monospaceE-drummer here. So I just recently upgraded to SD3, but a problem I was having with SD2 persists. I get some weird intermittent lag on *just a few hits* whenever I play fast stuff on the hihat, and sometimes the snare and the kick. Like, you hit a pad, and it takes a millisecond for SD to catch up. Not all the time, but often enough for it to be a bother. This DOES NOT HAPPEN when I play the sounds on my module (a venerable TD-9). My laptop is a MacBook Pro from 2009, so yeah, not the latest and greatest, but I’ve had this issue for as long as I’ve used SD — which is also since 2009.
Question. Do other people experience this too? Is it something in the settings? I’ve tried pretty much everything over the past decade, “upgraded” my hats from VH-11 to VH-10, even shilled out 400 bucks for the upgrade, but no dice. So….
The last thing I can think of is my cables (or cable harness, in my case). It’s only 60 bucks to get a new cable harness, so I’m willing to try it it, but would it make a difference? I read conflicting opinions about cables. The amount of data going through it is so minimal, it SHOULDN’T make a difference. Could that really be all it is? How important are cables?
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
Drum DudeYour problem sounds like it could be a problem with “latency”, the time it tajes for the signal to go from your drum pad to your computer, then back to your headphones. The roundtrip in the Roland module wouldn’t have this problem.
There is a lot written on latency; it’s a common problem, and there is a lot of info on how to make computer setting changes to minimize it. I would do a search for latency on this forum, or the internet in general, and check your latency computer settings before investing in new cables.
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Thanked by: monospacemonospaceThanks. It most definitely is a problem with latency. But it also happens to me with the smallest of SD kits, where latency really shouldn’t be an issue.
I’m just curious if anyone has an informed opinion about how cabling can, or cannot, affect performance.
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
Bear-Faced CowIt doesn’t sound like latency. Latency is more constant and is more buffer related. This seems more like a processing bottleneck preventing CoreMIDI from receiving the information in a timely manner.
Need more information on your MBP along with anything else that might be hooked up to it. There may be also be some underlying processes stealing resources holding back your drum information from being read.
jord
monospaceBelieve me when I say I have tried everything possible to isolate the problem. Disconnected all devices except the external SSD and MIDI, ran SD in my DAW (Logic Pro) and standalone/Solo, disconnected the network, messed around with buffer settings, ran the computer in Safe Mode, etc. I agree with your observation that it could be a bottleneck in Core Audio somehow, however, this is an issue with very specific SD instruments, mostly the hi-hat and the snare. It is also not constant (so it’s not latency although it sounds like it), and as far as I can tell, it does not show up when I record a MIDI track even though it’s audible when I play it.
That’s why I’m wondering if faulty cabling could be the culprit. Unfortunately I have no way to swap out individual cables to test this, because of the damn harness. What makes me reluctant to purchase a new harness is not the cost, but the fact that the problem doesn’t seem to happen with the built-in TD-9 sounds.
Thanks for weighing in!
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
Bear-Faced CowIf you hear sounds normally on your drum brain when playing fast, then I am willing to bet that you are wasting your money buying a new harness, unless you feel more comforted having a spare. Your drum brain will play and transmit what it picks up. The fact that you have already indicated that you can audibly hear it is more proof that it probably is not your cable. I highly doubt the USB port on your drum brain is bad, but there is always that possibility.
That would lead to the chain to your computer. Just because you enabled safe mode doesn’t mean that you have eliminated everything that could be stealing from it. MIDI lag could be from something as subtle as the SpotLight daemon and too much hard disk traffic, to an underlying launchdaemon using CPU stealing technologies such as Java. I’ve had similar issues running other MIDI controllers (remember that a eDrums are nothing more than a MIDI controller to a computer) and had to find everything getting in the way.
As I said, providing some specs on your computer and your chain might provide some insight. Otherwise, it’s hard to help.
jord
monospaceAs I said, providing some specs on your computer and your chain might provide some insight.
What sort of specs would be helpful in this regard?
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
Lysandrix RasayHi mono space have you tried to switch it out with another USB cable ? I bought my Alesis strike multipad used without the cable and one usb I had didn’t make a strong enough lock with the USB port. So I grabbed another random usb cable from 2004 and that worked.
what is your buffer settings for core audio? 512 samples ?
monospaceI’ve tried different USB cables with no difference. I’ve also used different midi cables; I’ve used an M-Audio Midiman interface before, and I’m using a Tascam US16x08 now. I think I can fairly say it’s not the midi connection.
Core Audio buffer size is usually 128 (depending on what else I’m running in Logic), sometimes higher, sometimes lower. In standalone I can get away with lower values. The problem isn’t latency though, I know what that sounds like and how to adjust for it. What I’m experiencing is a “stutter” on occasional fast runs (mostly hi-hat, sometimes snare). It really is fine 99.9% of the time, but it does still happen from time to time, and has for years (in both SD2 and SD3).
And sitting at home in self-quarantine has given me ample time to look into what might be causing this, so here I am asking questions. 😛
Thanks for your insights and suggestions.
E-drummer. eDrumIn trigger interface with various Roland trigger pads. MacBook Pro (mid-2015); MacOS High Sierra; Logic Pro X 10.4.8. Superior Drummer user since 2009.
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