Managing peer-to-peer latency in Groovesetter is simple, and synchrony over the internet with Groovesetter is possible with the correct settings and geographical distances.
There are two primary sources of latency that will affect your Groovesetter session. The first source of latency is introduced by the audio hardware connected to your computer and your computer’s processing power.
Your audio hardware and device driver introduce latency in the signal while converting an analog signal to digital and vice versa. This usually ranges between a few milliseconds to hundreds of milliseconds depending on the audio hardware and audio driver you are using, as well as the buffer size you specify in your session settings.
Generally, lower buffer size settings result in lower latency; however, this may introduce audio crackles and pops in the signal. The computer processor must work harder to process all the sound. A great starting point for testing your system capabilities is to select 48000 kHz for the sample rate and 128 for your buffer size.
The second source of latency is only introduced when collaborating with other Groovers remotely over the internet. This source of latency is the amount of time it takes for the signal to travel between groovers over the internet.
Groovesetter establishes a direct peer-to-peer connection with uncompressed sound. When a peer-to-peer connection is established, the computers are connected directly either over a local area network or a wide area network over the internet.
On a local area network connection, the amount of time it takes for the audio signal to travel from one computer to another is usually less than ten milliseconds, depending on the quality and set up of the local area network.
When Grovers are connecting over a wide area internet network, the time it takes for the audio signal to travel from one computer and reach another computer will depend on the network connection between the connecting groves and the distance the signal must travel over internet wire.
Because Groovesetter uses direct peer-to-peer uncompressed sound, the latency between groves located roughly 400 miles apart can be as low as ten milliseconds when using reliable high-speed internet.
For example, if a Groover in Los Angeles tries to connect to another Groover who is 300 miles away in Las Vegas, the direct Groover-to-Groover audio signal will arrive in roughly 8 to 10 milliseconds over high-speed internet depending on the internet service provider the groovers are using.
Groovesetter displays the direct peer-to-peer latency measured between the session’s creator and the joining groves. This measurement is displayed in milliseconds in the Session Information window and next to the stage name of each Groover along the top incoming signal channels.
The initial established connection includes a default added peer-to-peer buffer to compensate for any network connection irregularities.
The session creator can control this additional individual signal buffer for each connected Groover to refine and optimize the audio latency and sound clarity. This allows for session connections to be optimized for multi-channel uncompressed audio remote recording, monitoring, and real-time synchronous performance.
Once a successful connection with other users has been established, the session creator can click the refine button next to the connected Groover’s stage name to open the Groove link P2P connection settings window.
The P2P Connection Settings window offers several additional options available, which include:
- The number of channels that can be established between the connected Groover and the session host.
- The audio bit rate resolution.
- The redundancy of the signal exchanged between the Groover and the session host.
- The sound quality buffer processing for both the Groover and the host. This jitter buffer setting directly affects the quality and latency the two groves experience while connected. By selecting a lower jitter buffer value, you can lower the latency to the lowest possible value.
It is important to note that if the internet connection is unstable or the groves are connected over WiFi instead of a wired ethernet connection, lowering the jitter buffer may result in audio crackling pops and dropouts.
When using a stable internet connection, we recommend trying different values until the optimal setting is reached. Usually, when both groovers have a stable connection, using a value of 6 or 8 for the jitter buffer will result in a clear uncompressed audio connection at the lowest possible latency.
In the case of groovers connecting at a distance of up to 400 miles apart, this would result in the ability to play together in tight synchrony.
Utilizing the Groove-link audio routing matrix allows recording each performer on separate tracks in a DAW such as Pro Tools, Ableton, or Logic Pro X.
