Questions & Answers

BUG FIX: Fix Record Offset when changing Buffer Size

+7 votes
2,034 views
asked Apr 7, 2023 in Hardware Integration / Remote Control by krsgzwwk (710 points)
edited Apr 11, 2023 by krsgzwwk
So lately I found out that Studio One fails to automatically adjust the record offset.
I had a big and intense discussion with an artist that claimed his vocal was not on time, I then researched and found Studio One offers to set the Record Offset manually within the settings.
I did a click track test and found out I need 256 sample offset to fix the timing issue.
Already interesting why this is needed when Pro Tools does not even offer such a option and fixes this offset by itself.
I then did a couple of tracks with that artist, all fine, I could have lived with it like that.

However yesterday I found that the sample offset was suddenly different, when in fact nothing has changed on the setup.
The artist claimed that the vocal was not right again and I couldn't believe it.
I then tested again, and to my suprising the offset is now 250 samples?!

The artist now refuses to work with Studio One ever again, as it seems unprofessional and not reliable, I can't test the offset ever time I open a new session. And it's a huge dissapointing to record vocal takes where I can't even be sure it's on time, and when listening back to it, it sounds off. This interrupts and destroys the whole workflow that I enjoyed in Studio One over Pro Tools.

You really need to fix this automatically, like I said, ProTools does not even offer this offset and works right out of the box.

I've already seen people talking about, if one would even catch that offset by ear, even when it's just a few samples, but especially in high pace rap music, you can point it out.

My setup is this:
-Win 10 Workstation
-Studio One 5 Artist
-Apollo Twin X Thunderbolt
-MSI Thunderbolt M3 Addon Card

I could have come to an easy conclusion and just blame it on the Thunderbolt connection, however, as I said, ProTools does this fatastic and without needing any user input.

2 Answers

0 votes
answered Apr 10, 2023 by krsgzwwk (710 points)
selected Apr 11, 2023 by krsgzwwk
 
Best answer
I actually found out it had to do with a bug which shifts the offset when choosing a different buffer size.
For anyone having a similar problem, choose a different asio driver (e.g. FL Studio Asio), pick the prefered buffer size and go back to your main interface driver, Studio One will then apply the same buffersize to it and fix the record offset by itself.
If you just apply a different buffersize and go and record, it will result in an offset, for me about 9 samples.
0 votes
answered Apr 10, 2023 by krsgzwwk (710 points)

To further explain this, here is a visual representation of what’s happening with waveforms.


1 Waveform: Click Track to be recorded

2 ProTools Recording

3 FL Studio Recording (horrible)

4 Studio One Recording (earlier than protools, sounds off)

5 Corrected Studio One Recording (250 sample offset)

So why do I have to set this manually when it is possible to have it done right like protools.

Also I found out the sample offset changed yet again when using MacOs, now I got 248 sample offset to get the result like ProTools.

...