10.6

Table Of Contents
562Logic Pro User Guide
Logic Pro offers two types of plug-in latency compensation. If you insert latency-causing
plug-ins only on audio and instrument channel strips, you can choose plug-in latency
compensation for only audio and instrument tracks. Logic Pro achieves this by pre-
delaying audio and MIDI regions on audio and instrument tracks. This results in snappy
playback response. If you have inserted latency-causing plug-ins on auxillary and/or output
channel strips, you can choose plug-in latency compensation for all types of channel
strips. When this setting is turned on, Logic Pro compensates for latency-causing plug-ins
by calculating the amount of latency caused by all plug-ins, and then delaying all audio
streams that do not pass through those aux and/or output channel strips by an appropriate
amount. This type of plug-in latency compensation can result in a slight lag in playback
response, depending on how much latency is being compensated.
If you use latency-causing plug-ins, it’s best to use them only after you have finished
recording. Delays in playing back audio, whether caused by a plug-in or by the plug-in
latency compensation feature, can result in your performance being out of time. However,
if you find that you need to do additional recording after you have inserted latency-causing
plug-ins into your mix, you can activate Low Latency mode, which will route your audio
around any latency-causing plug-ins, so that the recorded audio isn’t delayed.
To determine whether a plug-in causes latency, see that plug-in’s documentation.
Turn on plug-in latency compensation
In Logic Pro, choose one of the following options from the Compensation pop-up menu
in Logic Pro > Preferences > Audio > General:
Audio and Software Instrument Tracks: If you have inserted latency-causing plug-
ins only into audio and/or instrument channel strips, choose this option. Logic Pro
automatically shifts audio and MIDI regions in time to keep all the output synchronized.
All: If you have inserted latency-causing plug-ins into aux or output channel strips,
choose this option. Logic Pro delays all audio streams by an appropriate amount to
keep them all synchronized with each other.
Plug-in latency compensation is only available when Show Advanced Tools is selected in
Logic Pro > Preferences > Advanced.
Turn on Low Latency Mode
In Logic Pro, do one of the following:
Click the Low Latency Mode button in the control bar.
Note: The Low Latency Mode button does not appear in the control bar by default. To
add this button to the control bar, see Customize the Logic Pro control bar.
Select the Low Latency Mode checkbox in Logic Pro > Preferences > Audio > General.
Recorded audio is routed around any latency-causing plug-ins in the signal path. This
ensures that the maximum delay that can occur across the signal flow (that is, across the
entirety of the current track’s signal path) is less than the latency vaue you set using the
Limit slider in Logic Pro > Preferences > Audio > General.
The sound may change when you turn on Low Latency mode. Depending on the plug-ins in
use, the change in sound can be anything from subtle to dramatic. If plug-ins being used
do not exceed the total latency limit, there is no audible difference.
Low Latency Mode is only available when Show Advanced Tools is selected in
Logic Pro > Preferences > Advanced.