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Software Recommendation

LChen	Date: October 28, 2006 @ 7:08 AM I'm a guitarist and am now becoming highly interested by the prospect of using VST effects instead of (or in conjunction with) the more traditional "stomp boxes". However, I'm having an issue with latency, where: 1. When I record a track, it lags behind the backing track, even when I'm in time. 2. I'd like to be able to use my guitar while it's plugged into my computer and have its sound - including effects - play back through the speakers. (I'm using line-in, by the way.) This is achieved with absolutely no problems when I enable line-in to pass through my speakers, but I can't seem to find a program that will play back the sound with effects. In Cakewalk SONAR 4, activating the "Input Echo" button results in immense lag time or insane crackling noises (and sometimes both!). I'd really like to be able to hear myself play with effects, since palm muting and vibrato, for example, sound so much better with distortion and crunch. Problem 1 isn't such a large issue, although it is quite annoying, since I can move the newly-recorded track forwards. Is there a way to fix problem 2? Is there a program that will play whatever I'm playing back through my speakers, with effects? e.g., if I add a distortion VST effect and play an E, will I hear a distorted E with no lag? At the moment, all I can obtain is a lag-free but clean tone - and it's not that great a tone, either! Would using a Guitarport, Toneport, audio interface or multi-track recorder help either of these issues? Does software exist that would solve problem 2? Thanks in advance.
LiQuidMetamo...	Date: October 28, 2006 @ 6:30 PM Latency is primarily determined by your sound card rather than the software program. It is secondarily determined by the power of your computer. Look at a PCI card or firewire options before USB, they have lower latency values. M-Audio, Edirol, Echo, RME etc make great sound cards. Find a good pro audio soundcard (not soundblasters or inbuilt audio) that has a low latency ASIO 2.0 driver and make sure your computer is as powerful as can be, 2 GB ram works best, anything less than 1 GB will give you major performance issues. Also a fast processor, anything less than a 2.8 Ghz Pentium 4 will have performance issues. The new Intel Core Duo or AMD 64x2 processors give much better performance. Look at a PCI card or firewire options before USB, they have lower latency values. M-Audio, Edirol, Echo, RME etc make great sound cards. The Presonus Firepod and MOTU Ultralite or 828 mk II are good firewire options. Cakewalk Sonar 4 uses DX plugins natively, you need a VST wrapper to run VST plugins, the VST wrapper can add latency. Sonar 6 uses VST natively or Cubase 4 from Steinberg (who invented VST). DX is a dying breed, the latest Cubase does not support it, neither do new plug-ins from Antares (Autotune) or others. If your soundcard and computer are up to snuff then you should be able to run vst plug-ins at 6ms latency or better which is almost indistinguishable. If your soundcard permits direct monitoring, you can have virtually latency free recording, although you will not hear the insert effect during recording (it routes the sound back through the soundcard with no processing) but it will play back with the effect. This is not the best option for distorted lead solos, but fine for rhythm tracks and the low latency at 3 or 6ms is not noticeable anyway. Toneport and Guitar Rig are very usable vstis. Although vstis are not necessarily the be all and end all, many people at cubase.net prefer the Vox Tonelab guitar processor which is an external effects unit for realistic feel without an amp. Although the vst effects give more flexibility to change the sound after the event. One last thing, when running your music production software, kill all other non essential programs or services in task manager, especially a/v or anti-spyware. Some people also find killing a wireless internet connection helps, as does setting Processor Scheduling for 'Background Services' rather than Programs in the COntrol Panel.
LiQuidMetamo...	Date: October 28, 2006 @ 6:43 PM Also I don't get how you are connecting your guitar to the computer, but line-in from guitar output not put through a mixer, DI box or preamp will give you pretty terrible results, unless your soundcard has a built in preamp (not very common unless a higher end pro-audio card with a break out box usually). Get a pre-amp or plug into a mixer and use it's preamps before feeding a line signal. This will also help with recording any miced instruments or vocals etc.
evansorchid	Date: October 28, 2006 @ 10:12 PM I had some latency issues when I first started recording guitar as digital audio. At first I resolved this my simply isolating the track and 'sliding' it over the eighth or quarter second that it was off sync. It sounded in-sync during the recording, but upon playback it would be off. Then I purchased an M-Audio sound card for a couple hundred and I haven't had any latency issues since. But, your question seems to concern using the internal effects of whatever software program that you're using and utilizing them during recording. Most of my guitar effects are 'external' meaning that the distortion, delay, chorus, flange, reverb, etc. are processed before the guitar signal is sent to the soundcard. It seems to be simplier to me, as I use a combination of analog and digital equipment. I will use the effects in the software to 'polish' the sounds after the initial recording, but I'm not quite sure how to use the internal effects during recording. Good luck with that.
Jonmoi	Date: April 15, 2007 @ 10:34 PM Hi I've just joined up, so I don't know if the replies so far have satisfied your query. I use a PC with a Pentium 4 3.2Ghz CPU and 1Gig of Ram and an M-Audio 10-10 Lt soundcard. I use the old Logic Platinum 5.5, reverb effects by Waves and the Amplitube amp simulator. I plug my guitar into either one of the Mic or Line inputs on the soundcard and use the sliders in the soundcard software to control levels. The relevant soundcard output is then plugged into my amp or studio monitoring system. I insert Amplitube into a Logic input track and any other effects into a record enabled ordinary track. This way, all of the effects within the computer are available to me when playing or recording my guitar I am unable to detect any latency at all. Initially, I had one problem and that was an earth loop hum when I plugged my computer into my amp. I solved that by placing an isolating transformer between my amp (only the amp) and the mains power. Works a treat.....Good luck!

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