How to Record Midi Synths Without Latency in Ableton Live: External Instrument

In this video we learn about Ableton Live's way of handling system latency, plugin delay compensation, and the amazing external instrument device!
🔊 LEARN ABLETON WITH ME: Via my Ableton Online Courses - courses.seedtostage.com/
🙏 SUPPORT: If you want to support the channel, consider following my music:
EarthCry - linktr.ee/earthcry | Papadosio - www.papadosio.com/
🎧 SUBSCRIBE: Stay on the cutting edge! (Hit the bell so you don't miss new videos!)
kzbin.info?s...
🎹 MY ABLETON DEVICES AND SAMPLE PACKS:
gumroad.com/seedtostage
🎛 MY SOCIALS:
/ earthcrymusic
/ seedtostage
/ earthcrymusic
00:00 - Addressing Midi Latency
1:30 - Direct Monitoring
2:45 - Reduced Latency When Monitoring
3:30 - Plugin Delay Compensation
5:40 - Using External Instrument
9:10 - Recording from External Instrument
10:30 - Hardware Compensation

[@SeedtoStage]

00:00 - Addressing Midi Latency 1:30 - Direct Monitoring 2:45 - Reduced Latency When Monitoring 3:30 - Plugin Delay Compensation 5:40 - Using External Instrument 9:10 - Recording from External Instrument 10:30 - Hardware Compensation

[@Kai-ov3in]

What about guitars and non-midi instruments ? I find ableton really struggles there even with reduced latency turned on.

[@SeedtoStage]

@@Kai-ov3in kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoWYnndoj8lqfJo

[@thegoony]

@@SeedtoStage What about External Effects rack, same principal?

[@SeedtoStage]

@@thegoony yep you got it. I was thinking of making a video about it as there are some other considerations but yep!

[@thegoony]

@@SeedtoStage Yes some may find that helpful :)

[@wildcat189]

I think you're the only guy on KZbin talking about this stuff. Legend!

[@steveh9799]

I think more to the point you explain it far better than most! I have watched a lot of tutorials and you definitely explain in a way that is easily understood.

[@BrysonPrice]

🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

He’s not, but yes he is.

[@strangersun7721]

Love how exacting you are in your explanations. You make things so much clearer. Thank you.

[@michaelsanderson6939]

The best explanation ive ever seen on this subject

[@klaaspeterolijnsma9518]

I second that

[@Hassan-hs7cs]

Their are very few educators on KZbin that are as precise, clear and to the point as you are. Looking forward to your mixing & mastering courses. Already signed up!!

[@fender841]

This couldn't have come at a better time. Just took my first dive into the world of hardware synths yesterday with a mother 32 and this is just what I need!

[@gordonmackay7421]

I've been waiting for years for a video this concise on a potentially infuriating subject, it just didn't exist. Until now. Thank you!!

[@ytrichhalo]

The only person ive found who can explain to an old dog exactly how to fix this issue . Thanks you so much for going the extra mile and the level of precision in your explanation. Will be looking into your courses if this is the level of instruction. Liked and subscribed

[@AlejandroGuerrero]

Man you have the best latency videos on YT. Thanks and cheers from Madrid.

[@AvianBreak]

Your explanation was incredibly clear, thank you!

[@flowraw3393]

Appreciate you so much. You go into such detail on every topic and finite details. Thank you

[@aaronbarber6238]

Man, thank you. It was killing me, for the longest time I thought system latency and plug-in delay were the same. Hindsight is 20/20, and huge thank you for bringing up external instrument device! This will be such a game changer.

[@Carsian]

ALWAYS looking forward to your videos!

[@RyRaddatz]

Brand new to Ableton Live and this video explains everything I was wondering. So appreciated. Thank you!

[@PaulOrtiz]

Dude, I never knew about the external MIDI thing. So good. Thank you!

[@sjfarrell2.03]

I watched this video a year ago when I didn't have any hardware. This week, I bought a Modal Cobalt 8, recorded some audio, saw there was some noticeable latency, and remembered this video. 15 mins later, latency gone. Thanks 👍

[@johnnykirchens3692]

dis dude droppn some fine gems latetly, I love it! Keep going 🙌

[@opusarena808]

Thank you for throwing that info 👍👍 Love your stuff man 🙏

[@mermaidfeetxoxo_music]

Coming back to say thank you again. I'm using all our hardware synths again. You're a Legend.

[@mermaidfeetxoxo_music]

Thank you so much! I’ve been searching for this video like this for so long 😭😭😭

[@mattoreilly-vy6dv]

Great breakdown of this topic. It's always good to revisit this. I gain new insights every time!

