Adjusting the Buffer Settings

Section III - Adjusting the Buffer Settings

Audio latency is the minimum time required for a computer to store recorded audio from an audio interface into the recording application memory and playback that same recorded audio back out audio interface output.

After the audio has been converted to the digital domain, it is passed to a buffer before it is processed by the driver and then passed to the audio application. An audio buf- fer is a reserved segment of memory used to hold this advance portion of audio data to compensate for momentary delays in processing. The size of an audio buffer is the maximum number of samples the buffer can hold. For sound coming from the computer, there is an output buffer before the digital to analog conversion. "Buffering" introduces latency, since a buffer needs to fill up by a certain amount before the data can continue along the chain.

The buffers in Cubase® LE were automatically set at a safe setting for your computer when you installed the software. If you are using Input Monitoring, you may wish to adjust the amount of buffering to reduce this latency, or perceived delay in the input vs. output of audio. Lowering the buffers will lower the amount of latency when using Input Monitoring. Setting the buffers too low will result in unwanted digital artifacts, such as popping or crackling and possibly audio dropout. The faster the computer (Hard Disk and CPU), the lower you will be able to adjust the buffer setting without negatively impacting the audio. For more information, consult the Cubase online documentation.

A. Adjusting the Buffers in Windows® xp

1.Open Cubase LE and go to Devices>Device Setup.

2.Click on VST Multitrack.

3.Click the Control Panel button. You will now see the ASIO control panel. The