MIDI Latency Inquiry

[Zach]

Hey guys,

I am new to recording MIDI and I soon plan to give it a shot. I plan to get a M - Audio Oxygen 49 MIDI controller and connect it via a MIDI cable to my Mbox 2. I have heard some things about MIDI latency that when you press a key, there will be a delay from when you hear it. I was wondering how if latency would be an issue for me.

M - Audio Oxygen 49 > Mbox 2 via MIDI cabel > Pro Tools 8 LE

I'm running a Windox XP SP3

Thanks for the help!

[richiebee]

It's not MIDI latency as such, its actually audio latency. With the M-Box, latency should be low enough to be able to play the keys live without any noticeable delay. Depending on your computer, and the VI's you use, some latency MAY be added by the sound generators themselves but most are designed to work with low latency.

One way to maximize the potential for your machine is to use a low latency while recording, but switch to higher latency while mixing. This will not result in timing issues as your DAW will compensate, but will allow your computer more "thinking" time before having to do stuff.

[knuckle47]

Richie is right. Latency you have will likely be computer related. Aside from good drives and processor power, be sure that your drivers are setup for your equipment. I had an issue recently with mine where the new MOTU driver was not running and the "sound card" was not at firewire speed which is still a bit slower than PCI. The delays we enough to make you think you were playing a huge stadium