VEP Server fails on latency comparision test against direct DAW tracks
(in this case here tested with latest Pro Tools Pro Ultimate DAW on a high CPU PC Windows 10 and all involved components to be updated and latest available version)
How to reproduce:
Load as usual a VEP server instance and add 1, 2 tracks with instruments which can show the difference best, maybe something percussive and maybe not a light weighted one, so the difference becomes more obvious.
Start a Pro Tools session with a higher audio rate to challenge the latency enough (lets take 96khz on a RME UFX interface with a latency setting of minimum to be fair like 128). Connect to the VEP instance and connect the 2 tracks as usual so that you can activate record on the Pro Tools track and can play thru it to the instrument in the VEP server instance.
Now add the same 2 tracks with the same instruments in Pro Tools again and load the instruments here directly not connected to the VEP server instance. Make sure the tracks are all exactly the same like the ones in VEP.
Now switch the record activation between tracks and compare the latency while playing on a midi keyboard. Best to reproduce is the play staccato notes and hear the "sound" of your keys and when the sound from the track appears. While with a setting of 128 it should be minimal in any way, you can "feel" the difference and the direct tracks will react faster and far to "right now" while the VEP connected ones will have a minimal latency between key action and actual sound.
Interesting enough, it does not reflect on the actual midi recorded notes, which are in time. So I assume it is regarding the playing back sound from VEP into Pro Tools.
It would be interesting to hear other opinions and maybe on other hardware, other audo interfaces, if others experience the same so that we can tackle down together where the issue has to be fixed. It could be VEP, but also Pro Tools or the audio interface (nah, barely to be honest but who knows). Of course the PC hardware should hold up the requirements fpr midi low latency on 96khz which is mostly the case nowadays.
Maybe IMPORTANT note: Interesting enough, it even minimizes far more until to be barely hearable when removing the automatically added stereo panner plugin of VEP. This makes it an almost unhearable difference.
The instruments I used for the test was one track with the Kontakt 7 Classic EP 88 Rhodes and one track BFD Drums. Of course, the tracks in the DAW have to be designated instrument tracks providing the in and out routing to and from VEP. The tracks in VEP are directly turning back to the tracks in Pro Tools via manual outs of course (no master track, no MIR).
