8.0

Synchronization
Working with VST System Link
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VST System Link and latency
The general definition of latency is the amount of time it takes any system to respond
to whatever messages are sent to it. For example, if your system’s latency is high
and you play VST instruments in realtime, you will get a noticeable delay between
when you press a key and when you hear the sound of the VST instrument.
Nowadays, most ASIO-compatible audio cards are capable of operating with very
low latencies. Also, all VST applications are designed to compensate for latency
during playback, making the playback timing tight.
However, the latency time of a VST System Link network is the total latency of all
the ASIO cards in the system added together. Therefore it is extra important to
minimize the latency times for each computer in the network.
IMPORTANTIMPORTANTIMPORTANT
IMPORTANT
The latency does not affect the synchronization – it is always perfectly in time. But
it can affect the time it takes to send and receive MIDI and audio signals, or make
the system seem sluggish.
To adjust the latency of a system, you adjust the size of the buffers in the ASIO
control panel – the lower the buffer size, the lower the latency. It is best to keep to
fairly low latencies (buffer sizes) if your system can handle it – about 12 ms or less
is usually a good idea.
Setting up your software
Now it is time to set up your programs. The procedures below describe how to set
things up in Cubase. If you are using another program on the other computer,
please refer to its documentation.
Setting the sample rate
The projects in both programs must be set to use the same sample rate. Select
“Project Setup…” from the Project menu and make sure that the sample rate is the
same in both systems.
Streaming digital audio between applications
PROCEDURE
1. Create input and output busses in both applications and route these to the
digital inputs and outputs.
The number and configuration of the busses depend on your audio hardware and on
your needs. If you have a system with eight digital i/o channels (such as an ADAT
connection), you could create several stereo or mono busses, a surround bus
together with a stereo bus, or any combination you need. The important thing is that
you should have the same configuration in both applications – if you have four stereo
output busses on computer 1, you want four stereo input busses on computer 2, etc.