Low latency

[Metheny]

Hi,

How is the best way to have low latency monitoring with m-audio sound card's?
Thanks

[Metheny]

Hum?

[Sidhu]

if the lowest buffer setting available to u is not low enough for you, switch to hardware direct monitoring, refer to the interface manual for this. MP does not have the 'low latency' settings of LE, and i find the lowest available not good enough for live tracking.

Cheers!
Sidhu

[MDog]

Most M-Audio interfaces have a "no" latency mixer. This means having to switch between the mixer application and Pro Tools. You can run them both at the same time, and switch between them using the "Start bar" at the bottom of the screen.

1. Record enable a track in Pro Tools.

2. Mute the track.

3. Unmute the channel in the M-Audio mixer application.

4. Record the track while monitoring through the M-Audio mixer.

5. Unmute the Pro Tools track and listen to playback.

I like to use a little reverb for tracking vocals, so you can set up a reverb-only aux input.

1. Create an aux track.

2. Assign it's input to the hardware input you want to record.

3. Instantiate a reverb plugin, setting it to 100% wet.

4. Adjust level accordingly.

You'll get some buffer delay, but it shouldn't be noticeable with an effect like reverb. This won't work with "dry" effects like compression.

Punch-ins are another story, but possible using two tracks and the "no" latency M-Audio mixer.

1. Assign your already recorded track input to an unused input (silence).

2. Create a new track with it's input assigned to the correct source.

3. Put Pro Tools in to "Punch Record" mode.

4. Record enable BOTH tracks.

5. Leave the original track unmuted, but mute the new track.

6. Punch in where necessary. The old track has silence punched in, the new track has the real punch.

7. Drag the new punched clip over the old track.

You may have to do some tidying up after all those clips of silence, but if they're not part of the track you can have Pro Tools delete them as unused audio.

Somebody may have a better way to do it, but this works for me. Hope it helps.