MIDI device latency in real-time (ACID 10.0.6)

Michael-Panek wrote on 10/14/2022, 2:51 PM

Hello,

I'm trying to use a keyboard MIDI controller to record MIDI tracks via a soft synth into ACID Pro. When MIDI tracks play back, there is no latency, but when recording MIDI tracks I get a ~1/3 second latency between Note ON and hearing the sound.

I have a very fast desktop (used for video rendering and animation) and since the track playback has 0 latency, the problem is with the soft synths in real-time. My MIDI keyboard is connected via USB 3.0.

How do I get MIDI Note ONs to produce sound immediately in ACID Pro?

Thank you.

Comments

SP. wrote on 10/14/2022, 3:06 PM

@Michael-Panek Are you using a sound card with ASIO drivers? What are your audio settings in the program preferences? You can upload screenshots with the blue arrow icon above the text box.

Michael-Panek wrote on 10/14/2022, 4:02 PM

Thanks for the reply!

No sound card but Realtek chip on motherboard. I tried selecting the Realtek ASIO driver but ACID crashes every time I do.

SP. wrote on 10/14/2022, 4:44 PM

@Michael-Panek Thanks for the screenshots. I think if you click on the Advanced button in the second screenshot, you should see on Buffer size option where you could try settings like 512 samples, or 256 samples, if your Realtek sound chip can handle it without dropouts. The larger the size, the longer the latency.

Michael-Panek wrote on 10/15/2022, 6:47 PM

Thanks, SP! Really useful info!

My Realtek ASIO causes ACID to crash, so I'm using the default Microsoft Sound Mapper. Since I have a really fast machine, I did a little experimenting with buffer size (samples). I found distortion @ 96 and then @ 128. At 5 audio buffers I got distortion then at 6 buffers just a little. So I now set audio buffers @ 12 and buffer size @ 128 and priority @ Time Critical.

With your help I now have quick MIDI keyboard controller response and clean sound. I really appreciate you!

After running some drum loops I heard some distortion so I upped the buffer size to 192 with 10 buffers. Sounds good now.

SP. wrote on 10/15/2022, 7:20 PM

@Michael-Panek Thanks for letting us know. Yes, you probably need to adjust the buffer size the more tracks or effects you add to your project. Usually an external USB audio interface with ASIO drivers is recommended for audio recording and production because the Realtek audio chipset isn't powerful enough. Audio interfaces can work with a low buffer size even if you have large projects. I personally use a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 and a Roland Quad Capture.

Since ACID has currently stability issues with VST effects some users here recommend also to host all plugins inside other VST plugins like the free Waves Studio Rack or DDMF Metaplugin (which isn't free). This should make ACID run pretty stable. I personally use Plogue Bidule and New Sonic Arts Freestyle (both also not free) to host and chain plugins.