FM3 DI Recording critical bug (recorded sound has offset when placed on track in DAW)

M

Mr.Stratocaster

Inspired
I've started recording sessions with my new FM3 whese days.

FM3 is connected to PC via USB. I monitor my guitar sound and click (coming from DAW) via FM3's headphones out. So, setup is pretty simple.

What I've noticed is that all my playing I recorded looked like I was playing late to click...always. I mean visual appeareance of DI track in DAW - all notes are late compared to beat lines.

Just to be sure it's not me - I did a little trick. I've connected FM3 headphones out to FM3 guitar input and recorded click sound of my DAW as it would be DI from guitar.

Results were interesting - all recorded clicks were placed late to beat lines in DAW, you can see it on screenshot 1 below.

To double check it, I did the same trick with my HX Stomp. All recorded clicks were placed ideally aligned to beat lines in DAW, you can see it on screenshot 2.

So, Fractal, please correct this in future firmware. I really like FM3, but I can't use it for recording because of this flaw :(

I hope you will pay attention to my thread. This problem is not easy to detect, so I don't expect many similar complaints.

Just few more info to avoid trivial questions:
  • Windows 10 on my PC
  • DAW is Reaper 6
  • All latest FM3 drivers and firmware are installed
  • I tried all settings on FM3 control panel (buffer size, Safe Mode checkbox etc) without any positive effect on problem
  • I tried to re-install FM3 drivers (still, problem is there)
  • I tried different USB ports (still, problem is there)
 

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what firmware version do you have on your FM3? a few customers have reported something similar, but i believe it was fixed in 1.06 release.
 
It's pretty easy to manually fix what you've already recorded...just slide that track a little and line it up. Not the most elegant solution but it doesn't prevent you from recording with USB. Figure out how far it's off and adjust the offset in your DAW for future recording.
 
LizzyD said:
It's pretty easy to manually fix what you've already recorded...just slide that track a little and line it up. Not the most elegant solution but it doesn't prevent you from recording with USB. Figure out how far it's off and adjust the offset in your DAW for future recording.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but those kind of solutions are more like a pair of crutches, sorry. Fractal-level quality device should work without such kind of problems, that's why I created this thread - to report the problem.

Problem should get it's fix.
 
Mr.Stratocaster said:
Yes, I understand. But why HX Stomp works just fine without any additional settings to latency... and FM3 did not. I always thought that latency compensation is something that should work on-the-fly.
Click to expand...

Latency compensation does work on the fly, if you set it up correctly In your DAW.
 
Yikes, is this normal? Like, every unit? I never needed any kind of offsets while recording with external euqipment ...
 
I've always had latency with every audio interface I've had including the FM3. Just the nature of recording digitally. Computer takes time to process the signal.

Try lowering the buffer size? That could help with the input latency. I believe the speed of your CPU/RAM also effects latency (correct me if I'm wrong).

I agree with the Fractal Moderator. Adjust your latency compensation. That's either in your DAWs settings or on the specific track.
 
yek said:
Latency compensation does work on the fly, if you set it up correctly In your DAW.
Click to expand...

I think by “on the fly” he means automatic. If so, he’s right, it should compensate automatically. For some reason the DAW isn’t getting the correct latency value from the FM3 to use for proper compensation. I’ve always had this problem with Fractal devices. I have no idea where the fault lies, but most DAWs have a correction value you can enter manually when this happens. You measure the amount the audio is off, then set the correction value once and then it should work fine, as long as you don’t change your audio buffer size.
 
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Compensation can’t happen automatically if the device doesn’t know if / how long the latency is. That’s why there are parameters in the DAW.
 
That manual correction value is intended to be used only when there is a problem with the reported latency from the device/driver. That’s why people mentioned above they don’t need to do that correction with other devices. Maybe it’s related to class compliance, I don’t know. In any case, I measured it once for my AxeFX III and use that value and I haven’t had a problem since.
 
yek said:
Compensation can’t happen automatically if the device doesn’t know if / how long the latency is. That’s why there are parameters in the DAW.
Click to expand...

Yes, so it looks like problem is in FM3 driver. DAW gets info for latency compensation from device driver. In this case, this info is incorrect.

I never had this kind of issue with AXE FX 2, HX Stomp or any of my other USB sound cards.
 
I have exactly the same problem with 1.06 and Mac Os Mojave. And a delay time that the record lags behind the metronome does not depend on a size of the buffer. I don't have this problem with Eleven Rack. Everything is accurate in time at any buffer size. I use Eleven Rack hardware monitoring of course.
 
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Logic Pro X like many other DAW automatic compensate delay provided by buffer size, so you should not normally need to compensate it manually. So this is a problem with FM3 audio driver.
 
My FM3 finally arrived and I have encountered this problem straight away. I've heard about this bug and thought it was fixed in latest firmware? Never had this problem with my Axe-FX2 Mark II or XL+ units, with Line6 units, never had this problem with any other interface I've tried - Motu, RME stuff, cheap Focusrite etc.
 
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