[@KozmykJ]

Very clear and concise explanations. I'm an old old DAW head but Ableton Live is new to me. Very useful stuff. Thank you.

[@defenderstargate1447]

Thanks so much for this one! It is incredible and just what I was looking for. More in fact as I didn't anticipate being able to also record a hardware synth through plugins while retaining the zero latency advantages.

[@samjenner7706]

Thanks mate! you have helped me immensely.

[@in_10z]

Great vid. Thanks. External instrument is indeed powerful and great explanation on the latency set up. Drives me batty getting that dialed but you summed it up nicely!

[@1TreukFlyyy]

Best explanation ever ! Your channel is amazing.

[@Kruse1]

You legend. I was just starting to tinker with external gear into Live and I didnt even know about External Instrument. Also, I fully thought I was watching a Sonic Academy or ADSR video. top marks, mate.

[@Gorlung]

Your videos are brilliant: they're enough informative and consize

[@uniquekillerz]

I'm a new subscriber to your channel. I really enjoy your presentation and find your examples easy to follow. Some can get deep too quick and lose me. Keep it up.

[@coopwerks]

Awesome. Just awesome. No one explains this better.

[@Ladivmusic]

Thanks man! Helped me so much!

[@dangerbird64]

For years I have been pulling my hair out over trying to troubleshoot latency when using hardware with Ableton Live. This video was the first one that actually helped me. Thank you!

[@S1ph3r]

man this one and the other viedo is exactly what I needed thank you!

[@TomaszRykala]

Dude, fantastic video. thanks so much.

[@tb80038]

Dude this helped me a ton. I have just started to incorporate hardware. Have the Behringer MS-1 and the Elektron Model:Samples. I was almost there with these set up but was overcomplicating it and was trying to monitor the audio channel and was having a terrible time jamming like that and keeping everything in time. This helped me strip it back and get it going correctly.

[@AmbientMusicStudio]

Great description. Very helpful.

[@chadwatson7052]

Great video!!! Cured my daily headache🎉

[@eikarumba429]

Great explanation. I’ve been using ext instra for a while and direct monitoring. Wasn’t aware of the hardware latency comp so thanks for that.

[@thetropiki]

Straight forward knowledge. Thanks!

[@RandomNoise]

the best explanation of Ableton latency! thank you!

[@kpsiegel]

I have a bunch of external hardware and didn't know about that hardware latency compensation. That information is just gold. Great video packed with real information and no fluff explained clearly with great examples. Thanks for taking the time. You really helped me out.

[@DaleLindsay]

Thank you for posting this. Seriously.

[@alexr1632]

You are a saint. This helped me figure out EVERYTHING. THANK YOU!!!

[@sulimankaur2781]

nice clear no nonsense to the point explanation. thx

[@noobashegg]

insanely helpful video man, thank you so much

[@scottfitzgerald4220]

this is brilliant, exactly the info i needed, havnt been usuing exterbnal instrument but now see the benefits over a midi and audio track seperatly. allso that laat bit with the tiny delay was bugging me last few days , testing latency, kinda misled in manual adjusting DEC which wasnt working, this makes better sense

[@steventaylor5166]

Great explanation 👍🏻

[@robvanerp5766]

Finally a decent and understandable explanation, thx !!

[@mundelator]

This is so helpful, thanks 🙏

[@winstonelectric]

Yeah, seriously people need to know this! When I was getting into hardware several years ago applied midi latency was the bane of my existence. I think finally I found a subretddit post or something about it but it took months. Thanks for putting this out there!

[@sdsmack1]

Great tutorial 👌

[@Jasonimmanuel]

Thanks it's works!!! Great video ❤️❤️❤️😭😭😭

[@elfinfini]

You simply and concisely...kill it!!

[@mrkeeny]

well done on explaining a very difficult topic👍

[@plumcharlie]

This was the first video I've found that talked about reducing latency with the external instrument plugin (which I use all of the time and didn't even think to use like that). I've been racking my brain on ways to figure out how to reduce latency to modular synth with modules like Yarns and Expert Sleepers ES-9. I keep wanting to use my Push2 for drums with my modular set up and the latency with CV tools has been beating me up and making it unusable in the flow. Excited to try this. Thank you

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

Really good stuff.

[@graysynther2169]

Good vid..well described sir.

