Understanding Ableton Buffer Size and Latency

Here is an in depth guide on how to use Ableton preferences to control latency when using midi controllers or running live instruments through Live. The short answer is a smaller buffer size = shorter latency times however, there is much more to it than that. Here is a tutorial on how to leverage latency vs CPU usage so no matter what you are trying to accomplish, you can set live up to work with you rather than against you. If you found this video useful consider subscribing to the channel. Thanks for watching.
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[@JoseFlores-mn8pz]

I need to watch this video every once in a while haha

[@jfb_surfing]

Same… hahaa

[@davidethan8123]

my buddy was over with his bass and i was watching like 3 other tutorials and i still had no idea wtf i was doing.... then i watch this video the next day and solve the issue within the first minute !!!!!

[@Paul-gp5om]

I thought I had a pretty good grasp of how this works, but this video has made things so much clearer :)

[@nanannanananan]

thanks I spend whole weekend trying to fix this problem😊 bless you

[@ionse]

Thank you man i love you, i was having troubles with my CPU overloading i been trying to fix it changing the CPU usage, freezing tracks and all that kind of stuff, i got an icore 7, 16gb ram 256ssd lenovo yoga 710 and nothing seemed to work for me, then i tried going higher with the buffer size on the hardware setting with the focusrite mix control from my focusrite interface, and that made the change, so no i know i can record on 64 samples and mix on 256 to 512 samples, its weird how this is working for me, but no more overload on the CPU, thanks for your explanation.

[@mixchief]

A tip is to set the Tone Frequency to 5.00 Hz for the test tone. That way, you'll only hear what's important to hear, that is, the drop-outs only (while saving your ears and brain a little bit).

[@scott_pinzon]

This comment confuses me. Everything below 20 Hz is considered sub-sonic (below the range of human hearing). Did you really mean, 5 Hz? If so, when testing at this frequency, do you hear nothing except you hear clicks when the stream drops?

[@sebastianalarcon1204]

@@scott_pinzon he might have meant 5.00khz

[@sebastianalarcon1204]

@@sukelully ohh got it! Great idea

[@danielgv1526]

Excelent video, man. Most people talk about buffer size without having the slightest idea!

[@marvin469]

Buddy this was a very good explanation, thank u

[@edgarpavia912]

Brooo you absolute BEAST. Just learned how to set up some Pre Master Routing. Excited to get some phat mixes but for the first time finally ran into the issue of LATENCY. SO MUCH FUN. Bur dude you absolutely explained it perfectly. TY

[@GraybeardGiffTech]

I know you posted this video ages ago, but I wanted to say thanks and your explanation was great. However, I didn't have the issue of not having a large enough buffer, but I thought I did. I kept making my buffer bigger and bigger and I just kept getting more clicking when I tried to do voice overs. I was all the way up to 2048 and the clicking and quality was horrendous. Then I saw this video and how your discussed CPU speed and I wondered if I was going too high, because I have a pretty nice computer. Perhaps I was creating too large of a buffer (is that a things LOL)? As I lowered the buffer, the recording quality just kept getting better! With a sample rate of 48k and buffer of 48 the quality is almost perfect. I just wanted to say thanks and you gave a superb explanation!

[@Trishomusic]

Very Good Explanation 👏👏👏

[@spaceagejunkie]

Just made my recording experience so much better. Been doing this wrong for so long

[@Deerson]

That's exactly the best video about buffer size!! thanks a lot

[@DonProcyon]

Thanks for the info. Very clear and easy directions for adjusting latency problems.

[@johennes6021]

thank you very much! I am usin Live for years now but didn't know exactly how this works best. I always thought properly setting up MIDI and Audio latency in Live only work in two different folders of the setup menu but you just showed me that I was wrong ;-) Great & very helpful vid!

[@_f_unicorn_7941]

You just made that crystal clear cheers! I've only just begun the journey and after all the other frustrating bit, you just made that one easy.

[@Danything123]

Thanks for taking ur time explaining all this stuff. helps a lot bro!

[@jonadamsdrums6649]

well done. I never knew about using the tone for the test. going to try this tonight

[@GuidoVerrier]

Wauh thank you finally someone who explains things so I understand!

[@tharionnia6929]

Thank you very much for sharing this. You have explained it in full details, making me understand it a bit better.

[@HugoBoufflers]

thank you so much, explanations are crystal clear!

[@ClayJarvisGuitar]

This is a excellent video and great explanation of latency issues. I’ve only tried using Ableton Live a couple of times and had latency issues so now I can go back and make sure I have the correct settings to start using it again!

[@piperious]

fantastic video! Thx so, so much...

[@SuperHellaLol]

Thank you! Very helpful

[@chrisstorrer]

Excellent video! This helped me set up my little UR12 Steinberg interface. I wasn't sure if having a higher buffer size was a good thing or not because there was a really nice reverb/delay effect added to my audio when the buffer size was large ~2000 samples. I guess that is just how Ableton deals with large buffers?

[@hunter74able]

Great tutorial!! Thanks Bud.

[@peternobis]

very usefull and informative. Thank you for sharing!

