What Is Latency - Native Instruments AUDIO 8 DJ Operation Manual

11.4.2 Break the loop with a DI box
If you cannot fix the ground noise problem by disconnecting equipment, you can
connect a DI (Direct Injection) box after the AUDIO 8 DJ outputs. Most of these
boxes have a ground lift switch on them. This can be used to break the ground
loop and eliminate the noise.

11.5 What is Latency?

As with any digital device (including hardware signal processors) that converts
analog audio to digital data and back again, a computer adds a certain amount of
delay (latency) when processing audio signals.
Fortunately, with today's computers, modern operating systems and optimized sound
card drivers, this delay can be so small that you cannot hear it (e. g. 3 milliseconds
is about the same delay caused by moving your head one meter further away from
a speaker). Read more about handling latency in the following chapters.
11.5.1 How Low Can You Go?
A latency of 1.5 ms approaches the theoretical minimum, because it will always
take some time to convert a human action into something digital and then to
convert the digital action back to analog sound. However, note that ultra-low latency
settings (or higher sampling rates) make your computer work harder, which can
affect the sytem response and the audio performance. So, here are some tips on
living with latency.
AUDIO 8 DJ – 8