No latency...Is this true?

According to the info I've read concerning PT 6 LE, and the MBox, there's no latency while recording. Is this true? Thanks in advance. Imagine

not true

It is true. You can monitor your input with no latency. It's the same thing as if you plugged a microphone into an outboard mixer and sent it to the interface and plugged the outputs of the interface into the mixer to monitor as well. You're monitoring the tracks you've already recorded from the computer and the track you're currently recording right from the input. -Duardo

I think the key word here is monitoring. Digi never claims the Mbox has no latency while recording and never claims no latency in playback and processing. They do claim the Mbox offers zero latency monitoring of the input signal. That is true. There is latency all over in the rest of the system.

Thats knob is a false sense of no latency. each recording pass will be 164 samples behind everything already recorded. Read this: Mbox and latency issues with Pro Tools LE for recording and playback. Here are a few tips regarding latency issues with Mbox: Tip #1: When recording into Pro Tools LE: 1) Mute recorded enabled audio track in Pro Tools. When recording on Mbox, you are actually monitoring the audio signal going to Mbox. If the record enabled audio track is not muted, you will also be monitoring the signal going out of Pro Tools back to Mbox. This will be heard as a doubling effect because you are hearing both the input and the latent output at the same time. 2) Adjust the "Mix" knob on Mbox to prevent any echo or latency sound. 3) Press the "Mono" button on Mbox. This will prevent the input signal from sounding hard panned left or right when adjusting the Mix knob on Mbox. The "Mono" knob does not affect the mix playing out of Pro Tools, just the incoming signal. Tip #2: 1) When you record into Pro Tools there is a latency of 164 samples. All tracks recorded into Pro Tools have 164 samples of latency, but you will not notice this with the first track unless you have a MIDI click, or a recorded click to play along with. Thus, when you record the second track/pass, you will hear latency when the two tracks are played together. Tip #3 explains how to deal with this issue. 2) Tip #1 just helps to prevent hearing the latency while recording into Pro Tools; however, there will be latency when recording into Pro Tools/Mbox. Tip #3: 1) After recording your second track/pass into Pro Tools, adjust the newly recorded audio track to compensate for the 164 samples of latency. 2) Select the second pass of audio with the Grabber Tool. Edit Menu > Shift. Click "Earlier" and type in 164 in the "Samples" field. Click "OK". Now, Pro Tools will locate the audio 164 samples earlier. 3) "Shift" each track or recorded pass back by 164 samples immediately after recording. If you are stacking up tracks, you definitely want them all to be in sync as each new one is recorded. 4) If you recorded your audio at the very start of the session, you will have to trim in the audio before the waveform starts to allow space for the audio to be shifted 164 samples ahead. Now, you may ask, are all other passes 164 samples apart from each other too? Not exactly, each recording pass will be 164 samples behind everything already recorded. If you record one track at a time, and mute recorded tracks as you go along so you're only listening to the most recent track, then yes, your final track (say, 24) will be 23 x164 samples behind the first track, at least in terms of what you're hearing. Technically, the last track is still only 164 samples behind the first track but listening to these delays building up will cause your playing in time to the tracks to start falling behind noticeably. So if you add one track at a time and listen to all previous tracks on each recording you'll be hearing: Track 1: On time Track 2: 164 samples behind Track 1 Track 3: 164 samples behind Tracks 1 and 2, so play in time to Track 1 you're off by 164 samples, but if you play in time to Track 2 you're 328 samples off. Track 4: 164 samples behind Tracks 1, 2, and 3, but the delays build up differently depending on what track you play off of.

It's a really annoying use of phrase because it is bull. There's tons of latency in the software, it's just that, as Duardo said, you're monitoring from the hardware directly. Of course you won't be able to hear any plug-in processing on the audio you're recording. I can make ANY software have no latency during recording... just take off your headphones! Oh wait, you might get a room reflection, darn!

Brad, thank you for using that well known technical term bull, it fits

Yes, that is true. AS long as you don't need to hear plugins during recording you are fine, and the you just slide the track back 164 samples when you are done. It really is not a big deal. I think this may be why they do not support USB hubs, I think it may increase latency but I am not sure about that.

So to make this clear for the original question: "there is no latency while recording, Is this true"? No, it is not true - When you record there IS latency.

I received my Mbox yesterday, and there is latency. Is there any way of getting around this? Thanks Imagine