE TRACKS, but if the STEM MASTERS don't have the same delay as each other, the two-pop on the 2-MIX RERECORD TRACK starts early and has a "bump" in it from the three pops hitting that track at different times. The thing that really pickles my brain is that the STEM RERECORD TRACKS all have the pop at exactly the right place.

Now it would seem that there are ways of making a very similar session setup work correctly, the easiest being to set the output of the STEM MASTERS to 9-10 + 15-16, 11-12 + 15-16, 13-14 + 15-16 respectively and mute the output of the STEM RERECORD TRACKS. This works, but if you CHANGE the output of the STEM RERECORD TRACKS to an unused bus, say 127-128, then the 2-MIX RERECORD TRACK works fine, but the STEM RERECORD TRACKS are not aligned.

I think you can see how this sort of behavior doesn't engender trust in this feature. I've managed to make it work for me, and I love it, but I can see how many of my colleagues don't trust it and won't use it.

[garret]

King Tor,
I replied to your other post too.

I just checked your way of working and if you do disable low latency monitoring it works perfectly. To do this you must commancd control click on the comp number on the rec track before you put it into rec and the number will turn blue. This means the delay comp will always remain on whether in rec or not. Hope this helps some

[KingTor]

Garret, you are a rock star. Thank you. I owe you a Guiness. Or Murphy's -- not sure where in Ireland you are. Or a whiskey. Heck, I'll buy you the drink of your choosing.

[jeremiahmoore]

Thanks for the tip, Garret - I'm using delay compensation as well, and have seen similar as-yet unexplained anomalies.

I'm loving delay compensation. I wish it was enough to cover certain noise reduction and metering plugs.

I still zoom in and check my final printed mix for proper sync.

-jeremiah

[garret]

No problem King Tor, Just glad to be of help! A nice creamy pint of Guiness would be lovely thanks!

[5Moes]

I just checked your way of working and if you do disable low latency monitoring it works perfectly. To do this you must commancd control click on the comp number on the rec track before you put it into rec and the number will turn blue. This means the delay comp will always remain on whether in rec or not. Hope this helps some

Good to know, thanks. It might have been years before I stumbled across that in the manual!

Windows folks will want to hold Start & Ctrl while clicking.

I've been using delay compensation with great results, it's nice to be sample accurate every time I punch in.