VST Instrument Delay In Cubase

[Leper_/-\ffinity]

Im having a problem with a few VST plugins Ive been trying to use. I wanted to use this plugin called Trollo which turns your keyboard into a MIDI controller, but whenever I use this as the input to my MIDI channel in Cubase SX, and then set some sort of synthesizer or whatever other VST instrument as the output on the MIDI track, it lags behind by a second or two of what Im actually trying to play. Is this normal?! Any way of fixing this so that I can use this setup to record in Cubase?! I just don't have a soundcard with MIDI capabilities and thus can't use a real MIDI controller, so Im just trying to get this Trollo plugin to work without giving me that delay, so that I can record some synths etc in real time all through VST. Can anyone help me figure out what the problem is?! Ive looked through all kinds of settings in Cubase to see if I can keep this from happening, but to no avail. If someone can help me fix this, I would appreciate it very much, I know it's not really the best thread, but some very knowledgeable people roam this forum

Anyways, just in case, link to Trollo:

http://www.axxeom.fsnet.co.uk/trollo.htm

 

[Ermz]

I'm thinkin you don't have ASIO drivers enabled. To do anything in real-time on a PC/IBM-based system you need to set up your ASIO drivers to get you the lowest latency possible.

I won't say anymore at this point, but just make sure your soundcard is ASIO 2.0 compatible and if it is, that you've set it up properly in Cubase.

 

[Asmus_Thomsen]

PErhaps your buffer size is too big - try to lower it..... But tjeck your asio drivers too as stated above

 

[Hopkins-WitchfinderGeneral]

Ahem.

As low as possible needs a slight further clarification imo. If you set it TOO low you'll get crackling and other kinds of noise.

The trick is to find the sweet spot inbetween the crackling and not too long a lag.

Do that and you'll be all set.

 

[Asmus_Thomsen]

Ahem.

As low as possible needs a slight further clarification imo. If you set it TOO low you'll get crackling and other kinds of noise.

The trick is to find the sweet spot inbetween the crackling and not too long a lag.

Do that and you'll be all set.

Where does it say "as low as possible"?

 

[Hopkins-WitchfinderGeneral]

Oh, he said the "lowest latency possible" actually, my mistake.

Either way, clarification is always a good thing.

 

[Ermz]

Yep, Hop is right, but I figured that was a given anyway. You want the lowest latency you can possibly achieve without those audible clicks and pops.

 

[Hopkins-WitchfinderGeneral]

I should probably read stuff more thoroughly next time.

 

[Leper_/-\ffinity]

Ok, so what exactly do I run? ASIO Multimedia Setup, and then what does all this mean?! What should I change to get rid of some of this lag?! Thanks a lot guys, help is greatly appreciated. If it helps, the soundcard is some C-Media piece of crap that came with the Nvidia nforce board.

 

[Ermz]

Okay then that's a negative toward ASIO support, I think. There are some 3rd party drivers out there that attempt to get ASIO support with some cards, but I've never had success with them. I think the only course of action at this point is... get a real soundcard. Cubase was unuseable for me until I did so, and I hardly regret it (hardly, because I'm getting loads of noise out of this Audigy 2, both on the speaker outs and the line-in, very weird).

 

[Leper_/-\ffinity]

Well, I guess Ill try and kill two birds with one stone by going out and getting a new soundcard today. But the thing is, I only have around $55 USD to spend on one right now, and Id like to get a MIDI cable as well (considering this new soundcard will have MIDI in, so I can totally forget the Trollo plugin and use my crappy keyboard as a MIDI controller).

Will the Soundblaster live be alright with ASIO and all that I basically need it to do in this scenario?!

http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=110693

Otherwise, is there anything you guys can recommend?! (keeping in mind the price)

Thanks again for the help guys!

 

[Razorjack]

I'd reccomend an M-Audio Audiophile over any SB.

Sound Blasters (of any type) are designed for gaming more than recording and they will not change the latency by very much (maybe a few milliseconds).

Try the Asio4All drivers (google it), they should help reduce the problems you are having without buying a new card.

 

[Hopkins-WitchfinderGeneral]

http://www.asio4all.com/

Second the m-audio suggestion.

 

[Ermz]

I'll third it. I'm investing in one along with the new recording rig.

 

[Leper_/-\ffinity]

Hey thanks a lot for the help guys, I got it figured out somewhat, but I just hav one quick question. My latency now is Input: 2.9ms and Output: 3.6ms, is this noticeable?! Ive recorded and played stuff with it so far and it sounds alright to me, but I was wondering if this latency was not low enough?! Is this much delay audible to the human ear?! Will this come back to bug me listening back to my recordings? Anyways, thanks for all the help so far.

 

[Ermz]

That should be fine.