Pinky, hoping you can answer this one, I solved it years ago and now I can't remember what I did!

So there's a slight delay when recording vocals/line in on Windows 7. Many suggest that it's simply the "Listen to this device" option, but it's not.

From memory it's not a driver problem either, nor does installing ASIO4ALL help.

Sound Blaster X-Fi
Windows 7
Cool Edit Pro 2

Anyone resolved this? Teh Googles do nah-thing!

Hey, thanks for the response! Figured you'd know what you're talking about based on a previous thread.

The mic is an AT2020, phantom powered mic, using headphones and mic all through the sound card.

I tried using the web cam mic and it had the same problem though, so I'm sure it's something to do with Windows 7. Really wish I could remember what I did to fix it last time ... will get back to you once I figure it out.

Really not a desirable solution, Whoop, thanks all the same though!

It should just function as it was previously.

Well, I've spent about 15 hours over 3 days working on this problem, still no fix.

Time to install XP again. Great upgrade to your OS, Microsoft! *fp*

AT2020 microphone plugged into Mic Amp plugged into Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio.

Headphones plugged into same sound card.

Also tested webcam mic (usb), it also records with latency (same problem).

I tried on board ... there's a feature in Realtek for no latency, but that sounds a bit off time too, no where near as bad (only records one channel, not so good).

Really wish I could remember what I did in the last installation. I checked one of my old tracks, it was recorded in 2010 so it was definitely in Windows 7, and it's perfectly on time. I recall having the problem to begin with, and then fixing it, just not how I fixed it.

After going through about 9 pages of Google, reading countless forum posts, I am losing hope!

Where do the fat beats come from? Generated on the computer, or input from an external device to the line in port?

You've not really said much about what you HAVE tried, are there no settings at all within cool edit pro that allow you to adjust delays? Like in virtualdub there's an audio delay option, is there nothing similar for cool edit for mic input delay?

I found this, which suggests there might be click

out of curiosity, if you turn on the ability to hear what your mic hears (in windows), when you tap the mic, is there a delay between what it hears and when you hear it in your headphones? I just tried with my mic and when I tap the end of it, it seems to play pretty much immediately without delay, unlike others who seem to have a delay between when they tap it and when they hear the sound (I too googled your issue). Also when I speak into it I can hear myself without any delay.

whats running the phantom power?

I'm out of ideas.

Just FYI I have a cheapie USB condenser mic and last night I recorded an awful cover, then sang over the top of said awful cover (making it twice as awful) in Windows 7. No delay (despite playing out through the soundcard and recording on the USB mic soundcard). I used Audacity, not that it should really matter.

http://qgl.org/blamegen

Update: Installed Windows 7 on another hard drive and now the delay appears to be gone. Could it be that the first HDD was having issues and causing the hiccup in the audio?

Now there's another problem ... as the track goes on, it goes more and more off time. Haven't researched that one yet, might be software!

Yeah considering it ... it's a hobby, but it's a fun one, worth the spend at some point.

his post under yours (3rd post in the thread) suggests yes.

The mic is an AT2020, phantom powered mic, using headphones and mic all through the sound card.

Yep, very strange. No idea what's going on there. It's strange enough that a reformat fixed your original problem.

I've just run some more tests, some interesting results:

1. There's a 0.05 second delay between using wireless USB headphones and headphones plugged into the sound card (the wireless USB headphones get the signal faster than the sound card)
2. The Sennheiser Wireless RS170 headphones add 0.118 delay on top of what the Wireless USB headphones can get
3. Even using the USB headphones there's still a 0.04 second delay, most likely from the sound card's ability to record
4. There's a 0.01 delay on the wireless headset mic as opposed to using the sound card mic, which means it's 0.05 out of sync rather than just the 0.04

That's in Windows 7, will have to repeat the tests in Windows XP a bit later.

So far it appears mainly the equipment's fault, the biggest delay was coming from the Sennheiser RS 170 headphones (my previous wireless headset had no such issue), with the other delay coming from the sound card. In theory if I bought a new sound card and didn't use these Sennheiser wireless headphones, I might be able to eliminate most, if not all of the delay.

3. Buy a USB mixer. Even a cheap one like Peavey PV6 or something. It's essentially an external soundcard. One bonus with that option is you get a mic pre-amp included. Depending on the mixer you might get reverb/delay and some other basic effects too.

Ok here's something strange, I just tidied up my desk and so plugged the mic into the rear mic port and now I have a delay between when I talk and when I hear it in my headphones. If I plugged it into the front port on the case, there is no delay. Do you have a 2nd audio port you can try zakson?