Achieving True Zero-latency When Recording On Computer Options

[Wilska]

I'm trying to figure out the best route to take to get a. better recording sound, and b. zero latency recording.
As i've said in other posts I currently use a Pod X3 live, and i'm pretty happy with the sound i'm getting, it's good enough for what I do right now. But I have been thinking about getting some interface to get zero-latency when I record.
I've been looking at some products from emu and tc electronics among others.

Would an a audio interface and some cheap monitors be enough to get decent zero-latency? Are there any realy cons to using studio-headphones instead of monitors when doing home recordings?

Input appreciated

[MickeM]

I'm trying to figure out the best route to take to get a. better recording sound, and b. zero latency recording.
As i've said in other posts I currently use a Pod X3 live, and i'm pretty happy with the sound i'm getting, it's good enough for what I do right now. But I have been thinking about getting some interface to get zero-latency when I record.
I've been looking at some products from emu and tc electronics among others.

Would an a audio interface and some cheap monitors be enough to get decent zero-latency? Are there any realy cons to using studio-headphones instead of monitors when doing home recordings?

Input appreciated

I don't think you will reach _zero_ latency but I know what you mean. I don't know what you get with the X3 itself latencywise but it's IMHO a teriffic sound interface for the home studio, meaning you don't need another interface to make it work.
You should be able to add both headphones and monitors to it, and for a perfect recording you need both since it can and will sound different. So what sounds great in your heatphones can sound weak in monitors and vice verca.

So unless you're willing to spend a lot I think the X3 is good enough. + good headphones + monitors.

On a side note, I don't have monitors and sometimes when I'm done with a recording that sounds good in them and I playback in my HiFi it's mashed and muddy. So being able to switch between headphones and monitors is a timesaver.

[skennington]

I don't know if it is possible to achieve "Zero Latency", lot's of variables. I would suggest you start with a quality soundcard to run your pod through. Maybe the Edirol UA-1000, I think it has some sort of software with it that allows for direct monitoring.

[Bogdan Radovic]

I would recommend EMU 1212 sound card and some active monitors..You won't hit actual zero latency but you will be very satisfied! Well monitors are often used when mixing space effects like delay and reverb..It get's you a full sound picture and depth..Headphones are good too and can be interesting when mixing some panning (left and right) effects!...

This post has been edited by Bogdan Radovic: Dec 5 2008, 07:19 PM

[Ramiro Delforte]

If you want zero latency you will have to buy a really good sound card like a MOTU, but with a good sound card from M-Audio like a Delta 44 you can get some good results.

[Wilska]

I don't think you will reach _zero_ latency but I know what you mean. I don't know what you get with the X3 itself latencywise but it's IMHO a teriffic sound interface for the home studio, meaning you don't need another interface to make it work.
You should be able to add both headphones and monitors to it, and for a perfect recording you need both since it can and will sound different. So what sounds great in your heatphones can sound weak in monitors and vice verca.

So unless you're willing to spend a lot I think the X3 is good enough. + good headphones + monitors.

On a side note, I don't have monitors and sometimes when I'm done with a recording that sounds good in them and I playback in my HiFi it's mashed and muddy. So being able to switch between headphones and monitors is a timesaver.

hmm, that would mean using the pod x3 itself as the audio interface? (right now I just run spdif from the x3 into my soundblaster x-fi elite) I will try that! Was so sure it would be awful so I never even tried it. Thanks for the tip.

And thanks everyone for your answers

[Ivan Milenkovic]

You can't get zero latency on any interface, even the best of them will have 4-5ms, cause it's a theoretical minimum that signal requires to go through the electronics and come back to speakers.

If you need a better interface than POD, you can try Emu 1212m card, or even the 0404 PCI card, they have small latency, around 10ms, even less, and you can insert hardware effects that are on the card, with no latency whatsoever.
Monitor speakers don't affect the latency, so any speaker will do, they better speaker, better the sound of course.

[Andrew Cockburn]

As everyone said, zero latency just can;t happen even with the best interface, but you can get zero latency monitoring on some cards - they let you minor your recording by feeding it to headphones independantly of the computer so you don't get a delay

Regarding headphones - they are great for recording and playing. They are less good for mixing as you get a very different acoustic environment so mixes will sound wrong on speakers if you make them on headphones.

Cheap or expensive monitors won';t affect latency at all, just playback quality.