Cubase 15: 32ms Input Latency with RME UFX+ and SSL2+, but Cubase 13 and Logic are fine

Cubase
1

Subject: Cubase 15 - Severe Input Latency (~32ms) and Recording Issues with RME UFX+ and SSL2+, but not with Cubase 13

Hello Steinberg Support,

I am experiencing a very unusual issue with Cubase 15 on macOS, and after extensive testing I have been unable to identify the root cause.

System

  • MacBook Pro (Apple Silicon)
  • macOS Tahoe
  • Cubase Pro 15.0.30
  • Cubase Pro 13 (installed on the same machine)
  • RME Fireface UFX+ (Driver 4.27, Firmware 55)
  • SSL2+
  • Steinberg UR22C

Symptoms

When using Cubase 15 with either:

  • RME Fireface UFX+
  • SSL2+

Cubase reports approximately:

  • Input Latency: 32–33 ms
  • Output Latency: ~6 ms

Recording becomes unusable with severe audio glitches, dropouts, and distorted recordings.

However, output latency remains normal.

What makes this issue strange

Cubase 13 + UFX+

Works perfectly.

I spent an entire day recording and working with no problems.

Logic Pro + UFX+

Works perfectly.

No latency issues, no audio glitches.

Cubase 15 + UR22C

Works perfectly.

Input latency is approximately 6 ms and recording is normal.

Cubase 15 + New macOS User Account + UFX+

Works perfectly.

Input latency is approximately 6 ms and recording is normal.

Troubleshooting already performed

  • Reinstalled Cubase 15 multiple times (3 complete reinstallations)
  • Deleted Cubase 15 Preferences
  • Tested Safe Mode
    • Disable Program Preferences
    • Disable Third-Party Plug-ins
  • Rebuilt MediaBay
  • Tested completely empty projects
  • Tested with all plug-ins scanned and loaded
  • Tested different audio interfaces
  • Verified TotalMix settings
  • Verified Audio Connections
  • Verified sample rates and clock settings

None of these steps resolved the issue.

Summary of Results

Configuration
Result
Cubase 13 + UFX+
OK
Logic Pro + UFX+
OK
Cubase 15 + UR22C
OK
Cubase 15 + New User Account + UFX+
OK
Cubase 15 + Existing User Account + UFX+
FAIL
Cubase 15 + Existing User Account + SSL2+
FAIL

Question

Is there any known Cubase 15 user-profile, CoreAudio, latency compensation, or driver-initialization setting that could affect only certain audio drivers (RME and SSL) while leaving UR22C unaffected?

The most confusing part is that the exact same hardware works correctly in:

  • Cubase 13
  • Logic Pro
  • A newly created macOS user account

but fails only in Cubase 15 under my primary user account.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Best regards

2

Totally a shot in the dark, but make sure you have no plugins added to the control room channels (even disabled plugins have had some wacky results for me).

Couldn’t hurt to check.

3

Thanks for the suggestion.

I already checked the Control Room thoroughly and there are no inserts active on any Control Room channels.

I also tested with:

  • Safe Mode (Disable Program Preferences)
  • Safe Mode (Disable Third-Party Plug-ins)
  • Empty projects
  • Multiple audio interfaces (RME UFX+, SSL2+, UR22C)

The issue remains only in Cubase 15 on my main macOS account.

What’s particularly strange is that:

  • Cubase 13 + UFX+ works perfectly
  • Logic Pro + UFX+ works perfectly
  • Cubase 15 + a newly created macOS user account also works perfectly

So at the moment I’m trying to understand what could be different between the two macOS user profiles that affects Cubase 15 with RME and SSL drivers.

Thanks again for the idea.

4

Mayer ask at the Rme forum?

5

When I was trying to track down the same issues, my latency only went away when I REMOVED plugins from the control room inserts. If they were just inactive they caused latency.

6

Thanks. That’s an interesting point.

I checked the Control Room before, but I may have only verified that inserts were disabled rather than completely removed.

I’ll double-check that all Control Room insert slots are completely empty and report back.

What still puzzles me is that Cubase 15 works perfectly under a newly created macOS user account using the same UFX+ interface.

I’ll test this again and let you know the results.

8

It could also be a corrupted pref file - they can result in all sorts of bizarre behaviour and since it doesn’t happen as much with a new user that could be it.

Unfortunately, Cubases pref file architecture is such a mess, clearing things out can be a challenge!