Recording Lag?

[HarderTheyFlo]

Hey guys,
ive been trying to record some of my own stuff and ive run into a problem. What is happening is, when i try to record, what i am recording is lagging behind what is played through the speakers. Ive done some searching through the forum and i think i need to get an audio interface. Will one of these help?
I was really looking at Lexicon Lambda.

What my current setup is, bass/guitar into my PA head, using the stereo out into the microphone jack on laptop. I use acid music studio and ezdrummer. I know its pretty cheap.

So, will an audio interface solve this problem? And if so can some of you guys recommend me a good interface?

[CraigG]

It's called latency and, yes, a better quality audio interface should resolve some of the problem. Look for something that advertises low-latency or no latency monitoring. I'm not familiar with the Lexicon but suspect it qualifies.

[hunta]

I would not recommend the Lexicon interfaces based on feedback I've seen on other forums like gearslutz.

Do you have firewire or just USB? How many tracks do you want to record at a time? How much do you want to spend?

I would strongly recommend firewire if you're getting more than a 2 channel interface. If you're going with a small USB interface around $150 like the lambda, the Presonus audiobox looks pretty decent. They use Edirol UA-25's a lot where I work and they're pretty solid but cost about $230 for the same basic features. The Toneport interfaces seem to get decent review too.

If I was personally looking for one, I might be tempted to try the ART USB Dual Pre which is only $100 for 2 channels, and ART stuff is usually pretty good. But I don't know anyone that has used one so it's a gamble.

[HarderTheyFlo]

I would say, i would record 1-2 tracks at a time. Im not looking to spend a lot, but i dont want something cheaply made. So i would say 250 tops, but more like 150. I dont firewire, to be honest i dont know what it is, so usb it is.

[hunta]

I'd go with the audiobox to be safe. I think $150 is about the right amount to spend for a 2 channel USB interface. Save your money for other gear.

[Doc Labyrinth]

Latency is inherent in all DAWs, to really solve the latency problem, a pro DAW with external PCI processing cards would help. An audio interface is a good way to go anyway, if you're recording. But either with an interface, or straight to the audio input in your computer, you can reduce latency by reducing your buffer size. This puts a heavier load onto your CPU, so depending on your CPU speed and amount of RAM, you need to find a middle ground.

[ingo62]

Hi,

if your soundcard is supported by this:

http://www.asio4all.com/

you possibly can save your money

It works with LOTS of cards and is free!

Greetings
Ingo

[bassbrock]

Are you using lots of effects and plugins while you are recording?

If so, each plugin can add latency. I would suggest trying to record as dry as possible.

In our studio I've found that I can record almost everything dry (no effects) with the exception of vocals. Vocalists always need reverb.