Using TimeAdjuster for Manual Delay Compensation
For more information, see the following topics:
DSP and host-based processing in all digital systems incurs delay of varying amounts. You can use the TimeAdjuster plug-in to apply an exact number of samples of delay to the signal path of a Pro Tools track to compensate for delay incurred by specific plug-ins. TimeAdjuster provides presets for common delay-compensation scenarios.
To compensate for several plug-ins in-line, use the delay times from each settings file as references, and add them together to derive the total delay time.
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Alternatively, look up the delay in samples for the plug-ins you want to compensate for, then apply the appropriate amount of delay.
To manually compensate for DSP-induced delays, try one of the following methods:
If you are working with phase-coherent track pairs, or tracks recorded with multiple microphones, you can invert the phase to negate the delay. If you don’t hear any audio when you invert a signal’s phase, you have precisely adjusted and compensated for the delay. This is because when you monitor duplicate signals and invert the polarity (phase) of one of them, the signals will be of opposite polarity and cancel each other out. This technique is convenient for finding the exact delay setting for any plug-in.
To determine the delay of a plug-in by inverting its signal phase:
1 Place duplicate audio clips on two different audio tracks and pan them to the center (mono).
2 Apply the plug-in whose delay you want to calculate to the first track, and a Time Adjuster plug-in to the second track.
4 Control-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac) to fine-tune delay in one sample increments, or use the up/down arrow keys to change the delay one sample at a time until the audio signal disappears.
Adjust the delay with the signal in phase until any comb-filter effects cancel out.