No Output in Low Latency Mode

[Cayce]

Originally Posted by BScout

I don’t think you get it.

Ok, I'll play on that. Then tell me how to "get it". I'm sincerely hoping I'm missing something in Pro Tools, 'cause here's what I know: In Logic—which is also a DAW (all DAWs behaving the same, supposedly)—I can have low-latency engaged and monitor my track with all plugins in safe mode, so they're active while low-latency is in play.

Tell me how to do that in Pro Tools.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by Cayce

Ok, I'll play on that. Then tell me how to "get it". I'm sincerely hoping I'm missing something in Pro Tools, 'cause here's what I know: In Logic—which is also a DAW (all DAWs behaving the same, supposedly)—I can have low-latency engaged and monitor my track with all plugins in safe mode, so they're active while low-latency is in play.

Tell me how to do that in Pro Tools.

They do not mean the same thing. As I explained before "low latency" here means "use hardware monitoring".

Your first decision to make here is clear, ... hardware of software monitoring just like with Logic Pro.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Originally Posted by BScout

I don’t think you get it.

All DAWs have latency. That’s what the audio buffer is. LLM is there to make it easier to direct monitor from your audio interface where you can leave the DAW out of the loop for monitoring. Thereby having “low latency”. Non-LLM is the same as any other DAW (including Logic)

This isn’t about being PRO or not. This is about how DAWs and computers work. If you want the absolute lowest latency, pay out for HDX and only use AAX-DSP plugins. There everything is getting processed in the hardware chips.

Right. There is no way to record digitally without some manner of latency. Especially with plugins enabled. All of those conversions from analog to digital, filling of buffers and processing into the DAW takes actual time. Granted it can be extremely small periods of time, but it is unavoidable. Thinking Pro Tools is not included in that is a bad assumption on your part. Sorry. Closest we can get is HDX these days.



I have never recorded through plugins. Even when I had my HD 3 system running with TDM plugins. I monitor through my console in real time and process after the fact. Even when overdubbing I monitor through the console and mute the output of the track I am recording to.

[BScout]

This is the explanation of Low Latency Mode in Logic.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207527
It bypasses plugins that create high latency.

Normal monitoring in Pro Tools and Low Latency Mode in Logic will have near the same amount of delay as long as you aren't using high latency (look-ahead) plugins. If you are using high latency plugins in Pro Tools, bypass them and it will be same as Low Latency Mode in Logic.

Low Latency Mode in ProTools (looking at Apple's list of 5 items that create latency in the above link) avoids items 1 and 5. It gives a fast way of monitoring (hardware monitoring as pointed out succinctly by Darryl) so that you can have the lowest latency monitoring during tracking without having to go through Pro Tools and muting outputs on all tracks that are in record (so you don't end up with double monitoring -- with a delay.)

If you want to hear plugins, you need to NOT use low latency monitoring. In which case you are no worse off than Logic using low latency monitoring. The Weed explained how to reduce latency using Pro Tools (if your computer is powerful enough to do so with the plugins you are running.)

[Cayce]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

If you want to monitor through plugins in the DAW then you have to use software monitoring.

Thanks again, Darryl. Sounds like we're getting close. Where do I find that software/hardware monitoring setup?

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by Cayce

Thanks again, Darryl. Sounds like we're getting close. Where do I find that software/hardware monitoring setup?

That's what you are changing. If you want to software monitor don't check "enable low latency monitoring". And then you need to understand track input monitoring settings (the "I" button on each track, similar to logic Pro) to make sure there is monitoring enabled on a track.

Info on specific things like "input monitoring" is searchable in the Pro Tools Reference Guide, the PDF is already installed on your computer with Pro Tools.

If you told us what you are tracking and trying to do with what plugins etc. maybe folks here could actually help more.

[arche3]

Get an hdx card and avid interface. Use protools ultimate. Latency free monitoring.
This is the bare bones pro setup.

You are welcome.

[Cayce]

Ok, I think I get it:

Selecting "Low Latency" in Pro Tools is actually toggling on "Hardware Monitoring". In other words, Pro Tools doesn't really offer Low Latency at all, in terms of correcting latency and allowing us to hear the corrected latency, as Logic Pro does.

So the "Low Latency" option is really a crock of BS put there to confuse the hell out of us, leading to who knows how many conversations just like this one, when what Pro Tools should do instead is set it up so that when a person selects "Low Latency", an alert pops up that says:

"SURPRISE!! We're not sophisticated enough to have ACTUAL low latency built into our DAW, so use your hardware to (inaccurately) monitor while you record!"

That would have been the truth.

[albee1952]

My best advice; turn LLM off and set your buffer to 64. For me, LLM is a mess(IOW, useless) and nobody seems to be able to explain why, so I just quit trying. For the most part, any modern computer can run dozens of tracks at the 64 buffer, and apart from some odd errors I get(-9093), I am tracking full bands(up to 32 inputs) without any problems

[BScout]

Originally Posted by Cayce

In other words, Pro Tools doesn't really offer Low Latency at all, in terms of correcting latency and allowing us to hear the corrected latency, as Logic Pro does.

This is not what Logic Pro does for low latency monitoring.
It seems you aren't familiar with that program either even though I linked directly to Apple's documentation explaining exactly what it does.

Pro Tools' software monitoring is the same as Logic Pro's "low latency monitoring" for all intents and purposes.

Pro Tools "low latency monitoring" is another option outside of that to toggle an easy workflow -- if your audio hardware has direct monitoring.