Maschine AU Latency

itsWHOM

I know this is a known issue, as I have been dealing with this for years. The official NI article that provides a "solution" I will link here.

However after 7 years as a Maschine user, I wanted to bring attention to this issue again going into 2025 to ensure the AU version of the plugin gets some attention. I use Logic as my main DAW, and since there appears to be no support for plugin delay compensation, the latency pressing a drumpad can get pretty high even on 32 samples buffer sizes. This issue was present on the Maschine 2 but now also Maschine 3. I repeatedly have to use the SHIFT + CHANNEL shortcut (or click the Maschine icon) during my session to re-initiallize the host in order to get rid of the sometimes 400ms+ latency introduced. Is there any plans to implement Plugin delay compensation in the AU version of the plugin? Or possibly, more relevantly, is there a different workaround that anyone is aware of? The issue does not exist in the VST versions loaded in other DAWs but as Logic is one of the top 4 most popular DAWs it would seem strange that such a large portion of users may have no other option but to continue toggling in and out of midi mode.

https://support.native-instruments.com/hc/en-us/articles/209582629-How-to-Solve-Latency-Issues-with-Maschine-as-AU-plug-in

DiosGnosis

Hello,

Have you tried adjusting any settings in Logic?

Logic Latency Solution

If this doesn't help, there is another solution that I came across that worked for me in the past. I'll need to look for the link though… 😬

DiosGnosis

Found it!

Pretty sure you can set and forget this setting based on your system.

Logic Latency/Buffer

Hopefully one of the two solutions works for you.

Lionzinio

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/189580#Comment_189580

That's a nice tip there @DiosGnosis

itsWHOM

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/189580#Comment_189580

Thank you for the swift reply, and that is a great suggestion. However it did not solve the issue for me. I would like to stress that I have a very capable processor and athe lowest buffer size my software allows. I am running Logic Pro 11.0.1 on a Mac Studio M2 Max chip, using a buffer size of 32 samples, and I have "low latency mode" toggled on. This is happening on the Maschine MK3, but also happens on my Maschine Mikro mk3 (I own both). Once the plug-in is re-initialized, it plays beautifully in sync with no discernible delay, the recording delay settings bear no effect on that, but once a couple minutes pass, after you have viewed some other windows in the software or selected another track, it becomes out of sync again until you press what the manual calls the "connect button" (the icon that looks like a tiny version of the Maschine controller) in the plug-in or press the SHIFT + CHANNEL shortcut.

DiosGnosis

Sorry neither of those helped.

Here is a more in-depth explanation from Sam:

Latency in Logic

Here are the settings I use in Logic. Above/Below:

I had the same issue with pad latency on my Maschine+ & Mikro MK3. These settings resolved my issues on both devices in Logic 11.0.1

For clarity, I only had pad latency on the Maschine+ while using as a controller in Logic, not in standalone mode or in Maschine 2/3 SW as a controller.

I keep things pretty minimal usually as far as plugins are concerned. Perhaps you're getting bogged down there???

Quick Tip from Video: In Logic, you can hover over your plugins for a quick view of the latency in ms. Make sure these stay within your settings range.

itsWHOM

I want to sincerely thank you for taking so much time trying to help. One of the reasons I come here is because so many users genuinely support each other and it's not always a moan fest. Unfortunately, these tips still did not solve my issue. I have tried all of these tips this afternoon, and I even reinstalled Logic just to make sure it wasn't an issue with my installation. As I said, I have been having this issue for YEARS with multiple Maschine units, multiple audio interfaces and multiple Macs, OS versions, and Logic Pro versions. The issue does not exist in other DAWs and NI has released an article about it, which I linked earlier, which is why I know it is a known issue between Logic, the AU version of the plugin, and the Maschine hardware.

For clarity, here is the exact text from the aforementioned article:

================================================================================================

Symptom

When using Maschine as an Audio Unit (AU) plug-in within Logic or Ableton Live, you may notice an exceptionally high latency when you press one of the pads.

Cause

This latency occurs when no MIDI signal has previously been sent to the host sequencer, for example when no MIDI keyboard or similar MIDI device is connected to the computer, and the Maschine controller is the only connected hardware.

Solution

In order to solve this, switch the Maschine Controller to MIDI mode by pressing the following combination of buttons on your device:

• Maschine MK3: SHIFT + CHANNEL button
• Maschine Jam: SHIFT + 'HEADPHONES' button
• Older Maschine devices (e.g. Maschine MK1, MK2): SHIFT + CONTROL

Then, send a MIDI message to the software by hitting a pad. Now you can switch back to normal Maschine mode by pressing the appropriate combination of buttons again.

=======================================================================================================

This proves that it is an issue that NI knows about, but I have no idea if they just don't have control over it or what. For my system, I don't even have to press the pad after toggling MIDI mode, I just quickly tap SHIFT + CHANNEL twice and it solves it until the next time I need to select another track in the project or play the project, but it still brings my flow to a standstill having to do this every time while I am during the sketching stage. I know it may seem like a nitpick, but this has been a huge pain point for me fore 7-8 years now, and if I weren't a finger drummer, I wouldn't even care, but it stops me in my tracks for a few seconds every time, and if I am recording a pattern I always have to start it over to toggle in and out again.

For context, this is my session settings. I have 4.4ms roundtrip which is super fast outputting through my Apollo Twin X, way faster than I even need, but it is nice to have (32 samples is a the lowest it goes, but I am able to run projects without any glitches).

Playing the pads live works flawlessly for a while, but after playback or arming another track, the same latency comes back until I toggle in and out of Midi mode or press the "connect icon" again.

I have even looked into ways to possibly make a s script that automatically presses the Maschine connect button every few seconds, but I have gotten nowhere.

Is anyone from NI able to explain why this issue happens only in Logic and in Maschine, where the aAU versions of Komplete Kontrol MK2 and MK3 have no such latency communicating between the plugin and the hardware?

itsWHOM

UPDATE:

I have finally solved this for me! The only combination that allowed me to not introduce latency was these exact settings:

1. Logic Settings > Audio > General. Software monitoring ENABLED.
2. Logic Settings > Audio > General > Plug-in Latency. Audio and Software Instrument Tracks. (Selecting "All" did not solve the issue for me, it made it worse actually).
3. Logic Settings > Audio > General > Plug-in Latency. Playback pre-roll ENABLED.
4. Keep Maschine track record-enabled OR software instrument track input monitoring enabled (track input monitoring seen in attached photo highlighted in orange). Don't skip this step, because even though Logic will listen for MIDI input from the Maschine controller AND output its audio even when it is not record-enabled, it does not compensate for the latency when it is not

I am an hour into a session and I haven't had the latency introduced again with these settings. Was even able to increase my buffer size to 128 (8.4ms latency for my system) for some processing breathing room with no discernible extra latency.

Low latency mode does not make a difference for me now, but might be necessary with some plug-ins that may introduce more latency. I hope this helps someone else here.