Skip to main content

Hello there, first-time poster here.

I have a DAW computer with an M-Audio Delta 1010LT PCI card that I've been recording with.

I record acoustic guitar and vocals, with both doubled and panned hard left and right to get a full, warm sound.

The only way I can get perfect 0-latency recordings is if I do this:

-Record a guitar MASTER track that will later be scrapped
-Record the left-side guitar while playing back that master track
-Record the right-side guitar while playing back that master track
-Record the left-side vocals while playing back the master track
-Record the right-side vocals while playing back the master track
-Delete the master track

This is the only way I know of getting 4 separately recorded tracks to align perfectly. Obviously, it would be SOOO much easier and organic if I could just record a guitar track, then record a 2nd one along to that, and pan those hard left and right and record the vocals to them. But whenever I do this, I get latency. Nobody I've ever showed those recordings to can hear the latency, but I sure can.

My computer is dying and I need to build a new one.

My question is ---- could I get an 8-track digital recorder so that I could have 0 latency and just record tracks on top of each other instead of using a master track that every other track has to be recorded to for them to align PERFECTLY?

It doesn't matter what recording software I use, my 1010LT has latency when recording along to previous recordings. My computer is a beast, AMD 3ghz w/ 8GB of RAM and a massive video card. It is dedicated to recording, but all computer recording sucks for me as a solo artist due to having to record to a master track to avoid latency.

I'm building a new computer that will be even more beastly. Should I use a multi-track recorder to record and then import the tracks into that computer using the 1010LT for editing/mixing, or will the multi-track have the same latency issues as a DAW computer?

Thank you so much for any help or suggestions you may have!

Topic Tags

Comments

Big K Sun, 03/13/2011 - 18:54

Using a MTR for a later transfer into a DAW is not at all necessary.
Provided your PC and your I/O (+driver & OS) are set up correctly, you should be able to record to an existing track with latency as low as 0.7 msecs,
depending heavily on your Input section and drivers. You might want to explore if there is a direkt listening option in your Delta 1010 which provides almost
latency free monitoring of the recorded track. This is not necessary, anymore, with some of the more sophisticated I/Os, unless you record and replay many tracks at once.

Have a look at the specs of those gadgets, at the lower end of the page. Rock solid, of great longevity and sound for the buck.
[="http://www.rme-audio.de/en_products_hdspe_raydat.php"]RME: HDSPe RayDAT[/]="http://www.rme-audi…"]RME: HDSPe RayDAT[/]
or
[[url=http://="http://www.rme-audi…"]RME: Fireface UC[/]="http://www.rme-audi…"]RME: Fireface UC[/]

I guess, if you get a decent PC you solve a large part of your problems, already.
With the M-Audio gear it is important to get the correct driver and settings.
For various reasons not exactly my favourite brand... for a studio, at least..