Adjusting Recording Latency (Loopback Test) in REAPER

[@artysanmobile]

Reaper users, do you know how lucky you are to have Kenny Gioia? In the Avid world, the manufacturer you give 2, 10, or $50,000, wants you to know none of this. Just buy their stuff over and over and shut up about it. The contempt relationship of Avid support simply cannot be believed. Here, instead, Kenny brings to your attention on a regular basis answers before you need them, and presents them in a way no manual can even touch. Pro Tools complexity is certainly on a par with Reaper’s. The big difference is, with Avid, it’s all a big secret if you run into trouble, whether simple or arcane. I salute you Kenny!

[@joeyp6363]

I agree with you. May experience exactly.

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

Under-rated comment. Reaper will end up owning the world with this approach (I hope).

[@MrMockigton]

@@TheCompleteGuitarist BuT ReAPeR iS NoT a rEaL dAw for real though, most producers dont realise that reaper can do the exact same thing for a fraction of the price

[@MartyNo1]

Of course we do. That's why we use Reaper...

[@pedroahets]

Agree

[@caseylockwood5512]

Your channel is just stupid valuable. I hope Cockos is paying you big money for this lol. This channel is half the reason I use Reaper. There is a perfect video for any question I might have. No other daw has as comprehensive of a video series on it. Never stop Kenny

[@jeaneugenedx]

I wouldn't say stupid but yes, great channel Sir, thank you!

[@pop__rocks7775]

@@jeaneugenedxstupid = crazy good (American slang)

[@randytellez2451]

As a very new newbie to midi I'm blown away with all the video tutorials available here. I admiringly bought a midi keyboard, PC, audio interface and monitors then downloaded more free plugins than I want to admit. Today (almost 3 months after buying my hardware) I decided to get into learning to actually record something. I went through a few of Kenny's vids and watched this vid. Suddenly realized still have a way to go on this journey. So now that I have a great captain (Kenny) I feel more confidant and compelled to not give up the ship. I'm a lifelong bass player who suddenly decided to try something new at age 72.

[@The_Absurdistt]

Whenever I see a notification for a Kenny Gioia vid I immediately give the vid a thumbs up even if I don't watch it at that moment. Thank you Kenny for creating the best content ever!

[@jenskrgaardlarsen9572]

Obsidian s Me too :)

[@pedroahets]

Me too ♥️

[@correametal]

Ladies and Gentlemen Mr. Kenny Gioia saving our lives in this hard music producing world. We can't thank you enough Kenny...You are simply awesome!!!

[@IamHappyfellow]

Everyone knows for a fact that Keny is the best when it comes to Reaper. His awesome skills combined with his extensive knowledge on Reaper is simply extraordinary. He explains everything clearly in such a way that even the most stupid person can easily understand. Thanks again one more time for another super brilliant video..

[@Son-vy5rl]

I'm a stupid person and I approve this comment.

[@bensilicate]

@@Son-vy5rl me too. And I am stupider than you

[@alcoustic5297]

Thank you for this because I have tried to explain this to people but they just don't get it. You make my life simple just by showing them your video. Thanks a million Kenny. I posted your video for the world to see.

[@RandallHammer]

I always thought I played a bit after the beats for some reason, I was never able to play better through the metronome(at least I thought). After doing this, I found I'm actually very good at keeping up with the tempo. This gave me a lot more of confidence and helped with my musician self-esteem by A LOT. I was off by 500-something samples. Thank you, Kenny! You're the man!

[@trekkspill1234]

Same bro! After master studies in music, where I play music that's super tight, I was close to an existensial crisis when I heard how loose my time was when recording. But dang, it wasn't me, it was well over 500 samples from hell.

[@jcisternas]

hey bro! Could you help me please? I have a focusrite 2i2 and when I record a track, it’s always earlier before the click track, ahead the grid. I already set the recording latency compensation, but the problem still there. Cheers

[@Quini66]

Hey, same issue here... Did you find any fix for it? I am getting crazy

[@RandallHammer]

@@Quini66 Yeah, the loopback test in this video did the job, I come back to this video everytime I move, get a new PC or interface. It just never fails.

