I’m having problems with round-trip latency when using the TX-6 as an interface for an iPad Pro, which I want to use as a glorified effects unit and recorder for multiple instruments played live. The latency is just enough to confuse my fingers.
It obviously “works" if I just monitor my dry signals locally through the TX-6 and use my imagination, but I think that’s awful. Additionally, iOS doesn’t let you create an aggregate audio device out of multiple interfaces, so I can’t use another interface with better latency as a monitor — it’s the TX-6 or nothing.
I have used the TX-6’s aux output as an effects send to create a effects loop with hardware effects units in the past, and noticed no latency, but I want to use specific insert effects for different instruments, and actually hear them all while playing.
Also, this might be a dumb question, but why does using an aux-out to line-in effects send have less latency than USB audio? The latency happens with just one channel being used, so it can’t be that. If it’s the iPad adding the latency that’s somehow breaking the camel’s back, I’m pretty sure it has a better CPU than the hardware digital delay unit in my effects loop, so why isn’t it happening with the latter? Is it the way they’re implementing the TX-6’s in/out interface modes, rather than how it processes audio per se?
Also, does anybody know if the round-trip latency is better on devices other than an iPad, or is this a universal problem? Sorry, so many questions. I’m rather new to all this, so might be missing something obvious, too.
EDIT: False alarm, my latency settings in AUM had been reset. So embarrassing! The latency is still nowhere as good as the extremely cheap TC Helicon Blender I replaced with the TX-6, though. Because I tried to drop-in replace the Blender, I assumed that the TX-6 was the culprit. The Blender will fall apart if you sneeze at it, and its dodgy spoke-oriented industrial design (“oh cool, let’s make the cables take up 100% more space!”) was meant for the middle of the room and not small spaces and travelling, but I nonetheless recommend it if you’re looking for a budget 12-input interface and mixer.