Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 Manual page 25

When converting audio information to digital and vice versa, the audio driver needs to
store the data in buffer packages (audio buffers) which are then sent to and processed
by the CPU. The higher the buffer size, the longer it takes for a signal to finally arrive at
the output as audio. You might experience this as a delay between the time you hit a
key on your computer or controller and when you actually hear the sound. This delay is
called latency. A rule of thumb is: lower buffer size results in lower latency. However,
there are more factors to latency than buffer size alone (e.g., CPU speed and RAM size).
You should start off with a higher buffer size setting, and gradually decrease the value
until you find the perfect balance between playability and system performance. If you
experience crackling at the audio output, the chosen buffer size is very likely too low for
your computer's CPU to cope with, as lower buffer size causes higher CPU load.
Device Monitor Section
The Device Monitor section in the Audio Settings page of the Control Panel.
The Device Monitor section displays information about the audio interface's processing status
and your system's output latency. It has two displays:
Processing State: The processing state monitor provides feedback on the current status of
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the device. There are three possible status messages:
◦ Idle: interface is connected, but no client delivers audio data.
◦ Streaming: driver is working and processing audio data.
◦ Panic: driver stopped streaming. Too many USB I/O errors occurred in the interface
communication.
Output Latency: Shows the amount of output latency in milliseconds.
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Advanced Configuration
Advanced Configuration on Windows (Control Panel)
KOMPLETE AUDIO 6 - Manual - 25