[@ctrlartdel]

Great Video!

[@bruno3000]

THANK YOU MAN!! YOU ARE MY HERO IM GONING TO TEST THIS LATER

[@BookooZenny]

So things appear to be different in Ableton 10. For example, 256 appears to be the lowest you can go, and there are now options to adjust both output and input buffer size. I've reduced the output buffer size as much as possible and I'm still experiencing a bit of latency. Any pointers?

[@daveacosta4166]

nothing different, you just have a shitty audio card

[@16PsychOfficial]

If you're in 2019 and still struggling with the issue in this comment, look into using your asio audio driver.

[@masehnchang6698]

@@16PsychOfficial damn... I put it on asio audio driver and it basically made this video useless. thank you Alec

[@fergushill5673]

@@masehnchang6698 omg omg omg omg you cracked it

[@marcelvansauce2667]

Best explanation. Thank you.

[@creations4theworld]

Thank you! I had pieced together some epic vocals and then suddenly there's all this clicking going on. increasing the bufferring speed did the trick!

[@Dadaadad268]

Buffer speed?

[@sleepershill]

This is such a useful video :). Thank you 🙏😎

[@Tony_Yno.]

Thank you for the good explanation.

[@philippmindrin3202]

great tutorial

[@flaviorocha9458]

Very helpful and informative. Thank you

[@djlinusmunich]

Really like your stuff! Keep up the good work!

[@CosmooreMusic]

thanks for this!

[@campbellwaldron2424]

My recordings are still lagging... I have to warp the audio and drag the first transient to the 1 any tips here? I want to be able to just straight up record a loop and not have to play with it afterwards for live style looping stuff

[@root729]

Same, need to check these settings closer but i find the first transient is always late!

[@aggoldstein]

Does anyone know why I have no drop down option for the buffer size?

[@AJForShort]

I don't either, I think it depends on the "Driver Type" that you're using. Can you not change it at all?

[@jimsaintamour2]

Thank you that was super helpful!

[@levanmelikishvili4373]

Great tutorial. Thanks

[@gadielespinoza199]

Thank you so much, this help me a lot.

[@thirdworldperspective2409]

i was looking for this for sometime now

[@thirdworldperspective2409]

Yeah no one gives a damn. Your first statement was enough.

[@c.amoroso]

this is the exact video i needed. thanks

[@novachis24]

Thank you! This is very clear.

[@brycer2203]

great tutorial thank you!

[@wichomusica]

oh i have trying to did what you showed, but my Buffer size botton is not available, i can change it :(

[@producer1762]

saved this to my ableton help bookmark folder

[@joemo4104]

Great Video thank you so much!!!😊

[@Assortment54321]

For me, It doesn't seem to feel like there are latency issues. But when I try to perform a clip, It always seems off. Especially with the drums.

[@MrJemabaris]

Google driver error compensation

[@GrumpyStormtrooper]

exactly! i never seem to get the timing right, i always have to rely on quantization which sounds really bad and not natural at all.

[@Assortment54321]

@@GrumpyStormtrooper Lol I later found out that I'm just bad at rhythm and need practice. xD

[@GrumpyStormtrooper]

@@Assortment54321 do you play instruments or was ableton your fist musical endeavour? i play keys and my timing is fine there but not good enough to be a finger drummer apparently lol

[@Assortment54321]

@@GrumpyStormtrooperI also play keys. Though I've been rusty. I kind of didn't realize how bad I was with rhythm until I started practicing with a metronome. Like I'm really good at doing scales, and stuff like that. But I wasn't to a rhythm. I've practiced and got better though.

[@AintSoEZbeingSteezy]

Ive worked on this project 3 seperate times & now all of the sudden i get these crazy clicks & pops. The buffer is grey in my preferences & i have no idea how to change it

[@futurewillow3269]

Thanks brother, I'll give this a try

[@boblenndotart]

Hey thanks for doing this my friend. :)

[@farber2]

Excellent, just the thing.

[@olf777f]

Excellent that did it thanks, subscribed 😀

[@plazmatest]

excellent

[@philosopherserfs2411]

great explanation thanks so much, makes much more sense now, I've had it set the same way for years 😅 ooops

[@davidjonathandiazrivera4808]

Hi,👍which level is the best recommended for the Tone volume to leave it at even if the Test is turned off for the Test? Thanks

[@heytheremogwai]

Hey man, so I've worked on setting up my buffer size and dealing with latency....I've done the test, and I have no issues. The input is just lagging a good deal, and no matter how I set it I can't get it right? am I missing something else? (my machine has plenty of power).

[@muwrte]

muchisimas gracias, enseñas excelente!

[@vakeevful]

Hi! Which version of macbook do you use?

[@voodoochili12]

This was helpful, but it would have been helpful to explain a bit more about the concept of buffers, what they are in digital audio, and how the example of internet bandwidth informs that. Thanks

[@georgetsampas]

For Internal Latency uncheck the -Options - Delay Compensation!

[@azile.2335]

so to sum all things up, for recording use lower buffer size , then for mixing songs, use higher buffer size, right? pls correct me if I'm wrong (sorry for my english )

[@MusicToHelpYou]

That's exactly right.