[@rockydurand503]

Thank you SO MUCH for explaining this the way that you did. Now I need to record my Nord Lead 2 into Live 🙂

[@JitterbugBoy72]

Dude - just watched both your videos on latency - so well explained - thank you. I now have to go and try it out but I can do with more confidence now - watched loads of videos and just came away still confused but I think (hope) I undersand now - in the past I just end up metaphorically throwing ableton out of the window and giving up. One difference for me is that I use an external sequencer (Novation SL Mk3) rather than the Ableton sequencer and just want to record the audio from my ext synths into ableton for arrangement / mixing / fx and adding the odd soft synth - So I am hoping this will work for me there. Any which way these are great videos.

[@jhonnylawrence4802]

You really are awesome. Only channel that has this. I searched everywhere. I'm running FL Studio inside Ableton for drums and its piano roll features and the first drum hits are never on time. I think this should fix it

[@JamesBermingham]

Super informative especially as there is a big shift toward hardware/software hybrid set ups over the last few years

[@andro41]

YOU. SAVED. MY. LIFE.

[@deadnicetv7720]

Great tutorial man ✌️🎶🎶🎶😁

[@harrisfrankou2368]

Great Video

[@bigupz6818]

Cool 😎 Subscribed ✌🏼

[@finonomastropiero4261]

Yeeeeeesss!!!! Fundamental videooos!!! Wuu

[@scottfitzgerald4220]

I updated from live 9 to ten yesterday, that last bit with the hardware compensation is no longer an issue, when I looked at it again today, in nine it was, dont know whats the difference is but im happy

[@thomasmilet2879]

Legend. Thx.

[@klaaspeterolijnsma9518]

Brilliant video's.

[@wall7446]

thank you maestro!

[@iandeegrees1509]

Thank you very much, never recognized that "External Instrument"-Plugin

[@krowus3833]

Thank you so much!

[@phrankus2009]

VERY USEFUL CONTENT

[@psychedelicendeavor2091]

I'm so glad you made these videos. Praise the lord for your existence

[@seancharles8461]

This was awesome! Thank you! If you could explore some chains for synth, that would be great!

[@dubioussource5208]

Thx for the clear description. Just note that in the end of the video you didn't turn on Live's FX when recording with the amount of added hardware latency. Might have prevented some system latency issues hehe. Right?

[@MusicWithMike]

Thank you for this. I bought a minilogue xd module to use in my productions and i had no idea how much of an absolute pain it would be getting it set up properly with my pc, controller, and interface. Then when i finally got it all to work, i threw an arp on and the latency was so bad i almost cried lol. Gonna go home and try this out.

[@StevenClements]

9:55 I like to capture it without the effects... then just copy the effect group and add it to the captured audio. This way I can mod the captured audio differently and not really commit to the effect change quite yet. GREAT video!

[@brenthronik6066]

Anybody else hear Alors on Danse in the plucks he uses to show off the midi latency at the beginning? Now it's stuck in my head. But in all seriousness, always love your vids super top notch. Exactly what I was looking for to start working with my first hardware synth, a Typhon!

[@homerbailon1]

Really useful this video! Do you have any other video about recording hardware with a in-built sequencer with no latency at the same time you monitor the synth? Without external instrument plugin.

[@fabiencortial9850]

Much appreciated, now I know how to fix what I was simply ignoring 😀

[@mikefisher84]

Great video! Would love a follow up on fixing sync / latency when using external synths that rely on clock. Example a hardware synth that has an arpeggiator, getting that to tightly sync with Ableton is still next to impossible for me.

[@HIFI1965]

Yo Seed!! I use a plain mixer, an 18 channel audio interface, and patchbay, half normalled. Every input is split via the patchbay, sending to the mixer and the same channels in the AI. An extra patchbay is routed to various synths, and my "pedal-field"... yes, an actual field of effects pedals....this allows me to send (or insert) any combination of mutant devices, and record both the dry and the effects.... and yes, external instrument is incredible. I'm a session-view kinda guy, and clip automation is da bomb, esp on an external instruments.

[@beytullahkeskin1153]

Perfeckt.....My brother

[@messengerofsecrets3216]

DOPE!

[@kosmikmusa]

Thank you.

[@togethrs]

Thank you and great video. What midi interface are you using? I noticed you have a uad which does not have a midi i/o. I am using an older steinberg ur22 that has midi but looking to upgrade to uad so curious as to what you’re using or suggest. I still have some issues with latency and have since just found solution in starting a recording with a high transient like a tr8 kick then taking it out/off and setting 1.1 to the transient then taking the audio I want. My problem may be too many different synths with diff hardware latencies so I record them individually. I go ext inst out to steinberg ur22 then to Kenton midi thru 25 then to shit lol like too much dx7, prophet rev 2, tr8, ensoniq sq80 and a bunch of others and they receive on different channels (then audio into Allen and hearth zed 24 back to stenberg). Pretty much given up on being able to play loops or recorded audio w live playback from hardware via midi. My interface has a monitor/ daw switch and Idk I can get kinda close but either I’m doing something wrong or it’s just too much.

