I've been struggling with this problem for a while and have read a lot about it, but still can't solve it so maybe somebody can help...I'm sure it's a common problem - latency.

I am using a Focusrite Scarlett (Gen 1) 6i6 interface to record my guitar and voice tracks in RB, playing along with backing tracks I've created in BIAB and imported into RB 2014 (yes, I'm going to upgrade when the next version - 2019 - comes out). I use the RealBand styles, so they are all RealTracks, and thus become audio tracks, not midi, in RB, if I understand this correctly. I'm using a Toshiba Satellite laptop with an i7 processor and 8 Gb of ram.

The Focusrite has its own ASIO driver, and the buffer is set to 10ms (lower than that gives pops, clicks and drop-outs). I can directly monitor my singing/playing along with my backing tracks, via the headphone out on the Focusrite, and perceive zero latency. My mic and guitar are plugged directly into the Focusrite with no effects, so I am recording the dry signal.

The problem is that when I keep the take and listen to my recordings, both voice and guitar sound slightly late. I've tested this with regular songs and also by filling a track with metronome clicks and playing/singing a single note as exactly in time with what I am hearing as possible - not perfect, but I'm reasonable with timing. When I expand the waveforms I can see that my guitar is mostly about 7-8 ticks late. I'm not sure what ticks are really, but that's what the timeline clock seems to measure by default, so they'll do as a measure. My voice is slightly less late, maybe 4-5 ticks.

I can solve the problem by using the move/copy command to shift the tracks backwards by the right number of ticks, but that doesn't seem like a good solution. I've tried messing about with the audio preferences window in RB 2014, but there doesn't seem to be a permanent latency correction feature like there is in, say Audacity, where I have set it so that the track automatically shifts backwards by a given amount on keeping the take.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Is the number around 8/120 of a click?
I have one system doing that and it is indeed irritating.
Haven't figured out the solution yet, but we need one.

Hi Dai,

Am I correct in assuming that you're using an ASIO audio driver?

If you increase the driver's latency, do the tracks then come in later?

Thanks
Kent
PG Music

Got to set the Focusrite to "direct input monitoring". If not already.
You're listening to your voice and guitar through the program causing latency.

For what it's worth, on the one system I mentioned above we routinely move recorded tracks 8/120 clicks toward the beginning (Using Cut/Close Gap).

So I have noticed this also, but only on one system .. however that one is using a Delta 1010 (not Focusrite), yet another system with the same 1010 doesn't do it.

I have tinkered with offset and latency on that machine, but the 8 tick move just fixes it on that machine every time. So I gave up figgering out why and just made it a workflow there.

In my case, that particular machine is using MME.
I've changed it to ASIO, but others kept changing it back to MME so I gave up and left it on MME.

Far as I know Focusrite units only work with their native ASIO drivers. Selecting MME wouldn't allow the Focusrite to be used at all.

Wasn't sure.

Thanks for your suggestions, all... I've been traveling, so only just noticed that I had some replies. The answers to your questions are, that... I am indeed using the ASIO driver supplied by Focusrite... I think I have to, in fact. And I think the latency gets worse if I increase the buffer setting in it to above 10ms. Lower than 10ms causes clicks and dropouts. And yes, the latency seems to be about 8/120 ticks, so the suggestion of using the cut/close gap function as a matter of course might be just what I have to do... That's a good suggestion, but surely not all DAWS must suffer from this problem? How does pro equipment and software handle it? I am plugging my monitoring headphones into the HP out jacks on the Focusrite , which I think means that I am doing "direct input monitoring", doesn't it, as that is the whole purpose of these outputs. I'm hearing my backing tracks coming from RB, through these HPs and listening to my playing and singing along, and everything sounds in time. It's only when I listen to the take that I get the latency, so it seems to me that the latency has to come from the processing that takes place in laying the tracks down. Either in the Focusrite driver or from RB or maybe both? Am I right?

Could be the software or the computer itself.
Personally I have to cut gap on one system but not on others.
So I think it's more how the computer handles recording.

I have 2nd generation Focusrite 2i2. Upgrade from 1st gen. No more latency.

Also - could be your cpu right memory. U seem to have a narrow window between getting artifact and latency

That's interesting... my Focusrite is 1st Gen, and I just borrowed it from work, it's not my own, so maybe if I buy my own 2nd gen one it will be better. Thanks for the tip.