Need help troubleshooting some 'squirrely" behavior please

[Kellog]

Hi, long time user and I try to handle problems myself, but I would appreciate some advice on where to look to help me figure out why my system is experiencing delayed actions sometimes-i.e. when I press start or stop of the current sequence it takes a second to execute the command. I was at 512, lowered the buffer to 256 with the same delayed response. Very sluggish behavior.

This is a single sequence I loaded into an empty new file (I always try this Load feature when things start acting up). 4 guitar audio tracks, I instance of Kontakt, 1 instance of EZ Drummer 2, some MOTU and UAD ( had meter says 32%) plugs running. Should be smoothe I believe.

I'm wondering if it's time for the dreaded clean install.

Also, sometimes my MIDI recording latency becomes very high- like when recording a MIDI bass part into Kontakt (with only a Scarbee bass loaded, no other sounds). Hit the note on my keyboard and a good 1/2 second later it sounds- with buffer at 128. If I scrap the Kontakt instance and reload a new one the latency goes away. But what got corrupted in the first place? This is what I mean by 'squirrely'
I took 2 screenshots of Tracks and Mixer windows to show how much usage is happening but I don't know how to post screenshots here. Happy to post em if needed and if someone can instruct me.
Thanks anyone who reads this far. Kelly

[stubbsonic]

Ugh. That sounds annoying!

I'm not 100% sure, but I think for your MIDI delay problem you can look in preferences. The main section is "Play and Record", and the sub-section is "MIDI Solo & Patch Through"

I think "Sync Recorded MIDI to Patch Thru" is a setting that causes some problems, but I may have that mixed up. On my system it is checked and everything works fine. I may have it confused with another similar sounding setting. Try enabling or disabling that to see if that fixes the MIDI issue.

I wonder if there isn't a weird setting in your Setup/Configure Audio System/Configure Hardware Driver... or Configure Studio Settings that is causing some weirdness.

[guitardood]

Might want to check if you have some latency/delay inducing plugs on the master bus. I was having a latency issue on recording with Sonarworks Reference on the mix/master bus and usually have to disable it when tracking. UAD's Precision Multiband has a high delay count as well.

[Kellog]

Great ideas gentleman, thanks. I'll look into those thoughts. Much appreciated!

[stubbsonic]

I think "Sync Recorded MIDI to Patch Thru" is a setting that causes some problems, but I may have that mixed up. On my system it is checked and everything works fine.

CORRECTION: everything did not work fine. Not sure how it got checked, but unchecking it was needed immediate after posting. MIDI tracks were later than recorded. I'm not sure what process DP is using to try to match what I heard when I tracked, but it ain't workin'.

[daniel.sneed]

AFAICR, *Sync recorded MIDI to patch thru* is intended to sync internal virtual synths. Uncheck with hardware synths, if you listen to the hardware synth outputs. (edited, first shot was just opposite and... wrong!)
First of all, check... the manual!

Some plugs on master track will give latency. Specially mastering plugs such as Ozone and the like.
My workaround is setting any mastering plugs on a master track inside a Vrack. This Vrack is named *mastering*. Enable-disable that Vrack will do in a glance.

And, of course, I don't forget the old buffer size trick: low on tracking, high on mixing.

[Kellog]

Where is "sync recorded MIDI to patch through " found. I can't seem to find it to check its setting.

[stubbsonic]

See my first post.

[Kellog]

Yep I see it now thanks. I'll check it out. Thanks Stubbsonic
And thanks Guitardood, the sequence is working better now that I turned of Sonarworks Ref 3 and UAD Precision Multiband on the master outs. I was pretty surprised that you posted those exact two potential latency causing examples and I was incorporating them. ...fade in Twilight Zone theme...