User`s guide

Duet – User’s Guide
18
Maestro
Maestro
Low Latency mixing
Before describing the functions of Maestro’s Mixer pane, a bit of background information
concerning latency and computer-based digital recording setups will help you better
understand these functions.
When recording with most computer-based digital audio applications, the delay between
the input and output of the recording system often disturbs the timing of the musicians
performing. This delay, known as latency, means that the musician hears the notes he’s
produced a few milliseconds after having produced them. As anyone who has spoken
on a phone call with echo knows, relatively short delays can confuse the timing of any
conversation, spoken or musical.
To illustrate the effect of latency, gure A depicts the typical signal path of a vocal overdub
session. A vocalist sings into a microphone, which is routed to an analog to digital
converter, then to the audio software application for recording. In the software application,
the vocalist’s live signal is mixed with the playback of previously recorded tracks, routed
to a digital to analog converter, and nally to the vocalist’s headphones. A slight delay
accumulates at each conversion stage, while a much greater amount of delay occurs
through the software application, resulting in the vocalist hearing his performance in
headphones delayed by several milliseconds.
Figure 1
Figure A