How I do lower latency in Reaper?

[Strizay]

I just figured out how to record with Reaper today, but my latency is real bad.  Could someone post me a few pictures of their setup so I can adjust mine for the lowest?  Thank you.

 

Top right corner reads:

44.1khz 24 bit wav 2/2ch 1024spls 26/53ms Asio

[phil_m]

What Line 6 product are you using?

[fflbrgst]

I'm not at home right now, but from the manual:

Go to Options, Preferences, Audio Device, click on Asio Confirguration to bring up the control software for the Line 6 device (or whatever input device you are using), and reduce buffer size - right now you're at 1024.   512 should reduce the latency to around 11/12 msec, 256 to around 6 - if you get any stuttering or crackling, you'll need to increase the buffer size.

[Strizay]

I'm using a HD500.  I dropped it down to 256 and the latency is at 9.1/18ms, if I drop it down any lower, will it effect the audio quality?  Thanks for the help guys.

[Triryche]

Are you selecting the Line6 HD ASIO as your device in Reaper?

[Strizay]

yes

[BigChas52]

Latency seems to be an unavoidable artifact of DAW recording.  Most DAWs have the ability to compensate for latency on the recording, but monitoring while recording the signal can be problematic.  The best way around that is to monitor from the headphone jack of the HD500.

[Triryche]

Too BigChase52's point, how are you monitoring?

 

Monitors or headphones connected directly to the HD?

[Strizay]

I have an unconventional setup.  I have the Pod by USB to my PC.  Then out from the PC by HDMI to my television, then out from my television to my 5.1 home theater system.

 

Edit:  It's running by spdif from the pc to the surround sound.

          I messed around with it a little more and got it down to 44.khz 24bit WAV : 2/2ch 128 spls~6.2/12ms    ASIO, but the latency is still noticeable.

[silverhead]

You can easily remove the latency while recording by using headphones connected to the Pod. During playback through your normal setup there will be no latency. You'll have to mute the audio on your home theatre system while recording and unmute for playback.

 

For best results you should purchase a pair of studio monitors and connect them to the Pod audio outputs. A home theatre system unavoidably colours your sound. It will be very difficult to master the recording so that it sounds good on any other system.

[Strizay]

any suggestions on good cheap head phones?  what happens when I want to record?  It will sound fine from the Pod to the headphones, but in the daw, it will be out of sync.

[Triryche]

The latency you are hearing is from your DAW out to your 5.1

 

When recording via USB and monitoring directly from the POD HD the latency should be unnoticeable.

 

I do not having any specific recommendations, but you should be able to get entry level studio headphones for under $100 or a pair of monitors for $200 USD.

 

I having been using the Sony-MDR 7506 for over 10 years

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Headphones/ci/12572/N/3753775955 

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ns=p_PRICE_2%7c0&ci=8617&setNs=p_PRICE_2%7c0&N=3992462085&srtclk=sort&origSearch=Studio%20Monitors

[fflbrgst]

Reaper automatically compensates for latency when recording, so no issue with that.   As already said, the latency you are hearing is due to your surround sound system - which typically delays audio to line up with the video signal.

 

For just monitoring when recording, any decent headphones will work for you.  If you want to mix with headphones, then you need to spend upwards of $100.

For monitoring guitar when recording, you'll find that any speakers labeled as 'studio monitors' with less than 8" drivers won't sound too good once turned up.  Yes, smaller speakers will work ok for mixing, but not for monitoring electric guitar at decent volume levels.  That's my experience, anyway.

I use Sony closed back headphones (cheap ones they may be China counterfeits) and found they were fine when I was DIing my guitar into PodFarm when recording.

[Strizay]

I actually solved another issue I was having.  I was unable to dial in a good tone through my 4 x 12 cab, and it sounded totally different when played back on my PC after recording with Reaper.  I scanned through the quick start guide and it mentioned how to connect to a power amp.  I was connected by XLR cable for balanced output, then I switched to a standard guitar cable out from unbalanced and the difference was instantly noticeable.  It sounds so much better now.  I wish I would have know this when I owned an Eleven Rack, it might have made the difference.

 

Since you guys took the time to read this, could someone explain to me how to save a preset I created with hd500 edit over to my PC?  I know how to save it to the HD500, I would like to create backups of the ones I have in case I accidentally erase them.

 

And for the headphones, I was considering getting a set of Sennheiser HD 6 Mix DJ Heaphones, do you guys think those would be good for monitoring?

 

[silverhead]

.....

 

Since you guys took the time to read this, could someone explain to me how to save a preset I created with hd500 edit over to my PC?  I know how to save it to the HD500, I would like to create backups of the ones I have in case I accidentally erase them.

...

 

 

To backup presets (or setlists) to your PC you use the Save command in the Edit program, under the File menu. For individual presets you can also simply drag/drop them from the edit window into a folder window, just like moving/copying files normally on your computer.

[Strizay]

Thank you :)

[Strizay]

Another related issue.  when I use the Pod's ASIO driver, all of the audio comes out of my 4 x 12 cab.  I'm using EZDrummer 2 also in Reaper which also comes out of the cab.  I changed the driver to WASAPI and the drum audio comes out of the correct speakers, but now I have no audio from the Pod.  Any more help guys?

[fflbrgst]

Windows computers can only use one USB Audio Device at a time for input or output (there may be some DAWs that will allow it, but the problem with using multiple AIs is the clocks will not synch.)  If you use your POD as the input device, then you should be selecting it as the output device, too (not your computer's built-in sound card).

[Strizay]

I kind of figured it out.  I was trying to use the Pod with asio to output through my surround sound, but that never worked.  The audio only came through my 4 x 12 cab.  So as a work around, I recorded the drum track with wasapi and it came through the surround sound.  And then for the guitar track, I recorded using ASIO with both drum and guitar audio outputting through my 4 x 12 cab.  I would play back the recorded drum track and the audio would output through the cab and it sounded terrible, but it was good enough to record the guitar over.

 

And then I would switch back to wasapi, and listen to both tracks that were recorded, and they would come out through my surround sound and it would sound great.

 

The real only way to record and monitor the audio live is through the cab and that sounds terrible, because the audio only outputs through it from the Pod.  It was using the Pod as the sound card.  The Pod doesn't like wasapi for whatever reason, I never got audio through the surround sound with it.  So I'm forced to record the drum tracks with wasapi, and then switch to asio for the guitar track.

 

I don't want to keep having to switch back and forth for each track, so I ordered a coaxial audio cable that goes from the Pod out to my surround sound.  That way, the pc uses the pod as a sound card and the audio outputs through my surround sound.