Live Audio Latency: Measuring Duration Impact on Musical Tightness

Latency has become a primary concern in networked performances and streamed concerts. Even minuscule delays alter rhythmic perception and ensemble cohesion. This technical exploration measures how latency accumulates over long performances and offers mitigations performers and engineers can adopt.

Latency basics

Latency is the delay between an audio event and its perception. Components include analog-digital conversion, buffering in DAWs or encoders, network transit, and playback buffering. While single-event latency may be small, repetitive micro-delays can affect groove and timing, particularly when performers monitor through in-ear systems or distributed speaker arrays.

Thresholds of perception

Psychoacoustic studies show that timing deviations of 10–20 ms are perceptible for percussive transients. For ensemble tightness, latency under 10 ms is often unnoticeable for small groups; networked collaborations require sub-30ms round-trip to feel natural.

How duration interacts with latency

Over multi-hour sessions, latency can manifest as cumulative timing drift if devices use independent clocks or if buffering strategies dynamically change (adaptive jitter buffers). Drift can force subtle tempo adjustments that musicians unconsciously compensate for, leading to fatigue and errors.

Measurements and case tests

We ran four-hour sessions using a combination of in-ear monitors, stage wedges, and networked remote performers. Key observations:

• Clock drift introduced measurable cumulative timing offsets after ~90 minutes on setups without proper locking.
• Adaptive buffers that change size in response to jitter cause micro-timing variability that performers notice as 'wavering' feel.
• Dedicated audio-over-IP systems with locked clocks (e.g., Dante with PTP) remained stable over multi-hour runs.

Mitigations

1. Use a master clock: Lock all devices to a single clock (Word Clock, PTP) to prevent drift.
2. Prefer fixed-size buffers: For live playback, fixed buffers avoid dynamic jitter-induced timing variability.
3. Monitor latency on the fly: Implement logging to flag rising buffers or packet loss that could force increases in latency.
4. Optimize network: Use wired connections, QoS on switches, and dedicated VLANs for audio traffic to minimize jitter and packet loss.

Practical tips for performers

When streaming or participating in networked performances, performers should:

• Warm up with a metronomic reference and check alignment after the first 15 minutes of the set.
• Communicate subtle drift immediately—don't assume engineers can always see it.
• Design sections with clear rhythmic anchors (drum hits, clap patterns) to help realign the ensemble when needed.

Conclusion

Latency is not just a technical metric for engineers; it shapes musical feel across time. Long-duration shows expose flaws in clocking, buffering, and network stability that short rehearsals may not. Investing in proper clocking, network design, and monitoring yields consistent ensemble tightness and reduces performer fatigue during extended sessions.

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