My suggestion is that you not get another digital mixer if you don't need it. Instead, trade in your PCI-324 card for a PCI-424 at www.MOTU.com. It's $300, I believe, and you can use the same interface (2408 II). The -424 has a built-in latency-free (except for the digital converters) mixer that will solve the problem.

But you should also check your buffer. Latency isn't a big problem if it's set at 64 or 128.

(My digital mixer has been sitting in the corner for several weeks now. I'm using MOTU boxes in its place, and the streamlined set-up is working very well.)

Thanks Nick for the tip. So just to be clear you mean to use a PCI-424 on my Giga PC(2408mkII) or my MAC (240[H]?

The thing is I don't notice latency from Giga when I listen thru the mkII headphone jack. The latency occurs because I return the light pipes from my Giga to my 2408 on my MAC and to hear anything I have to record enable tracks. That's when the delay occurs.

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I was thinking that you'd put the PCI-424 card on your Mac, at least that's how I have it set up (the MOTU stuff is taking the place of my digital mixer).

If lowering the MOTU buffer on your Mac doesn't do the trick - and depending on how much is going on, you may not have enough processing power to do that - then monitoring off the PCI-424 card certainly will.

You could also plug the Giga machine into your O3d and monitor through it, then route the signal into the Mac when you're ready to mix.

Hi Nick,

I've tried a number of things today unsuccessfully. Let me ask you how you have yours working without latency. So you have your Giga audio going to your MAC via ADAT, right? So to monitor that audio you have to record enable a track or do you use an Aux? So no delay when you start recording midi?

thanks for your time,

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I don't know how to do it in DP, but you want to use an Aux input or the equivalent rather than having to record-enable everything. You can't record stuff you want to record very well that way!

The latency going out one MIDI interface into another is noticeable, but not enough to cause you to post about here. [:)] I promise it's an audio issue that's bothering you, not MIDI.

The other answer is yes, Giga is going into the 2408 II. I monitor off the PCI-424 card, although I could go through a Logic Input Object - equivalent to an aux input.

Okay Nick, last question I promise.[:)]
What buffer settings do you have on both your MAC and PC?

thanks a bunch,

Well it turns out that my problem was mainly MIDI! I was using an older MIDI Express XT serial.

After having tried just about everything for the last 2 days (tried 828mkII on my MAC, lowering buffer to 32 on my 2408mkII on my Giga PC with the same results) The last thing left was MIDI. I hooked up a 2X2 USB MIDI interface just to see and it reduced the latency drammatically.[[:|]]
I played with the buffers on my MAC and I see monitoring thru the aux will work with a few more tweaks. Thanks for your help Nick. I'd still be interested in knowing your buffer settings as a reference.

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There must have been something wrong with your MIDI interface then, because MIDI is MIDI - unless you use MIDI Over LAN, which I'd recommend now that there's a Mac version (www.musiclab.com).

I have my Windows buffers set at 64, and the Mac one is normally at 64 but sometimes I have to raise it to 128 if i'm running a lot of host-based stuff (Altiverbs, for example). Also, Giga 3 may want a larger buffer - I haven't played with GigaPulse very much yet.

Yeah MidiOverLAN. I had downloaded the trial and installed it to test it but never had a chance. Now, I'm pass the 14 day free trial... [:'(]

So with that you need just one copy and you install on both your MAC and PC?
Or do you need a license for each? Since in a way you can't use only on one computer. The problem for me is I'm in a big office. Our company network has about 300 computers. Not sure if MOL is an option for me.