Logic Pro 9 Recording Latency Compensation

[mk3]

I was surprised to see this still in the documentation for L9:

"This may lead to problems if you decide to make further recordings after setting plug-in delay compensation to All, and inserting latency-inducing plug-ins in auxes and outputs. If Logic Pro needs to delay streams to compensate for plug-in latencies, you will be listening to delayed audio streams while recording. As such, your recording will be late by the number of samples that the audio streams were delayed by."

Since Logic knows exactly how much the audio streams are being delayed, why can't it simply automatically time-shift newly recorded audio earlier by that same amount, once the recording is done?

Maybe I'm missing the obvious...

mk3

 

[HKC]

Good question, this has been discussed over and over since full compensation was first implemented. Since it would obviously be much better if the "all" setting worked like the channel and instrument one my guess is that it's more complicated then it sounds like.

 

[Orren Merton]

Since Logic knows exactly how much the audio streams are being delayed, why can't it simply automatically time-shift newly recorded audio earlier by that same amount, once the recording is done?

But what Logic can't know is your intention.

What if I want everything to be a second off, because I'm doing some kind of experimental music? What if I am not listening to playback at all, but playing freeform to a beat inside my own head, and I don't want anything compensated?

Rather than Logic making assumptions, it gives you a low latency mode button, which basically tells Logic "okay, I want everything in time" and that way, you can use All mode and you're fine.

Orren

 

[HKC]

But then what if you use all the not-time-wrecking plugins like reverb, delay, chorus etc on busses (going through sends) and want to keep them on while recording. Shifting to the low latency mode takes these off as well which changes the sound drastically.
I still wish that Apple would reconsider the way the "all" setting works so it's compensated for by subtracting instead of adding and I can't see any situation where this wouldn't be better than the other way around.

 

[Orren Merton]

But then what if you use all the not-time-wrecking plugins like reverb, delay, chorus etc on busses (going through sends) and want to keep them on while recording. Shifting to the low latency mode takes these off as well which changes the sound drastically.

Low latency mode in effect creates an "alternate signal path" straight to the output. That's why nothing on busses will be heard.

There's always compromises. Cubase had to give up some routing options when they added "all" mode, and that made some Cubase users quite unhappy. Logic didn't lose any routing options, but recording after you've got a load of plug-ins on requires extra steps. I don't think that there is any "no compromise" method, if there were, everyone would be using it.

Orren

 

[mk3]

But what Logic can't know is your intention.

What if I want everything to be a second off, because I'm doing some kind of experimental music? What if I am not listening to playback at all, but playing freeform to a beat inside my own head, and I don't want anything compensated?

Rather than Logic making assumptions, it gives you a low latency mode button, which basically tells Logic "okay, I want everything in time" and that way, you can use All mode and you're fine.

Orren

Orren -

Point taken. This behaviour should then be an option, which one can set at will under the plug-in delay compensation window ("Compensate recorded audio" or something to that effect).

With all due respect, the example situations you give sound rather far out. I would think that 99% of the time, one would want this option turned on. In my case, 100% of the time.

As for low latency mode, that is not an ideal solution, as the sound of the mix can change radically. I would rather have the mix sound the same and the recordings be shifted correctly after the fact.

So the best of both worlds would be to allow the user to choose the preferred behaviour. Keep the option for low latency mode, but also add an option for recording latency compensation/correction.

mk3

 

[HKC]

Hmm I still don't understand why it's simpler to add than subtract. I do remember a lot of talk about Logic code and stuff like that when it was first included in 7 point something (I seem to remember). Another possibility would be to include a feature where you could read the latency on the busses (or anywhere) and a sampledelay that has negative values as well as positive.
Anyway I am fully aware that all programs struggle with this but it would still be great to be able to mix as you go and to be able track with the full sound palette available.

 

[mk3]

Would anyone care to comment on whether this option is technically feasible? It seems like it should be a relatively simple matter, since Logic already "knows" all the various latencies and compensating delay values.

Thank you for any info from the experts...
mk3