Lowest latency at high CPU PCIe soundcard recommendation <$300

[aMUSEd]

Absolutely, the Virus performs incredibly using ASIO. I can hit 80% CPU at 256 buffers without a crackle or a pop.

It's just that using it as a sound card disables input so that you can't use it as a Vocoder, or it's Atomizer. Which really isn't the worst thing that could happen.

The Virus is awesome at HIGH CPU loads, but it's not particularly fast, I believe the output latency at 256 is about 30ms but this isn't terrible by any stretch.

My original desire to get the Komplete 6 was in the hopes that I could use it as a sound card that coped at high CPU with lower latency allowing me to use every function on the Virus. It seemed like a simple solution, I just didn't realize how variable performance was between sound cards/devices.

It's starting to look like I should save some money (I'll buy more plug-ins, lol) and keep using the Virus as the primary sound card and use the Komplete 6 for MIC input.

My only other gripe against the Komplete is that the Windows drivers are so bad, it even crackles if you're playing a game (and I do like to play the occasional game on my system - OS's are isolated, I have one OS on one partition purely for Music and another general purpose boot on another partition for everything else.)

I'm getting down to buffer sizes of 64 and even 32 with the TI as sound card on my Mac, and without crackles for all but the most CPU intensive plugins. I'm not sure though if that's related to the fact that it only supports 16 bit audio on Mac, which means in practice I tend to have to use my Kore more even though in terms of low latency it's not as good.

[Pokeyoats]

Of course!! I feel a bit silly now. Here I was focusing on the hardware side and forgetting all about the software side, the drivers.

What you say makes perfect sense, thank you for bringing clarity to my madness!

[Pokeyoats]

I'm getting down to buffer sizes of 64 and even 32 with the TI as sound card on my Mac, and without crackles for all but the most CPU intensive plugins. I'm not sure though if that's related to the fact that it only supports 16 bit audio on Mac, which means in practice I tend to have to use my Kore more even though in terms of low latency it's not as good.

As someone that is moving to the OSX platform, albeit begrudgingly, this makes me very happy to hear. And does make sense as I understand that the AUDIO implementation in OSX is extraordinarily tight and efficient allowing for very low latency response.

It is just a shame that OSX doesn't have the software support. I'm going to have to work quite hard to install my Rapture and Dim Pro under Mountain Lion and there are a number of plug-ins I'm going to have to say goodbye to, which does upset me. I will have a Win partition to run them on, because I paid good money for them, but with such an interrupted workflow, they probably won't get used, sigh.

But I digress.

[Kaine]

Ah, I feel I should explain, the 3770k system isn't built yet. I actually just got the loan approved yesterday for the system I am building and equipment, thus the inquiry as to a new sound card. Currently I am just running on a Q6600.

I have actually been wondering if the improved performance of the system will help the Komplete 6 in any way,

My only other gripe against the Komplete is that the Windows drivers are so bad, it even crackles if you're playing a game (and I do like to play the occasional game on my system - OS's are isolated, I have one OS on one partition purely for Music and another general purpose boot on another partition for everything else.)

I'd certainly test it out on the new rig first. I've know a few people with KA6's plugged into machines running games and they are not hearing the same crackling you are. Perhaps it just doesn't get on with your current board, have you tried it on another machine?

From the chart that was linked, it is pretty much an output latency graph (not combined, output only) that charts how long it takes for the sound cards buffer to receive and fill the data stream and then how long it takes for the sound card to process this binary data into a sound wave."

It does list both. I/O column is "In time" and "Out time" whilst the total RTL is I/O + execution time.

The magic is in the drivers. The reason high end cards rate so well in terms of latency and system load is quality drivers. The efficiency of the code, basically. RME drivers are rock solid. Lynx drivers also.

Like many things, you get what you pay for ...

Very true. A point I can't drive home enough is that the vast majority of brands work with generic usb/firewire controller solutions fitted in to the interface to create the final product. It allows them to get out decent solutions at low price points and focus on the task of building a unit that sounds good.

RME and a few other brands on the other hand design and build the units from the ground up meaning they can optimize everything in the box and that coupled with having their own driver team in house means they can fine tune the kit to an inch of it's life. It costs more because more development tends to take place.

[Pokeyoats]

My only other gripe against the Komplete is that the Windows drivers are so bad, it even crackles if you're playing a game (and I do like to play the occasional game on my system - OS's are isolated, I have one OS on one partition purely for Music and another general purpose boot on another partition for everything else.)

I Haven't got another machine to test it on, and truth be told, I've only tested it on one game. But that's because I only really play one game, Star Trek Online, the rest of my time is piano practice and Music Theory study. And I must say, I'm quite exhausted and do like my 30 mins to 1 hour hear and there to have a play.

It does list both. I/O column is "In time" and "Out time" whilst the total RTL is I/O + execution time.

Ok, so that is actually listing the Input time (i.e a mic) and the output combined, like the number that Ableton Live gives?

I was still thinking at the motherboard level and was assuming that the I/O was the turn around time on an ACK.

But that would imply that you could halve some of those numbers (plus add the difference in execution time) to establish straight output latency then?

[Kaine]

I Haven't got another machine to test it on, and truth be told, I've only tested it on one game. But that's because I only really play one game, Star Trek Online, the rest of my time is piano practice and Music Theory study. And I must say, I'm quite exhausted and do like my 30 mins to 1 hour hear and there to have a play.

I've played some BF3 with a mate who has a KA6 hooked up that gets used for gaming as well as some editing at home when he can't make it into the studio. Its running the game audio and team speak together and hasn't tripped us up so far; so unless STO has some crazy bug going on its why I'm sure it shouldn't be giving you the issues that it is. I'm playing GW2 heavily at the moment myself, I wish I had enough self control and was able to keep the sessions to under an hour!

It does list both. I/O column is "In time" and "Out time" whilst the total RTL is I/O + execution time.

Ok, so that is actually listing the Input time (i.e a mic) and the output combined, like the number that Ableton Live gives?

I was still thinking at the motherboard level and was assuming that the I/O was the turn around time on an ACK.

But that would imply that you could halve some of those numbers (plus add the difference in execution time) to establish straight output latency then?

Yeah the total RTL would show you total time to loop back a real time processed vocal (for instance) where the input time is vocal signal to cpu, it get's processed and then sent back out shown by the output time. If your recording, processing and sending back the signal to the vocalist for real time monitoring then the RTL time is how long its going to take for his voice to leave his mouth and reach his ears through the headphones.

The input and output times however are not equal in most cases and on that chart in the I/O column the Input is on the left of the and output is on the right.

If your working in the box and no input figure is needed (ie your using a soft synth) then yes, you can take the total RTL and remove the input time and the resulting figure would be the stright output latency time including signal generation and processing time.