Audio Interface Latency

1

Speaking of, probably, the mega-main issue of this software, is there any recommendations available for what audio interface(s) to be used to get the best results? Both for Mac and for PC, thanks…

2

There might be some info here for you:

3

I speak only for Windows and for live performance: any decent and recent audio interface will work perfectly with MG2, with a latency of a few milliseconds, BUT :

  • The latency will get longer for every plugin you insert. It is well known that some plugins are extremely resource intensive and therefore induce high latency. Personally, I give up some plugins because of this.

  • Moreover, the latency will increase even more depending on whether your computer has been optimized for audio applications or not: I reduced the CPU load by 30% and the latency by 25% by fully applying this 92 pages optimization guide which is valid for all audio applications used for live performance.
    Basically, it consists in uninstalling all applications not useful for audio as well as disabling background services, notifications, internet, antivirus, bluetooth, camera, etc.
    In short: everything that scans the system and waits for feedback or data, adding tiny bits of cpu load and latency to ultimately create a slowdown in the audio stream and overload the processor.

Considering all this, the latency of the audio interface is a very small part.
I’ve had several audio interfaces that are equally good in terms of latency but the major difference is in stability and reliability: I currently use an RME that fully reassures me when I play live.

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4

Thanks, but can this lead to a simple list of:

  1. For OSX, the best audio interface for JO software is:
  2. For Windows, the best audio interface for JO software is:

This to make it a bit more simple – as again today it happened here – Catalina got laggy (big time latency/unusable for JO) while Mojave did not.

Thanks again.

5

What I can read here, the audio interface used has about no impact. Then the second question must be may it be possible to optimise JO to get even less latency; the tone/note identification is simply very great, so is is less latency simply impossible?

6

That is what we are about to find out with MIDI Guitar 3. How much can we actually improve on the tracking (speed) without any negative consequences for other related parameters, transients, polyphony and stuff like that? I don’t know, but I am truly interested in finding out. Patience, I guess…For now, I’m with Herold on the Audio Interface question: it really doesn’t make that much of a difference. For me, the most important change has been my picking strategy. Realizing that once audio is translated into MIDI, we must take better care of the two parts of any note created note on AND note off. If you learn how to clean the slate for every next note by stopping everything before it from ringing, much I won when it comes to tracking speed. No unnecessary polyphony. It actually makes a great difference. (For me, that is)

7

Thanks. Your note about note OFF is interesting and accurate, I think. I have already noticed I have gone an even worse guitar player (when going back to normal guitar playing) as I might have got influenced by the special playing techniques for generating midi from the guitar. Let’s hope I can easily switch over to guitar playing again and adapt the techniques I was used of before :wink:

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