Daw Setup; Daw Buffer Size / Latency Settings - Neumann.Berlin MT 48 Instruction Manual

DAW setup

When you start your recording software or DAW, as it is usually called (DAW = Digital Audio
Workstation), it will usually detect your new audio interface and ask which driver to use .
Depending on your computer system and recording software, there may be more than one
choice . Select the MT 48 driver . On Windows systems, most DAWs rely on the ASIO protocol .
ASIO was developed by Steinberg specifically for audio processing with low latency – which
is crucial for using virtual instruments such as softsynths and realtime audio processing (e .g .
amp modeling) . ASIO offers much better performance than Windows system drivers, so almost
all manufacturers have adopted Steinberg's ASIO driver protocol .
On the Macintosh, system drivers (CoreAudio) offer excellent low latency performance . Some
manufacturers, however, still use ASIO . In practice, this makes little difference . Depending on
your DAW software, you may have two driver options: "MT 48" and "MT 48 High Precision" .
Either one should work fine . The High Precision driver works with 32 Bit resolution, which isn't
necessary since the normal driver's 24 Bit resolution covers a dynamic range of up to 144 dB
– enough for the MT 48 .

DAW buffer size / latency settings

To adjust the Latency settings in your DAW, go to Preferences or Studio Setup – please refer to
your DAW manual . There will be button to open the Control Panel for the MT 48 that allows you
to specify the Buffer Size .
Selecting a small buffer size will give you lower latency, but it will also increase the CPU load .
Selecting a larger buffer size will reduce the CPU load but results in higher latency . A good
starting point is usually 64 samples . This gives you low enough latency for a direct response
when you play softsynths while maintaining good CPU performance .
Keep in mind that low latency is only needed for realtime processing, e .g . playing virtual
instruments . There is input latency and output latency . Output latency is the delay between
hitting a key and the resulting sound . Input latency is irrelevant when you play virtual instru-
MT 48 | 15