Apollo Thunderbolt Software Manual Latency & Apollo 184
Upsampled UAD Plug-Ins
Some UAD Powered Plug-Ins are upsampled, meaning their internal sample rate
is increased to achieve sonic design goals. Depending on the session sample rate,
upsampled UAD plug-ins can add additional latency when used in the Console Mixer
and/or a DAW.
Although the latency added by upsampled UAD plug-ins is negligible (typically between
0-300 samples, depending on the plug-in and sample rate), this extra latency can affect
phase coherency in a session. However, phase is managed automatically by Input Delay
Compensation in Console and Automatic Delay Compensation in the DAW.
Note: For specific upsampling latency values for UAD plug-ins, see the UAD Plug-
Ins Manual.
DAW Latency
Most DAWs use I/O buffering to shuttle audio data back and forth between the audio
interface and the DAW. This I/O buffering induces additional latency with any audio
interface (not just Apollo).
I/O Buffer Size
The amount of DAW latency is usually determined by the DAW’s I/O interface buffer size
setting. Low buffer sizes reduce latency, but increase the host computer’s CPU loading.
If the buffer size is set too low, host CPU overloads and/or audio artifacts such as clicks,
distortion, or dropouts can occur.
Monitoring Live Performance During Recording
DAW latency can be a problem during recording when “software monitoring” via the
DAW’s mixer, because the buffering delay is a distraction; an artist cannot hear their
performance in realtime. DAW latency when recording with Apollo is mitigated by using
the Console Mixer for live performance monitoring, where buffering latency does not
apply.
Time-Alignment Of Newly-Recorded Tracks With Previously-Recorded Tracks
Dealing with latency is also important with DAWs for time-alignment of newly-recorded
tracks and previously-recorded tracks which are inevitably shifted from the I/O buffering
process.
The solution is to use the automatic delay compensation (“ADC”) feature of the DAW.
Most modern DAWs, including Console, have automatic delay compensation. For more
information about system latency and its compensation, see Delay Compensation with
Apollo.
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