Latency

[jethroburns]

I understand. But I am bit obsessive. When I started using Audacity a year or so back I didn't know anything about latency. I thought it was just like a tape recorder. So I couldn't understand why I could play in time with myself. Then when my son also pointed out my being out of synch I started using the click track only to discover that I still couldn't keep in time with myself. After some searching around on the Internet, I discovered I had to correct for latency. What a huge different it made. Hence my obsession.

Anton

[kozikowski]

The other problem with obsession is the settings might not stay there. You're not recording on a Digital Audio Workstation. You're recording on a PC designed for Skype and spreadsheets. Depending on about a hundred other conditions, the settings may not stay cycle-accurate.

Koz

[jethroburns]

Thanks, I will bear that in mind.

Anton

[jethroburns]

I don't know if this will help anybody.
Fiddling around with Audacity on my laptop today, I went into Edit, preferences, devices and changed MME to WASAPI and then (for the "recording" box at the bottom) I changed Scarlett in (Scarlett is my interface appliance) to Scarlett out). I can now record my click track. But as you said, comparing the click track recording with a recording of an instrument against the click track there is quite a bit of difference with the latency.
Odd as well, because Audacity on my desktop computer is set to MME and Realtek Audio Input and it records the click track without any problem.

Anton

[steve]

WASAPI "should" have lower latency than either MME or Direct Sound.

As I understand it, support for "recording what is playing on your computer" is gradually being phased out from MME. Whether it is available or not depends on the sound card drivers. "WASAPI loopback" should be available on all Windows computers from Vista onward and is not dependent on specific drivers (provided that the drivers work) as WASAPI loopback is provided by the operating system rather than by device specific drivers.

[jethroburns]

Well, the strange thing is, I can record sound from the click track or the Internet when WASAPI is enabled but I have to turn it back to MME to record myself and my instruments!

[kozikowski]

Self-recording the click track is never going to give accurate latency values. It will always be missing the delays in the headphone and microphone systems.

Then when you put human musical reaction in the mix, it's going to get even worse.

Koz

[steve]

"NME" is the name of a magazine.
"MME" is the name of Microsoft's "Multimedia Extension".

Most (all?) Windows systems from Vista onward support "WASAPI loopback", which is specifically for recording what is playing through the sound card.
"Some" systems (depending on hardware and drivers) support "WASAPI" for recording and playback (not just "looping back the signal).

[jethroburns]

Sorry, you are right it is MME not New Musical Express.

I think my laptop has Vista but it still has MME and will not record me if I use (bear with me I might spell this wrong) WASAPI instead of MME

I am a translator, which is why I am seem to be on my computer all the time, by the way. I am not a computer freak.

[kozikowski]

I am not a computer freak.

You should be on your phone all day like normal people.
Koz