Uploaded January 2014 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
When signal processing plug-ins are added to tracks in digital audio workstations, the additional processing causes latency. In some cases the latency is so small that it's virtually unnoticeable. However, sometimes either adding multiple plug-ins to a track or the addition of some "compute intensive" plug-ins can cause noticeable latency.
Even a small amount of latency between tracks that have common material, like two sides of a stereo pair, can cause the higher frequencies to be out of phase, resulting in a duller sound. Larger amounts of latency can make the various instrumental tracks sound out-of-sync, as though the band was not playing together very well.
To fix this issue, most workstations have "delay compensation", which works like this. The computer determines the latency of each track due to the instantiated plug-ins, and then it delays each track the appropriate amount, meaning the greater the latency the smaller the added delay, so that the net result is zero latency between any of the tracks.
Delay compensation does have limits, and it's still possible to exceed the amount of latency that can be corrected automatically. However, when this happens the tracks can be offset manually, after the calculations are made to determine how much delay should be added.
Whether manual or automatic, delay compensation adds a great deal of benefit to the sound quality of a multi-track recording.
When signal processing plug-ins are added to tracks in digital audio workstations, the additional processing causes latency. In some cases the latency is so small that it's virtually unnoticeable. However, sometimes either adding multiple plug-ins to a track or the addition of some "compute intensive" plug-ins can cause noticeable latency.
Even a small amount of latency between tracks that have common material, like two sides of a stereo pair, can cause the higher frequencies to be out of phase, resulting in a duller sound. Larger amounts of latency can make the various instrumental tracks sound out-of-sync, as though the band was not playing together very well.
To fix this issue, most workstations have "delay compensation", which works like this. The computer determines the latency of each track due to the instantiated plug-ins, and then it delays each track the appropriate amount, meaning the greater the latency the smaller the added delay, so that the net result is zero latency between any of the tracks.
Delay compensation does have limits, and it's still possible to exceed the amount of latency that can be corrected automatically. However, when this happens the tracks can be offset manually, after the calculations are made to determine how much delay should be added.
Whether manual or automatic, delay compensation adds a great deal of benefit to the sound quality of a multi-track recording.