[@Quini66]

@@RandallHammer thanks bud! I did it this morning and seems to be working now. 800 samples were the problem 😅

[@tfmc3389]

Thank you again, Kenny. You keep making me glad I purchased reaper and use it as my main DAW.

[@rokitrik6783]

I'm still evaluating but I plan to buy Reaper. That is thanks to Kenny alone. Other DAW support can't compare when it comes to Kenny's enlightened and well executed videos!

[@gatherstudio5219]

This is by far one of the most important features of reaper. Thank you !!

[@matthammond1737]

This video has revolutionised my recording. The auto detect feature on my DAW gave the latency as 0.2ms whereas after doing this test I realised it was 3.8ms. No wonder all my tracks sounded off! If only I had figured this out earlier! I can't thank you enough for helping me to make this great leap forward. Now the tracks sound in sync.

[@plumage_again]

That's a very much low latency anyway. It seems you're able to say there's a difference. I'm in awe!

[@ethio-gugs]

This is a rare content nobody could explain it, Except Kenny Jioia in a Reaper Mania. Thank You. You are Just a Saver.

[@PaulWegmann]

Years using Reaper and adjusting all almost by "ear", thank you Kenny! Keep teaching, I'll keep learning!

[@punksnotdeafrecordings]

Kenny I have no words to describe how much you helped me in my music production journey with Reaper. Honestly, you are BRILLIANT!

[@markent42]

This is fantastic, Kenny! A practical method to determine the actual latency instead of my trial and error attempts at nudging the track back or forwards a few milliseconds at a time (and still not getting it quite right). This really is excellent - thanks heaps!

[@TheDavidfallon]

That's just brilliant. I'd read about these tests before, but they sounded so freaky, I would have a major anxiety attack it I tried them, so I never did. That's because I'd been given abstract instruction, with assumptions about my ability or pre-existing knowledge, but I had never been shown how to do them. Now I know.

[@EqDior]

🤯 Kenny is amazing! The things I've learned from him alone has saved years of time.

[@dddux]

Adjusting interface latency like this makes the world of change for everybody but especially for idiots like me who use a lot of external hardware and resample through it. This video is a must see for everyone using Reaper. Thank you so much, Kenny! Awesome channel with so much great info on how to use Reaper.

[@TonyJBrennan]

Just one thing - make sure you turn OFF all monitoring FX , if using headphone output as this adds about 2500 samples latency in some cases ( things like Metric AB , sonarworks etc ) - but this is gold i found my system was out by 68 samples at 48 k 32bit 128 block . thanks alot Kenny

[@immanuelhunte5904]

I did my loopback test ...and found out that my latency came from a manual output offset...which was delayed by 61 samples earlier than the sample I used... I put in my output manual offset by -61 samples...and now everything is correct as it should be. Thanks Kenny Gioia!

[@immanuelhunte5904]

I did the test without using driver reported latency as you suggested, and it came to 496 samples....I recorded at 128 block size

[@immanuelhunte5904]

The other test was done using driver reported latency

[@REMKnight89]

I spent years with this problem, and i never found a solution so i had to get used to offset my tracks manually, thanks a lot for this information 🙌🙌

[@jimhawthorne3717]

I just ran this test on my setup, found it to be 16 samples off, corrected now! That was a small amount, but big enough to make a difference, THANKS Kenny! What a great test.

[@DThompson55]

So glad to have seen this. I must have done this kind of set up a few years back with a different and much older audio interface. It was way off. The Scarlett on its own gets me to around 0.4 milliseconds, an easy adjustment. But when we think about latency in real life, it's not a hard wired loopback that we're dealing with. It's signal to monitors or headphones, through our ears and brains, eventually to our fingers, to the articulations of our instrument, which can then be captured in real-time through the audio interface. Latency is complicated. But it's good to get that last half millisecond taken care of where we can because it all adds up.

[@surajmadagaonkar8801]

only you have the solution.. wasted my time watching other junk videos.. thank you sir 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@last_rizla]

Hi! I have an issue with my interface (a Behringer U-Phoria UMC22) that every time I do this process I get a slightly different result. Even on e.g. two consequent records of Track 1 sent to Track 2, I'll get different value for the offset. Moreover, when I change the requested block size, the recording is then completely off. Any ideas?

