How to Track w/Plugins Logic 9 w/o delay comp?

[iduran]

If you want to monitor the plugins while you are recording there is not much that you can do in terms of delay compensation. What you can do is try using less plug-ins in general. Do you really need an Izotope plug-in while you are recording? And your other mastering plug-ins too?

I dont know how you work, so thats all I can do. Hope that helps a little bit

[JustCallMeGus]

Thanks for the response!

Well I know it seems weird ,but I like to hear a more polished ear pleasing sound while i'm recording, and many of the plugins especially UAD make it very easy to produce pleasing results. The biggest problem with that though is... well it's always after something has already been recorded. It makes preforming and writing music less inspiring for me when i'm having to track without plugins and a raw sound. It just doesn't sound neat and refined. It's like a diamond in the rough per say always having to look at the potential instead of starting out with what is pleasing and using that to inspire the next part.

Some would say "well then just pre EQ it" nice and neat before you record, but the truth is there are certain characteristics that plugins emulate that I really couldn't achieve any other way. I know some would also say its bad habit to rely on A, B, and C to enjoy or be creative, but for me honestly I find a lot of analog equipment and the analog way of recording to be not as pleasing from the start.

I much prefer digital amp simulations for example over the traditional method of preforming with a tube amp with a mic up to a cab. It sounds cleaner to me with less noise, and I don't have to crank it to really get the sweet tone. I know some would argue that I am not achieving that sound digitally, but either way I can tell the difference when I crank up the digital amp sim or my tube amp. It's not just guitars though that's just an example. I would say drums being the hardest ones to make pleasing to the ears. Running SD2.0 or AD or SSD or even BFD2 multi out in Logic with separate aux tracks for each kit piece is great with plugins for tone shaping. Most of those programs do come with built in tweak ability, but with limited results.

With the preference Analog V.S. Digital debate aside even for tracking live instruments, I like to have much more control over the sound as i'm tracking the performance instead of having most of the control after it's been recorded. I'm what you would call a ITB composer that is looking for the OTB way of recording while still ITB just without the plugin latency for tracking. I like to track anything from midi data to just a single microphone in the room with a band just as long as I can run some software plugins to EQ to taste before I hit the big red button.

-Paul

[hawk269]

The unfortunate reality is that plugins cause delay/latency. I understand your reasoning for wanting this.

I find the latency to be more of an issue while recording live (guitars, bass, vocals) than hearing the uneffected sound. So I record them and add effects later.

The only exception is guitar when the given effect is an essential part of the sound. Even then, I'm using my Axe Fx and also recording the DI track so I can tweak the sound later.

[Virgil]

Originally Posted by JustCallMeGus

I was wondering is it possible to track a guitar or bass direct dry signal thru plugins like L6 Pod Farm 2 into Logic 9 with other plugins on the track such as Izotope Ozone & Alloy or any UAD plugin without latency, and or delay when tracking. The same applies for recording vocals with Auto Tune for example is there a way to record vocals using plugins like this? This plugin example seems to add delay while tracking. Another example would be to track midi drums using a TD-20 kit into an audio interface, and into a Logic track set to multi output w/ individual plugins on each track such as compression, eq...etc for each kit piece along with plugins on a bus track for parallel compression, and perhaps a mastering suite on the Master bus. Is there any way to track guitars/bass/drums with a plethora of plugins activated on the tracks without latency or delay? Would an Apogee Symphony setup or PTHDN setup cure this problem? What setup would allow me to monitor with plugins while I play instead of having to use most plugins post aka after all of the audio/midi has been recorded? If either of the mentioned setup's stated above would do the trick and fix this problem how do they work with Logic? The reason I ask is because Logic is my DAW of choice.

-Paul

I know exactly how you feel. You try to pack more plug ins whwn tracking though (you probably have more CPU available than I do with my Macbook pro 4GB).
I would be happy if I could track DI guitars with a amp sim (guitar rig 4), but plug ins delay makes timing sloppy after a few tracks. I even freeze drum library track (not even multi outs) in kotakt 4, but it simply falls apart.
I started a couple of threads here asking for possible solutions, but nobody answers, no one seems to know how to deal with logic delay compensation.
I´ll probably track with an SM57 and my VOX combo, building over frozen drum tracks...It´s sad not to be able to use the sonic possibilities of the amp sim for tracking.