Hi, I’d really appreciate some help with this distracting delay I get when I enable audible input monitoring. Turning it off is not an option because I’d love to hear my recording as I record it; I sincerely think it’s the only way to podcast. (Although unlike many people, I am still able to record when it’s off.) To clarify, it takes about a second to hear what I’ve just recorded into my mic, and following the guides about “latency” hasn’t worked so far.
I’ve used Audacity for my podcast before on a very old school mini Lenovo. I also downloaded it a few months ago on this 2011 HP Elitebook 8460p we somehow still have lying around; the recording and monitoring occur in sync on these two laptops. It probably doesn’t matter, but I don’t use any special headphones, just these wired JBL earphones that have always worked. So maybe the issue is with the macOS version?
Note: I have tried getting older versions of Audacity on the MacBook and it changed nothing. Sigh.
Please help! Thank you.
I’m a Windows guy.
There is always SOME latency through the computer.
IMO, the BEST solution is to get a USB mixer or an interface with zero-latency direct-hardware monitoring where you are not monitoring through the computer. In either case you’ll need a “pro” microphone with XLR connections.
Or there are “USB podcast mics” like the Blut Yeti that have a built-in headphone jack and zero-latency monitoring.
Another option MIGHT be ASIO. But Audacity doesn’t support ASIO so you’d have to use a different application, and I’m not 100% sure if it works on a Mac. You also need to make sure that your audio interface has ASIO drivers.
I’m a Mac guy, so I don’t know how you managed to get zero latency input monitoring on your Wiindows machines. It is not possible on a Mac. ASIO is not available on Mac.
As Doug said, you’ll need a microphone or mixer with built-in zero-latency monitoring.
Wow thank you! This was very helpful. I use a Samson Q2U (connection is USB) and plug my headphones in like I did with the other laptops I’ve used and it was okay. I now understand there’ll always be some latency, so maybe it was just better(?) with the others? I’m not sure why it used to sound perfect and is now so disturbing haha. Anyway, I will definitely consider getting another mic. Thank you again.
Honestly it’s actually a relief hearing that it’s simply not possible. I have wondered forever. Tried everything. Thank you so much!
Maybe the Samson Q2U is a bit outdated despite the claims of zero-latency monitoring? And somehow that’s why it works better with the very old laptops? Don’t mind my theory. Really don’t know how a lot of these things work, but I agree it’s time for a mic with built-in zero-latency monitoring. Mixers are a little too intimidating for now.
Thank you for answering!
Newer-faster computers often have more junk running in the background and sometimes they end-up being slower. And maybe the newer operating system is also eating-up more CPU cycles.
Latency is related to buffers & multitasking. A buffer is like a storage tank or a long pipe which means it’s a delay. Your operating system is ALWAYS multitasking and interrupting even if you’re only running one application. The buffers allow the audio to flow in-and-out smoothly. The audio stream goes into the recording buffer at a smooth constant rate and it’s read in a quick burst and the data written to the hard disc when the operating system gets around to it. The playback buffer works the opposite way. The buffer is filled in a quick burst and the data flows-out smoothly. If something interrupts and hogs the system for too long you get buffer overflow (recording) or buffer underflow (playback/monitoring) and a glitch in your audio. The especially tricky part is that whatever is interrupting doesn’t have to be using lots of CPU power. It just has to hog the system for a few milliseconds too long and you get dropouts & glitches.
You can adjust the buffer size under Edit → Preferences → Audio Settings BUT I have strong feeling that’s not the only buffer. (And I’m pretty sure it’s only the recording buffer.) A smaller buffer gives lower latency but you are more likely to get a glitch.