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Old 11-09-2019, 01:48 PM   #1
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Default Newbie question: Latency with MIDI keyboard driving virtual instrument

Hi, I have my MIDI keyboard connected to my laptop running Reaper. The keyboard end is 5-pin DIN and the laptop end is USB2. There is a little box of tricks midway along the cable which I'm guessing converts between 5-pin DIN and USB. I have a synth virtual instrument on my track and I listen to the output with headphones in the laptop headphone socket.

When I record, with the metronome on, I press the keys on my MIDI keyboard in time with the metronome pips but I don't hear the synth sound for about a quarter of a second. Very disconcerting and difficult to play.

After finishing recording and listening to what I've recorded, the synth is in time with the metronome pips.

My laptop processor is Intel i5-4200U 1.6Ghz 2 core 2301Mhz.

Is there a way to remove/reduce the latency between pressing a key and hearing the synth virtual instrument?

Do I need to buy a MIDI controller so I have a direct USB to USB connection between keyboard and laptop?

Many thanks for any help.
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Old 11-09-2019, 09:01 PM   #2
drumphil
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The midi interface is unlikely to be the source of your latency problems.

Do you have a dedicated audio interface, our are you using the on board audio device?


Smaller buffer size = lower latency, but there will be a limit where the device can't maintain stable operation, or you run out of cpu power, and get glitches.

If you have a decicated audio device it will likely have an asio driver. In the reaper audio preferences switch to asio mode, and then see how low you can set the asio buffer size.

If you're using on board sound try WASAPI in exclusive mode, or try ASIO4ALL which is a program that sits between a DAW and the windows audio drivers to simulate having an asio driver.

For WASAPI you set the buffer size using the block size setting in the reaper audio preferences. For ASIO4ALL you set it using the ASIO4ALL control panel, which you access by clicking the asio configuration button in reaper audio prefrences.
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Old 11-10-2019, 07:22 AM   #3
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Thanks Drumphil, that's fixed it.

I don't have a dedicated audio interface, I'm using the onboard processor. So I switched to WASAPI and Reaper reports I'm down to 10ms latency. Block size 512. I can't hear any latency now.

Many thanks,

Castle
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Old 11-10-2019, 12:33 PM   #4
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You can probably do better than 512, at least if you use exclusive mode WASAPI.

I can run at 64 with realtek on board audio.

If 512 is acceptable, then maybe shoot for 128.

Less latency is always a good thing if you can get it without problems.

Last edited by drumphil; 11-10-2019 at 12:50 PM.
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