Hi. I've got a bit of a problem. Well, more than a bit! It really makes recording difficult. Let me explain. I have a MIDI keyboard and it connects to my PC (Win 8.1, x64) via USB. I sometimes play stuff iin when I can (and feel like it!), but that's problematic most of the time because of the latency I get when recording. I've set the ASIO buffer super low and I still get latency when recording. I'll record something and it always ends up being about 1/32 note (maybe a wee bit close to 1/16) too early. This happens in both Studio One and Cubase Elements. I'm pretty much forced to use auto-quantize when playing stuff in and that sucks. If I want to get that "human touch," I've got to manually shift things around. May someone help me figure out how to solve this problem? Thank you!

 

In order for someone to grok this out with you, which interface do you use, and how do you define super low buffer size? How are you routing your signal?

 

I don't use an audio interface. I just hook the midi keyboard straight into the pc's usb slot and use the ASIO driver. I've tried 512 and below, all the way down to the 100s.

 

the only workaround for me was to anticipate the click..then i bought a interface and forgot about it

 

When you set up Studio One and Cubase what did you instruct them to use as your primary sound device?

 

if it ends up being too early you have not got a latency problem your daw is a time machine.
use iterative quantize to tighten up your midi performance after you recorded it as iterative quantize dosent hard quantise so you can keep some of the human feel.

 

@superliquid23 I use ASIO as my primary sound device.

@audioplg I'll have a go at that.

Would getting an audio interface solve this problem, perhaps? I've been eyeing the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 for a few weeks.

 

ASIO isn't a sound device but rather a software driver that lets your sound card that is in your computer (which isn't really built for any kind of quality multi-track recording)see your input devices. Why don't you get that Focusrite 2i2, and when you do set the buffer as low as you can without getting any cracking or pops. You will be glad that you did. The quality of your sound will improve tremendously and you probably will no longer have an issue.

 

Will do. Thanks for the info and suggestion!

 

512 aint low... and without an audio interface that has ASIO divers written specifically for him, it is very unlikely You will solve Your problem.

If money ain`t an issue, and You have a free pci / pci-e slot, try getting a pci audio interface `cause all USB interfaces I have tried, gave me much worst results in terms of latency than te pci / pci-e ones.

I`m sure, if You get a written list of interfaces that seems interesting to You, here You shall find a lot of competent people that will help You choose the "right" one.

Aim for a latency under 7 ms and You will enjoy playing and recording

here some basic guidelines:
buffer max 128; sample rate 48000 khz; and depending on Your PC config, with a mediocre (inexpensive) pci interface, You should be able to get a latency under 7 ms.

There are of course pro and cons to a pci vs usb interface, like portability, ease of installation and things like that
pci/pci-e is faster and aimed for a desktop user
usb is generally a bit slower but you can easy transfer it from Your PC to Your Laptop for the road
...it is up to You to choose.