I’m using Cubase 14 Pro (current version) and I’m noticing a lot of latency when using virtual instruments.
My Focusrite Clarett 4Pre USB audio interface has a buffer size set at 128 as anything below that starts to crackle but I’m still getting a lot of realtime lag, making it difficult to play/record in realtime.
Is there a setting in Cubase that I’m missing?
TIA
Scott
Hi,
Are you on Mac or Windows? If you are on Windows, could you test your system by using LatencyMon utility, please?
I have to also say, there are other audio device brands, which have much better driver with much lower latency.
128 is perfectly playable and my prefered latency. 256 also still very playable. 512 becomes more difficult with percussive sounds.
So, are you sure there is not a fx plugin with high latency in your project?
You can hit the constrain latency button which will disable all plugins with latency.
Or start a new project with just one VSTi to test.
If it is still unplayable, it must be focusrite cheating with there driver, some companies use double or triple buffering and\or large safety buffers. Can you tell us witch latency cubase reports in the device setup for a buffer of 128? As I said above with my RME gear 256 is perfectly playable.
Thanks for your reply.
What info do you need from LatencyMon?
I left it running for a few minutes and tried playing a few notes through a VST and the “Conclusion” that shows in the “Main” window says my system seems to be having difficulty handling real-time audio.
The last Cubase project I did wasn’t huge by any means but I couldn’t play it back unless my AI buffer size was up at 1024.
I’m not using any new VSTs but do use Izotope plugins. Could these be high latency and causing the problem?
Also, out of interest, which other lower latency AIs are you referring to?
Izotope plugins are very CPU hungry. I would only use mine at the mixing and mastering stages, rather than when tracking.
Even so, it sounds like you have issues with your hardware that need to be resolved. If you search this forum for ‘latency’ you will find countless threads about this particular problem, so you’ll need to start a pretty laborious process of elimination.
