Ableton Live Question: Effectively Recording Return-Track Stems vs. Latency?

[2:43AM]

I did a Google, and I didn't come up with much. A few leads, but not specific to my question(s), so I thought I would ask here.

I read that Return Tracks in Live are not latency compensated if its output is routed to another track, or at the very least, they perform differently than MIDI/Audio tracks in a project. OK fine, I'll accept that for now.

In my project, I am using an outboard reverb unit, which is inserted in a Return Track via the External Effect device. During playback, the outboard reverb is delay compensated properly, and the resultant sound is what I would expect out of the Return Track into the Master Bus. NOTE: I run my projects at 96kHz, and I do have a 3.6ms manual delay-comp set into the External Effect device to compensate slightly for internal processing of the actual hardware reverb unit.

Anyway, in preparation of mixing-down my project, and the need to use the same external reverb unit for another set of tracks (using a different preset), I created a new Audio Track and set its input to the output of the Return Track. Overall, I wish to create a Return-Track stem.

Everything records fine and dandy, but the resultant, recorded stem is about 90ms late! I confirm this by zooming in and bumping the audio clip backwards to line up; 90 milliseconds. I understand this number could vary because of overall project delay-comp and processing, but having the sound not line up even remotely is goofy! I even confirmed the 90 milliseconds lag by using the bypass button.

I am a hardware dude, and everything else I use via External Instrument is recorded perfectly...and yes, sometimes I do need to program applicable compensation values in each External Instrument device as necessary.

So all in all, how should return-track stems be properly recorded? Is the requirement to record and manually bump the clips to alignment? Again...seems goofy.

[pottering]

I read that Return Tracks in Live are not latency compensated if its output is routed to another track

Not "another track", but only when they are routed to themselves, creating a feedback loop.

You can route a track to itself when the Send knob for the same Return Track is enabled (Send A knob enabled in Return Track A), or when the Return Track is sending to another track that has the Send knob for it enabled (like a Return Track A sending into another track that has the Send A enabled)

I created a new Audio Track and set its input to the output of the Return Track.

I think you gotta disable the Send knob for that Return Track in that "new Audio Track".

[2:43AM]

I think you gotta disable the Send knob for that Return Track in that "new Audio Track".

Well, hot damn! That did the trick!

I did a search in the online manual to no avail. Unless I missed it, there is nothing mentioned about this. Perhaps the disabling of sends a recorded return track is automatically done, or inherent in the rendering, if Exporting Audio/Video (bounce-down), so Ableton figures it isn't performed enough to write about? I would have never figured this one out, so THANK YOU for the tip!