Hi, I just bought KeyLab88mrk3 and have installed most software, but there’s still a lag between when I strike the key and when it sounds. How can I fix this? Thanks!
Hi @sillyfool312 ,
Congratulation with your new equipment.
Delay/ latency is about your audio settings.
Which soundcard doo you use?
Each audio application like for example Analog Lab have some audio settings. Which settings have you set for sample rate and buffer?
Try 44100 or 48000 Hz and a buffer of for example 256 samples to start with.
Use ASIO settings if you are on Windows.
Thank you, I changed the buffer to 256 and the sample rate to 88200 (is that too high?) and it solved the latency issue on Analog Lab.
Out of curiosity, how do I find out which sound card I use? Is that on my computer? MacBook Air.
Great.
It sound like you use the computers internal soundcard. And coreaudio.
Which samplerate setting to use is something that’s very discussed and can depend on many things.
If you think 88200 Hz or 96000 Hz sound better and you have enough CPU power to run it, then you can use it.
I suggest you study this. Perhaps no reason to use that high settings. Also i suggest you study about latency.
What we can say is that:
- the higher samplerate setting the more load is put on the CPU.
- the lower buffer sample setting the more load is put on the CPU.
That’s good info. Thanks. One more issue: I fixed the latency problem, but now my audio is very quiet–only when I play the KeyLab. Everything is loud. For instance, I turned up the volume on the Mac and the speakers,. When I play the keyboard it’s still soft, but everything else is really loud. Any thoughts?
Now, for some reason the controller doesn’t sound. Analog Lab works fine in stand alone mode. I can play the little keyboard in the window, but when I play the controller nothing happens. Here’s the screen shot of my Analog Lab audio midi settings. Any thoughts?
This is so frustrating. I got it to play, (not sure how) but now the latency is back. My only option in the Sample rate is 44100Hz. There are no other options when I press the down or up arrows. So it’s sounding again, but way behind when I press the key.
In the MIDI Ports select the Keylab 88 mk3 MIDI (not DAW) setting.
Please have a look at section “3.1. Connecting to Analog Lab” in your Keylab 88 mk3 manual. Everything else in your image look fine.
Manuals are your friends.
https://www.arturia.com/support/downloads-manuals
Sorry, I looked at 3.1 in the manual, I don’t see what I’m missing. I selected Keylab 88 mk3 MIDI and deselected Daw, but I’m only getting one sample rate option and the lantency is still there. I don’t know what I’m missing here.
Is that Logi Z207 bluetooth speakers? Bluetooth is a no go for real time audio because of the latency.
Also not all audio devices have the same setting options.
Which other Audio Device options do you have?
My Logi speakers are connected to the mac thru a cord, not running on Bluetooth. The little keyboard in Analog Lab plays fine either thru the Logi speakers or on my MacBook Air speakers. No lag.
But I can’t check the KeyLab latency because it’s simply stopped sounding. I tap the keys and I get nothing, which is weird because I haven’t changed any of the settings, I don’t think. The keyboard has disconnected from the Analog Lab and I have no idea why.
I got the sound to work again by highlighting the Daw icon on the KeyLab. You were right. The Logi speakers only allow for 44100 Hz, hence the lag. When I switched to my MacBook Air speakers I was able to set the sample rate as high as 96000 Hz and the Buffer size to 1024 samples. The latency is gone, but the sound isn’t very loud. The solution, I guess is that I need better speakers that can connect to my Mac?
A samplerate setting at 44100 Hz is not the reason for lag/ latency.
A buffer at 1024 samples is a reason. You should set buffer to max 512 samples. Less is better.
I’m on Windows.
But try the headphones output.
Computer speakers are not good for this.
Most of us also use external soundcard commected to monitors.
I hope @LBH doesn’t mind me butting in just to clarify a little further here.
The ‘Buffer’ setting is in samples and a ‘buffer’ is needed to allow time for your input, in this case you hitting a key on your KL61, and the time it takes to take that input signal, send it to AnalogLab, get the AL software to do what you’ve just told it to do and then send the result (the sound/s you want to hear) back to your speakers or headphones.
It’s not actually instant like you would hear if it were a real acoustic piano, say.
This is the ‘lag’ you describe.
Try to keep lowering your buffer as low as it will go before it starts to make crackling/popping/static type sounds. Once it does that, just go back up to the setting before.
Raising your sample rate will also decrease latency, but at the cost of processing power, so it can be a ‘balancing act’ to some extent.
You must be aware though that the more you require your computer to do, the close it will get to having to need to raise the buffer size to accommodate the extra processing power needed, it sounds like you’re a little way off that yet though.
I hope that helps a little.
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Yes if what i have written was’nt clear. Both Samplerate and buffer size have an impact on the latency.
I was trying to keep it simple as a starting point, and then study it from there.
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This was very helpful. I now have my Buffer at 256 and the Sample rate at 44100 Hz.
It runs fine on both my MacBook speakers and thru headphones.
Many thanks to all of you who helped me get up-and-running. I will dig into the manual as I’m sure there’s a ton more to learn.
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