Tracking through real analog equipment is always very exciting. You not only get the classic sound from that piece of gear but it also makes the recording more real since you shape the sound from the source.

Nowadays, thanks to modern computers and digital audio processing, anyone can track using emulations of their favorite console, guitar amp, EQ, or compressor and get that classic sound all in the box. The only issue with this is the processing that the computer requires to monitor through these plug-ins with low latency.

The Problem With Latency

As we all know, latency is the total time taken for a signal to travel through a recording system. From the source to the monitor system. Adding processing through plug-ins introduces more elements in the chain which increases the latency. When the buffer size of the DAW is reduced, the latency goes down but the burden for the CPU increases making it very difficult for the computer to run more demanding plug-ins. Finding a balance between processing and latency is usually a game of trying different buffer sizes until it’s comfortable for the artist and the computer can handle it with no drop-outs or any annoying delay effect. 

Play Save Or Commit

When tracking with plug-ins we have two different workflows that we can follow. The first one is to add plug-ins in the insert slots of our DAW. This is equivalent to adding effects in the monitoring chain since you would be able to listen to the effect during tracking (unless “low latency monitoring” is enabled in your DAW). The effect won’t be recorded in the audio file, making it easier to swap or tweak down the line in the mixing process. 

For those of you ready to record and commit your sound,  the second option is creating a Split console inside the DAW. To do so we need to create Aux tracks that feed on our interface inputs and send their signals to Audio tracks in our DAW. Then add the effects to the inserts of those Aux tracks and arm the audio track. Now you can start recording with all the effects printed into the audio track. You can even tweak the effects live while tracking and get that performance printed in your file.    

The issue with any of these two options is that the more plug-ins we use during the recording the more processing will be required by the CPU.

How To Avoid Latency

High spec computers with plenty of RAM and fast CPUs allow the use of plug-ins during tracking, even at low buffer sizes. On the other hand, the price tag for these machines is normally quite high and not accessible for many pockets. Another option in the market is the use of external processing servers to load off the computer and provide more plugin processing power. Some of them are even integrated inside the audio interface, which can give a great performance for tracking. The only issue is that this extra processing is most of the time-limited to the devices themself and the plug-ins they use. 

DAWs like Reaper allow you to create your own processing servers with any extra machine that you might have around (even old ones), but you might encounter limits with the number of plugin licenses that you have since the plug-ins should be active in both machines.

Another option is the use of well-optimized plug-ins that perform well no matter the number of their instances in your DAW or the machine’s setup. A good example of this is the products from Sonimus. They are designed to have a near-zero latency and optimized CPU usage. Combine that with a great sound and you get the perfect match to track with plug-ins at any buffer size.  You can get killer monitor mixes while tracking without touching your DAW settings.

Do you track with Sonimus plug-ins in your recording sessions? Do you print your effects while tracking? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for future content on how to record with Sonimus plug-ins.