[@Cronosounds]

I think this is happening to everyone but no one is actually checking after "fixing it" the first time.

[@stageleftguitar5887]

Wow, what a great tutorial. I am a ProTools user, but using Reaper as a second option, and using it on a mobility recording laptop. Knowing how to properly calibrate Reaper's latency in this very easy to understand way is awesome - Thank you!

[@axilleas]

Leaving this here, in case anyone needs it. On my system (M1 Mac Mini) using the reported latency of the interface (Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen) it was overcompensating, thus moving the recording behind the original sound. Using the same method but inputting a minus value at the manual correction setting I got them perfectly alligned.

[@dillonjohnlane]

my scarlet solo was only ~15 samples off after it adjusted to reported latency, but still worth it to have no doubt that the timeline is exactly as I heard it. thank you Kenny!

[@cletislebow1182]

Thank you Kenny for all this useful information, We as a community can't thank you enough!!

[@IainThacker]

Awesome tip Kenny. Just run this on my setup and the interface drivers were actually reporting very close - actually over-reporting the latency. I've had to enter -14 samples to get a match!

[@victorbatan]

Kenny Gioia you are a genius!! Thank you very much for sharing all this knowledge, we learn a lot thanks to your generosity. Greetings from Argentina!

[@elypelowski5670]

Wow .. this is gold and such a Pro Hack for peek performance. Kenny you are the man !!!!!! Hands down you provide the BEST content for Reaper by a long shot !!!! Thank you

[@FS11311]

yet again you've helped me fix a reoccurring issue (very much a pain in my behind) tysm man god bless u

[@martifingers]

Yes once again this is a video from Kenny that could not be clearer about what to do but at the same time gives all the background on why that you need. He's in danger of becoming a bit of a (international) treasure I fear!

[@BarryFence]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! This was driving me crazy! I thought that my "internal" timing was way off!

[@guibollini6141]

Just can't thank you enough Mr. Gioia... Great Stuff!

[@ultralife73]

You make this look like it's completely logical yet I would never have come up with this myself. Thanks man!

[@TheOligoclonalBand]

Thanks for this video. I try to route to outboard gear and record that to a new track but there is latency I want to avoid. Your approach is exactly what I was thinking of doing but didn't know how to do the the settings in Reaper. Thanks!

[@erikbuckner8045]

Man this helped me so damn much, I was getting frustrated with this latency. This video solved my issues, much thank you Kenny. I AM SUBSCRIBING!!

[@Machoniak]

I just did my tests with your Kenny way. I have an allen & heat mixer that showed over 1000 samples. I fixed the delay. thank you very much

[@tommyzai7038]

Kenny, thank you. My Audient interface is over-reporting. In this case, would you recommend using Audio Driver Reported Latency with a negative value (-48) or uncheck that box and use (+380). Much appreciation for all you do!!

[@AmazonCrime]

Yo, seriously brother. Great video! Thank you Kenny. You're really the GOAT!

[@cristiansosa1512]

4:28 Need some extra help here. Could someone tell me how can I record without using Ctrl+R, Kenny apparently managed to record as soon as he hit the Kick key. Instead of having to press Ctrl+R and then the Kick. Also, another novice question, 4:10 what's exactly what needs to be leveled, volume on both recordings? I didn't get that part either. Thanks to anyone who bothered to read me and reply!

