Latency

Audio latency refers to a short period of delay (usually measured in milliseconds) between when an audio signal enters and when it emerges from a system. With the Dubler Studio Kit, this will be the time between you making a note with your voice, and when you hear the sound come from your system.

Note: While it’s possible to reduce latency, it’s impossible to eliminate it entirely.

Some latency will be added at each different step of the audio chain. Below is a diagram to demonstrate the different steps where latency can occur.

For mac users the default setup on your computer is already going to be pretty good for low latency.

For Windows users there is a lot more that can be done to reduce latency. This includes doing things like installing ASIO4ALL for your DAW, entering High Performance Mode and turning off Sound Enhancements. We have a whole page dedicated to this here.

Reduce the buffer size in your DAW to lower the latency. Bear in mind that very small buffer sizes may cause dropouts or glitches due to the increased CPU load. Find the sweet spot where the buffer is as small as possible without impairing the audio quality.

Reducing the overall CPU load of the computer will allow for smaller audio buffer sizes. Here are some tips on how to reduce the CPU load—

• Check your Activity Monitor (Mac) or Task Manager (Windows) to see if other applications are using a lot of CPU, then close these applications


• Bounce, freeze or render tracks that are using CPU intensive plugins


• Make sure your computer is well ventilated, with an adequate flow of cool air around your computer

There are a whole host of other ways to reduce your CPU load, check online to find more specific tips for your set-up.

On some machines, using the standard speaker output can cause latency. Try using headphones or another speaker configuration rather than the inbuilt speakers on your laptop or desktop.

Example of how changing the buffer size and using headphones can effect the output latency in Ableton.

Some USB hubs and extenders can cause latency. Connect the microphone directly into a USB port on your machine to help reduce this.