Choosing an Audio Interface Driver for Low Latency

Latency, the delay between speaking and hearing yourself, turns recording into a disorienting experience when it is too high. The right driver and buffer settings keep monitoring tight enough that the delay disappears.

Reduce latency with the correct setup.

1. Install the interface’s native driver rather than the generic system one.
2. Lower the buffer size to sixty-four or one hundred twenty-eight samples.
3. Use direct monitoring on the interface when available.
4. Raise the buffer only when mixing large sessions.

Direct monitoring sidesteps the computer entirely and gives you zero-latency monitoring. When that is not possible, a small buffer and the native driver come close.

Low latency is the difference between recording that feels natural and one that feels like an echo. Once the monitoring is tight, you stop thinking about the gear and focus entirely on the performance, which is where the good takes come from.