[@DirkBelig]

It's not clear to me how the Request Block Size thing works compared to the buffer size setting in the ASIO driver. Followed this tutorial on my self-built PC (Core i7-5820K @ 4.3 GHz, 32GB RAM) running Windows 10 with a Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen I/O. I set the buffer size in the ASIO Configuration... area to 32 samples. With the "Use audio driver latency" box unticked and running the test, it reported an offset of 206 samples. Ticking the box reduced that to 10 samples and entering that in the input manual offset field reduced it to 0 as demonstrated. But then I switched the buffer size to 64 and could immediately tell the waveform was AHEAD of the original; it measured 4 samples. Then I rewatched the steps and realized he was changing the Request Block Size field. So I went and changed it to 32 there and it lined up. HOWEVER, when I changed it to 512 samples it advanced the recorded wave 7 samples; same with 64. Go back 32 and it's now 4 samples fast. WTAF?!? I checked the Focusrite site and found a firmware update and afterwards the unchecked "Use audio driver latency" box returned 334 samples behind, but turning it on resulted in wav being 22 samples EARLY. Huh? I had to set a manual input offset of -15 to get things lined up, but now it holds across buffer sizes. Doing this has made me more confused than before. O_o

[@jcisternas]

hey bro! Could you help me please? I have a focusrite 2i2 and when I record a track, it’s always earlier before the click track, ahead the grid. I already set the recording latency compensation, but the problem still there. Cheers

[@Cronosounds]

@@jcisternas I have the same issue. Seems like the latency is fluctuating and not consistent. No one seems to cover this issue and I think most people set it like kenny is explaining but dont care to check after the fact if its still configured correctly.

[@gabibonza]

Incredible trick, as always... Ty Kenny, we all love you.

[@robhouse1926]

Thanks Kenny, I’m overdue in adjusting mine and this is just what I needed!

[@frankpratte8358]

This is confusing to me because the loopback's path is different than the path from a mic. 1) Mic to interface to Computer to reaper vs 2) Reaper/pc out to interface to computer to Reaper. Wouldn't the time it takes to go from mic to the interface be different than the time it takes in the loopback to go from Reaper/computer to interface?

[@lv9084]

My interface is spot on, but its nice to know how i can adjust it. Never heard of this feature, thnx!

[@zisuiwangWZS]

Thank you!!! This video really solve a big problem of mine for years!!!

[@Aliibrahim-yx4pl]

Kenny you a gift. Thankyou for everything you do. ❤️

[@edwincrain986]

You are the best for Reaper video's my friend !

[@nathanielcooper2602]

Changing the buffer after setting the manual offset doesn’t give me the same result when recording at different buffer settings. I calculated mine at 128, but it only records accurately at 128. The test recording comes in earlier than the original track with lower buffer settings. With higher settings it’s still recording later than the original track. Any ideas?

[@rockinvegan1765]

Yeah, this helps a lot! Love Reaper and Kenny! Best decision to switch to Reaper. Not only because of Reaper, but also because of Kenny's outstanding videos! Thank you!!!

[@piperjones]

Great video and I was able to fix my latency problem almost instantly thanks to your help

[@liltreesguitarco]

Thanks. New to the channel and it seems to be a banger. See you next time.

[@winniemusictv]

Reaper and Kenny Gioia is magic

[@EgeYakut]

I did everything you said. But when I play the kick sound I don't get a loopback. When I record, it doesn't record any of the repeats on the second channel with headphones plugged in. What should I do?

[@Bro.ŽO]

He ment headphone out not the headphone. Plug guitar cable from headphone out to guitar input

[@EgeYakut]

​@@Bro.ŽO I really appreciate for the answer, my friend. But I don't understand what do you mean. Can you try to explain it with different words?

[@EgeYakut]

​@@Bro.ŽO Lol I understood this 4 months later hahaha. Now, I connected the guitar cable between the line input and the output of the headphones and now it works :D 4 months ago I was connecting my headphones to the line input lmao :D :D :D

[@Bro.ŽO]

@@EgeYakut fine 👍. i don't know how i didn't notice your question 4 months ago. Sorry 🙂

[@gatherstudio5219]

This video was a game changer for me , I ended up leaving the box unchecked and left my samples at around 1024 . And am able to record my guitar with amplitube in perfect time!!! HUGE HELP!!!

[@jcisternas]

Hey bro, didnt you noticed that your recorded guitar tracks seems to be earlier ahead of the click track? I have that problem and it’s so annoying

[@Huginnm]

Got any tips for when your latency differs everytime you run a test? Pretty sure there's several others who has the same issue of never having the same result twice. What's even more baffling is that the recorded audio has already been rendered halfway through the source audio, so it's like the reported latency has been taken into account even when it's unchecked.