[@shaikothman3135]

This is very helpful, thanks a lot. However there’s few intercommunication between 2 softwares audio latency still exist with ableton. Some softwares that isn’t available as vst for DAW.

[@kozihoppy]

Yes!

[@eldjswett]

This is great. So much knowledge. Still, I'm having troubles with Roland boutiques. I can adjust hardware and delay compensations, but it drifts through time. If I pause my project for a while, when I restart it it changes the amount of compensation needed. All good and adjustable for production projects, but how about for live performance?

[@dow8er]

awesome video, thanks so much!! So now my recording is tight, assuming the midi sequence is. But what about latency when recording a midi sequence from my synth/midi controller to ableton, can I get rid of that too?

[@andrejkobal]

Hi, thanks for the fantastic explanation. Now everything is more clear to me about routing MIDI Out of Ableton and recording it. Anyway, one thing that I still struggle with is how to use external MIDI sequencers with live. So that Ableton will receive MIDI. In concrete, I use an iPad wit Ableton Link and I’m trying to send MIDI sequences from iPad to Ableton but I’m getting none synchronised results. IOS has some excellent Generative sequencers, but it is a pain to sync things together with Live. So I was wondering if you could maybe explain this maybe in an upcoming video or give any clue how to handle this. Thanks! And thanks for this Amazing video.

[@Omnipotent645]

Great Tutorial on latency! I got a question at 9:39: If you would freeze and flatten the track instead of resampling it, wouldnt it also capture your fx chain without latency though?

[@anthonym2771]

this was super helpful thank you, does this mean you dont need to do any driver error compensation (looping out and back into the interface etc)??? Thanks

[@MadelnMachines]

This is so incredibly useful - i've always had problems integrating hardware with my DAW. What about clocking / sync and jitter? There are plenty of videos out there recommending ERM multiclock but i'm not sure if I really need to be spending £200 or £500 just to get things to sync reliably? I've also seen devices like Midironome, Midiburner, JMK Clockstep, Expert Sleepers UASMO, innerclock systems, maybe iconnectivity and motu midi interfaces also do this. The new arturia 16 rig interface interests me and it also has midi clock out. Many of them work by sending out pulses from your DAW to create sample accurate timing. Do I need this kind of thing? Also if you use a ultralow latency interfaces like an RME or thunderbolt like a quantum that do 2 or 3ms RTL does this vastly improve things and make all this a lot easier, or does it all need to be adjusted and compensated in the same way anyway, so you're not really gaining anything apart from different compensation numbers?

[@nectariosm]

I have many MIDI synths and hardware sequencers. I've had crazy problems where the sound from monitoring external synths would come early (crazy I know) when using External Instrument and on the MIDI channel delay offset, the "+ve" button, would do nothing, only the "-ve" worked...I need to use a larger buffer (1024) to run the stuff I like to run. Then I needed to adjust for the clock being sent to the LFOs/sequencer of the hardware synth and adjust for the MIDI notes that where sent to the same synth so the note triggering would be for example, right on time with a square or S&H LFO. Add to that the fact that the more audio tracks that where added later as I progressed in the project with UAD plug ins and other oversampling plug ins, latency got so bad that tweaking knobs when recording audio whilst the synth was being played from a MIDI clip, would make things just, unusable. Stopped using External Instrument, monitored only from UAD's direct monitoring, all problems gone. I know everyone's praising the thing and its obviious on the video that it works, but it never worked for me, it actually made things worse.

[@billB101]

I had absolutely no idea the ext inst plugin existed. I've been having so many problems routing midi and returning audio into my modular setup with an expert sleepers ADAT interface too, properly pulling my hair out with it. You may have just saved me ;) Edit: just tried this out in the studio, midi and audio are now bang on both playing and recording ( also with effects. ) Man, can't thank you enough for this.

[@David.Donoso]

Man thanks for your videos! Is this something I should be using for my standard vst instruments too? I feel that when i record midi from kontakt or Drum Rack I get small latency input recording and I don’t know how to fix it. When I hear while recording sounds good, but when I playback it sounds rushed, recording behind the right tempo. Thanks!

[@felixdorn21]

Hey Dude! Nice Video 👍🏻 i got the problem that Ableton sets the recorded track to much further up front! Like negative latency 😅 and I need to figure out why that happens and how to correct that. Could you help me out? Best regards from Switzerland 🇨🇭

[@annumma3440]

Boom 💥