Unacceptable Monitoring Latency in Cubase 14 Elements (MacBook Pro M3 Pro + Audient iD14)

Cubase
1

Hello everyone, I’m trying to record on my Macbook M3 Pro with Cubase 14 Elements and the lowest latency I’ve achieved is 4,5ms. Is this possible with such a strong machine and an Audient ID14? Is it the Elements edition fault? What more can I expect or should I try with another DAW?

Below you can find my specs and all the tweaks I’ve tried. Any thoughts??**

System Specs:**

  • Mac: MacBook Pro M3 Pro

  • OS: macOS [insert version, e.g., Sonoma 15.0]

  • DAW: Cubase 14 Elements

  • Interface: Audient iD14 MkII (USB-C, Core Audio)

  • Monitoring: Through Cubase (I want to hear FX while tracking)

  • Plugins used: Basic channel strip (compressor + EQ)

:wrench: What I’ve Tried So Far (Latency Log)

Entry 0 – Baseline

  • Buffer size: 64 samples

  • Sample rate: 48 kHz

  • Latency: ~4.5 ms (reported)

  • Monitoring: Software monitoring (Cubase channel)

  • Result: Feels delayed for live vocal tracking.

2

Hi,

The latency is affected mostly by the Audio Device’s ASIO driver quality.

1 Like
3

4.5ms is already low latency and should not be noticeable for vocal tracking.

You probably have plugins in the monitor path that are adding additional latency. You should aim to use zero latency or dsp FX for tracking.

2 Likes
4

does clicking the constrain delay compensation button help? this will bypass any latent plugins in your project.

Remember when monitoring through Cubase ANY plugin in your project that has additional latency will affect what you hear.

M

1 Like
5

Not exactly…..plugs completely outside of the monitored “circuit” do not affect latency of monitored tracks.

6

That’s true. Many people fall foul of master bus processing adding latency without realising.

M

7

Yep…and control room’s another one people often forget.

1 Like
8

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to answer. I understand that 4.5ms should be imperceivable for vocals but there is a short but clear delay to when I tap the mic and when I hear that tap back.

My vocal chain doesn’t have any heavy effects too, just EQ and compression from the channel strip, it shouldn’t add latency, is that correct? I also tried Garage Band and there was no delay there at all.

Or maybe there is a clash between Cubase and my Audient ID14’s monitoring settings?

What about the control room and master bus adding latency that you mentioned? How can I try to fix these?

Thanks again for your input, really appreciate it.

9

Hi,

Compressor brings a latency, if you don’t set it to Live mode.

Control Room is not available in the Cubase Elements edition. So for you, only the “Master Bus” is relevant. These are the plug-ins on the Stereo Out Channel.

10

I would try with no plugins to see if there is still a perceivable latency.
You can also increase the sample rate, to 96kHz e.g., which will lower latency.

11

I will try, but I doubt there’s no way to sing with FX on such a powerful machine and with a dedicated soundcard. If there’s no way around it, it makes much more sense to get a different DAW, more Mac-compatible and learn my way on that. I’ve been using Cubase for ages though, so I’d prefer to find a workaround.

12

This should just work! Don’t give up yet, if you don’t solve it you will most probably run into the same problem with another daw too.