[@msuscorpio]

Will a given calculated manual offset remain constant even under heavy cpu load?

[@msuscorpio]

@@alcoustic5297 yeah but you may have more than one track going. If you are soloing a single track to be recorded using this method, then yes. All I'm asking is if the sample offset is relevant to other tracks playing with plugins on them at the same time or not.

[@alcoustic5297]

@@msuscorpio no it's not relevant

[@cupboardhomestudio971]

Thanks 1000 Kenny! You are always the best.

[@lauramelaniemusic9183]

OMFG - I just did this and it is freakin' brilliant! I salute you Mr. G!!!!

[@oletrenner]

Thanks for this explanation, very helpful! The difference between the driver-reported latency and your measured latency might also be caused by the output latency of your interface. In that case "overadjusting" the input latency would lead to misaligned, "premature" recordings. Anyway, thanks for sharing!

[@jcisternas]

hey bro! Could you help me please? I have a focusrite 2i2 and when I record a track, it’s always before the click track, ahead the metronome. I already set the recording latency compensation, but the problem still there. Cheers

[@oletrenner]

@@jcisternas Sounds like the latency compensation is not configured correctly (value too high). Have you tried disabling it in the Recording preferences?

[@jcisternas]

@@oletrenner yes bro, I disabled it on recording preferences, but still the same

[@jcisternas]

@@oletrenner yes bro, I disabled it on recording preferences but still the same :(

[@bobbymaestas1162]

I tried this test and my interface was actually reporting the correct latency! However, the test track is recording exactly out of phase from the source. I rendered a MIDI kick note to a mono wave file and did the test from that. I have the channel set to Phase Normal. Has anyone seen this? Edit: I knew I'd find as soon as I posted - ugh! Long story short: the wave was changing phase at the interface. I found that changing the input from Line to Instrument/Guitar put the wave back in phase. I hope that helps someone.

[@georgeangelakopoulos8884]

Hi Kenny, thanks for all the lessons to the community. You sure deserve more... Now, this one means that if we make this right we can record with monitoring on or do i miss something. Sorry if this is a stupid Q but i am new to this! Thanks again!

[@RipOffImrul]

Great video as always Kenny! Quick question, why didn't you use the actual latency found during the loopback test? Just curious.

[@lavrgs]

How does this adjustment affect previously recorded material? My concern is for adding tracks - I know it won't change previously recorded tracks

[@Shineequlity]

Should i use a line cable to connect headphone out to input?

[@RIFATRAHIM]

I tried this on my system. Unfortunately the latency is different every time when I record with the audio driver reported latency turned off. I took consecutive 4 records and the gap was 574, 571, 562, 583, etc. Any suggestion for this? Thanks Kenny for your awesome videos as always!

[@bluestweaks77]

Mine too, still not fixed

[@hernandus]

I´m experiencing the same issue, any clue on this?

[@EliasDorneles]

I have a question, isn’t the cable used for the test making the signal to go through a slightly longer path and thus influencing the result of the test?

[@Alex-no3co]

This was very helpful. Thank you. I use Studio one but the principle is the same.

[@Hlpus1nall]

While I'm very grateful for this help I'm well over my head on many of the technical functions mentioned here. I wish you'd made one video for PC's and one for Macs as I struggle to follow as it switches back and forth. One example is at 1:19 for a Mac with block size checked and 48000 sample rate but unchecked and 1:53 for a PC with block size unchecked and sample rate checked 44100. So this sent me off trying to figure out what my settings there should be. For people like me, that are just barely hanging on as they try to follow, this combination of Mac and PC made it more complicated. Thanks for the advice though.

[@yagizdolgun]

Is it normal to have different offset values with different buffer sizes at the same sample rate?

[@roberteismann1929]

What a great tip, thanks Kenny.

[@Helil]

Hi, I'm trying to follow this tutorial, I got the setup, but I'm stuck on how to make the recording. How do I play the kickdrum at the same time I hit Record?

[@MercyNoMore]

Thank you Kenny! My new interface is somehow having a negative latency with the reported latency on, -16 samples. This just fixed that. Thank you!!

