SONAR - latency with DXI/VST synths!!! Driving me NUTS.

[wishfulsinful909]

This should REALLY be in the software forum, but I've had no responses there, so I thought I'd give a try here:

 

In a nutshell, I seem to be having latency problems in Sonar 4.0 (yes I have installed all the updates) but ONLY in regards to my soft synths. Playback of multiple tracks is smooth and pop/click free.

 

I use a Korg Ms2000 as my controller, hooked into the midi in jack on my m-Audio Audiophile 2496 PCI card (on a Pentium 4 2.24 processor/1.25 Gig Ram machine).

 

I have the latency set within the Audio options dialogue so that it's low enough so that when I play a key, the sound plays simultaneously the way it should, right? But if I hit PLAY on the control panel and try to play my soft synths along with my pre-recorded tracks, there is 1-2 seconds of latency between me hitting the keys and the sound being produced.

 

I've fooled around with many different setting configurations and I"m lost! And the thing that is driving me crazy is I never had this problem with soft synths in Sonar 4 when I was using my VASTLY INFERIOR Soundblaster audio card with a midi cable hooked up to it's joystick port!

And THAT makes no logical sense to me!

 

Please, I'm open to any and all ideas.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Daniel Smart]

Not used Sonar for a long time, and not the latest versions either, but are there multiple buffer settings? I know in n-track studio, for example, I can adjust buffer settings separately for recording, playback, and live input.

 

Also, have you got any other plugins running on other tracks? If so you could be facing a problem with latency compensation. (e.g. a plugin like SIR for example has a relatively large processing latency, therefore compensation will result in all the other tracks being delayed to align with the output of that track.

 

1-2 seconds sounds quite excessive though.

 

Only other thought is to check with M-audio tech support to see if there's a known issue (and also check drivers for an update).

 

-Daniel

[wishfulsinful909]

Thanks for your help - I got some kind of answer from M-Audio's site...seems I should really be using ASIO drivers...now if only I could get Sonar to WORK with my ASIO drivers, which is going to be a WHOLE other thing...sigh...this is why people still use tape!.

 

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Latency (delay until sound is audible)

Q: If I play notes on my MIDI controller keyboard or MIDI drum kit, there is a delay between hitting the note and until I hear it. Recording with a good timing is almost impossible. What is causing this latency?

 

A: M-Audio MIDI devices do not have any- or only a very low latency (e.g. around 0,9 ms when playing a chord). If you are experiencing noticeable delay between playing a note and until you hear it, you are most likely using a software-based Synthesizer and are outputting it through a audio card that is currently running on a slow MME-driver. Let me explain this a little further:

 

In case you didn