Hearing Yourself Late While Recording? How to Fix Latency

You're recording your verse and hear your own voice just a little late in your headphones. It throws you right off your flow. That delay is called latency. Good news: you can almost always do something about it. Here's how it works.

Where does the delay come from?

When you listen through your DAW, your voice goes into your interface, through your computer and then back to your headphones. Your computer processes audio in small chunks, the buffer. The bigger the buffer, the longer it takes. A buffer of 256 samples at 44.1 kHz already takes about 5.8 milliseconds, and the round trip adds more on top.

Other causes:

• Plug-ins on your track or master that add delay of their own, like some compressors and limiters.
• Bluetooth headphones. According to Apple, wireless always adds delay and isn't suitable for recording.

1. Lower your buffer while recording

A small buffer means less delay, but asks more of your computer. Set it low when you record and higher again when you mix.

• Logic Pro: Logic Pro > Settings > Audio > Devices, under I/O Buffer Size. Apple recommends the lowest setting when recording, and only going up if you run into problems.
• Ableton Live: in the settings under Audio, at Buffer Size.
• FL Studio: through your ASIO driver settings.

Hear clicks or crackles? Your computer can't keep up. Raise the buffer one step.

2. Use direct monitoring on your interface

A lot of interfaces have direct monitoring. You hear your mic straight through the interface, without the signal going through your computer. No delay, but no effects either. Do turn monitoring off in your DAW, or you'll hear yourself twice.

3. Turn off heavy plug-ins for a bit

Got plug-ins in your project that add a lot of delay? Turn them off while you record. Some DAWs can do this for you:

• Logic Pro: Record > Low Latency Mode. Logic then routes the signal around plug-ins with a lot of delay.
• Ableton Live: turn on Reduced Latency When Monitoring in the Options menu.

4. Use wired headphones

No matter how well your buffer is set, with Bluetooth you'll always hear yourself late. Record with wired headphones plugged into your interface.

Late or double?

Does your voice sound like a kind of echo or flanger? Then you're probably hearing yourself twice: once straight through your interface and once through your DAW. Turn one of them off.

More recording guides: how to set up the Scarlett Solo for vocals, how to record vocals in Ableton Live and how to record vocals in GarageBand on Mac. Recording in Audacity? Read how to record rap in Audacity.

FAQ

What buffer size should I pick?

The lowest setting where you don't hear clicks or crackles. That's different for every computer and every project.

Why does it crackle at a low buffer?

Your computer doesn't get enough time to process everything. Raise the buffer one step or turn off heavy plug-ins.

Can I record with AirPods?

Better not. Bluetooth always adds delay. According to Apple, that's why wireless headphones aren't suitable for recording.

Source: Apple on input monitoring latency in Logic Pro, and Ableton's manual and help articles on latency and monitoring.