[@sir_marlfox]

Not sure how to add the kick?

[@thegolfnut812]

I don't know if I'm having a latency problem or something else. Now when I strum my guitar there is no sound but if I strum it hard the sound comes on a bit late and then it seems to sustain and then the sound just drops off. I need some help please.

[@n.oneimportant5]

Hi Kenny. I was excited to finally try this. I used the same interface you seemed to use in your test. However, I get inconsistent results. Every time I repeat the test, the result is different. I SO wanted this to work. Ah well. Thanks anyway! Hope you're doing well.

[@hernandus]

I´m experiencing the same issue, any clue on this?

[@dwaynearthur1476]

Nuff respect dude👍🏽! Thanks

[@Drumsholic]

Thank you Kenny for this very important video helps a lot to not have latency in our recordings!!!

[@kwk-r7x]

how do I set up that kickdrum though?

[@BSquared-6566]

I have the opposite problem. I have look ahead issues. I did the loop back test to see by just how much and the recorded kick is 735 samples ahead of the original kick. I thought ok instead of adding samples I'll subtract them with -735. It had no effect. I've been looking for solutions to this problem and have had no luck. Any suggestions Kenny?

[@PASHKULI]

Very important and useful tutorial/instruction video! Thank you, Kenny!

[@TigerCarpenter]

this is exactly what I needed. while recording overdub in the 2nd, 3rd, etc tracks, can we hear the previously recorded tracks in the monitor speakers and / or headphones? I'd like to hear the formerly recorded tracks, so that I can play another instrument over that.

[@cosmicsea7]

Can this be done with the Focusrite Clarett+ 4pre? Mine doesn't seem to have the loopback feature on it. Is there another way to test latency?

[@VincentVegardSvart]

How often should this operation be repeated

[@unleashthefury111]

Do you have to do thos each track/instrument you record, every single time? Is there a way to make the settings and never have to adjust it again? I assume you have to do it again every time you start a new track? Though I suppose in that case you would already know your devices latency in samples so you can just type it in right off the bat...right?

[@maximustinov2778]

Hello. When working with iD14 mk2 there is a problem with the delay. After the loopback test, I manually adjust the delay of 33 samples. After which I reboot the computer and do the loopback test again and get 40 samples (the number varies within +- 20 samples). Latency can also change during one session. I work at 48 kHz and a buffer of 128 samples in Reaper 7, Windows 11 OS.

[@-TJames]

My offset seems to only keep things lined up until I close Reaper. When I re-open, the offset has changed anywhere from a few samples up to maybe 30+ samples. 😒 Is it meant to stay the same or is a small drift in compensated latency between sessions normal?

[@PanoramaUnion]

I still got a problem after i've done this. Listening back to my recording, the recorded audio is faster than the audio I recorded to. It feels like it is 1 BPM faster. Any advice?

[@jcisternas]

hey bro! Could you help me please? I have a focusrite 2i2 and when I record a track, it’s always earlier before the click track, ahead the grid. I already set the recording latency compensation, but the problem still there. Cheers

[@tranquochuy6761]

hey guy, How to remove vertical lines on tracks like that?

[@john8451]

Love these videos! ❤

[@treborretlaw]

Wohhooo. that is great. Thx as always Kenny!

[@randytellez2451]

After watching this vid while actually doing the latency check..I'm on the latest Reaper v7.30 and the Preference Setting page of issue has changed a good bit...so Kenney, can you do an updated vid tutorial on this subject?

[@azeguitarist1]

What if the recorded track end up being a bit early instead of behind?

[@Dani-El.]

My device is over compensating so that what I record gets offset earlier than it should. Do I just put a minus figure in that box, or should I switch 'use audio driver reported latency' off and then add my plus figure (which is 9314 samples!!!). I tried that but then it's still not right. It comes out early again.

[@Mark-em6jq]

how to work for behringer user interface. loopback test not working.

[@diiegopc]

how can I reset the imput latency? because everytime I modify it then I see a zero digit, so I don't know the state of it.

[@barcodevlog1629]

Yessir this saved my day. I’m recording my first live performer today using reaper.