[@miguellucerooo]

Does any of those changes you made affect the quality of the sound after export? pls help me its my first time

[@dulmin_]

700th like from me! You made my life easier...

[@yadinmichaeli12]

Very good explain thank you very much :)

[@enrinycastro]

Hello, I can't change the buffer size

[@jdssurf]

in my preferences my buffer size will only go as low as 256???? ableton live 10 lite

[@jojacola4651]

Same here! I saw somewhere that it was supossedly the soundcard but idk im still looking for more solutions.

[@jdssurf]

Joja Cola I,l get back to you if I figure it out, I think I may have, I’ll try to remember tomorrow, long day.

[@jojacola4651]

@@jdssurf I believe it might be a soundcard issue, on my mac im able to go down to 32.

[@lasolasolaso]

thanks for ur content! could u tell which model of macbook are u using? and is ur 2i4 the 1st gen? thanks

[@KjKase]

For some reason I can't get my buffer size below 1184 (at 96k Sample rate) without artifacts... My CPU is a 12700k I7, I don't understand why it performs so poorly. the lowest I can get my input latency is 12ms, it's annoying.

[@Firstinversion899]

Brilliant! Thx

[@ThijmenCodes]

Thank you!

[@starsonmars9429]

I have come across a latency issue with my new laptop and abbleton. It uses the microphone array realtek input and output with the MME when connecting my keyboard. The laptop does have built in Intel SST which means the Asio4ll sample rate has to be increased when recording audio. Might need manual alteration between buffering and driver compensation.

[@avnojista]

thx

[@AlexandreSoma]

GREAT VIDEO MAN! But what does the latency compensation is used for and how? Thanks!!!

[@Ardila21]

Yes thank you so much.

[@Chordsen]

Thank you so much 🙏

[@rickkoen13]

Thanks!

[@harrisfrankou2368]

Sweet. If you were to do a fast midi violin run?... You do this?....then change for recording vox and guitars etc?

[@videlladelveen5048]

how do you change the last 3 things on the list and what does it mean if mine is blue instead of orange? Help Please

[@kinddmusic]

man, you're dope! thank you!

[@Bebopopotamus]

Can you think of any reason why, even though I have a very capable computer with a powerful processor (8th gen i7), that latency still might be an issue? 44.1 at 128 gives me about 18ms of latency and that's not completely safe from artifacts.

[@biggdrake]

What do I do if the lowest I can drop the input buffer size is to 256 and not the 128? 128 feels like it would work as the 256 is the closest it is to being normal

[@chrislockwood770]

Is using the driver error compensation another way to solve the same thing?

[@kpk1958]

Good video. The volume level of your narration could be better matched to the test tone and MIDI controller sound though; it was pretty low relative to those two.

[@stanleyrichardslanka2750]

Bro i dont have an audio interface but i have an asio 4 driver.. How to correct the latency now?

[@jdssurf]

hey dude.............what if im getting latency crap just using my computer keyboard to drum in ableton 10 lite

[@stevysound]

What about that driver error compensation? What’s that all about? I noticed you have yours at 0.

[@SeedtoStage]

stevysound so long as the "monitor" is set to "off" no latency is recorded into the system. DEC is only relevant if you are using live to "software monitor" your audio ins

[@djbrambo]

@@SeedtoStage thanks for this video, but I also thought I needed DEC to finalize the latency until being zero. I have no direct monitoring, is that then the excuse to use DEC?

[@thirdworldperspective2409]

thank u very much!!!

[@oliberrhy2391]

even with these settings there's still annoying latency. is there anything else i can do?

[@ppucds]

I'll echo the others. Great vid man! #subcribed

[@leorosendow9728]

If I open kontakt out of qqr daw and use 128 Buffer and Open Albeont live for ex and put 1024, do you know if it will work both or will it tend to any?

[@kevinhdirect4582]

Can you share your CPU specs here? Is Multi-core or single core the most important factor to pay attention to when accounting for using low buffer sizes? Great video!

[@KjKase]

Did you find any answer to your question? I have a 12700k I7 CPU and it performs absolutely terribly compared to all the videos I see about this online. I can't get my input latency below 12ms, I don't understand why because my CPU is no slouch.

[@sNksnAke]

i cant go lower than 17ms with ryzen 5 1600af :( wtf... 768 sample is the low i can go its normal ? :O

[@chikifree]

in Ableton live 10, you have 2 latency parameters. Input buffer size and output buffer size. For some reason, I can get input buffer size to 256 just fine but the output buffer size starts to pop and click once I hit anything less than 3500 ish. Any thoughts why? My cpu is an i7 6700K 4.0GHZ

[@AWALLOFFICAL]

Cpu cranks when I use one preset sound and I have a decent computer I have no clue why it’s doing this

[@AudioReplica2023]

So , what about the overall latency?

[@LumpyNabog]

I can't even change the buffer size. Not even an option, it's just a locked number

[@byAlexiithonatzu]

On the same configuration screen, clic on hardware setup instead, and it will give you the option to change sample rate and buffer size, you should find that option up above