Audio latency is the scourge of the recording world. Wherever there is computer-based recording, you’ll hear talk of it. If you’re new to recording and music tech, you might well wonder what it is, and why it’s such a problem. Put simply, audio latency is a delay or lag affecting digital audio playback. The most commonly noticed occurrence of this problem is when using music software on a PC with the standard, installed soundcard.
Audio latency is caused by delays processing the audio data as it travels from the outside world (or from the triggered note on a keyboard), to the computer’s processor and back out again. The most common, and usually easiest fix, however, is to use an audio interface that is designed specifically for use with audio recording applications.