Re: Update on Live Sound Devices?

[Jeffrey Larson <jeff@zonemobius.com>]

On Jul 8, 2006, at 8:37 PM, Ernie Mansfield wrote:

 > Is it still true that laptop computers and software are considered
 > "non-real-time" devices? As stated at the website? Is it still  
true that
 > there are latency problems, even with the most recent laptop  
speeds? It
 > seems to me that if one is wanting a *delay* effect, latency  
should not be a
 > problem anyway (since the live signal could be routed to a sound  
system
 > directly...).

Welcome!  You've stepped into a frequently recurring debate here
on this wonderful list.  It's one of those Fender vs. Gibson,
Emacs vs. Vi, York vs. Sargent debates that every list seems to have.

Here, this is usually referred to as the "software vs. hardware" debate.

I'm on the software side, though I see it as less of a debate, and
more of a balancing act among the features you desire.

In my opinion, the term "real-time" no longer has any significant
meaning.  The only important issues are "stability" and to
a much lesser extent "latency".

The so called real-time systems (more commonly called "dedicated
hardware" systems) can achieve lower latency than a laptop running a
non-real-time OS.  This is not disputed.  But laptops have become
pretty darn good over the years.  With a modern computer, a good sound
card and ASIO drivers you can expect to achieve latency on the order of
5 milliseconds or less.  Most people have a hard time detecting
latency below 10ms, and of those that can, many are able to compensate
for it, in the same way that you compensate for the position of your
monitor speaker, or the size of the concert hall.  But if you are in
your bedroom playing guitar wearing headphones, it can be noticeable.

You are correct that with delay effects latency can be completely
eliminated provided that the software can compensate for it, and that
the amount of latency has been accurately calibrated.  Latency is only
an issue only when there is an abrupt change in what is being played.
Examples include a keyboardist playing a soft-synth, or a looper
triggering pre-recorded loops by pouncing on a footswitch.

The most important issue IMO is the one of stability.  Dedicated
hardware devices almost always just work when you plug them in, the
same way every day.  Laptops are fragile ecosystems that break when
you drop them, and can change behavior every time you install new
software.

Hardware is often preferred by those that gig frequently because
they are more reliable.  The downside is that they can be bigger,
heavier, harder to transport, and harder to repair.

Software is often preferred by "experimental" and "bedroom" musicians
that like the mind-blowing amount of options you have with modern
music software, and are willing to deal with the stability issues of a
laptop.

Jeff