Fix Latency in Ableton For GOOD 🎧🔥

How to fix latency in Ableton 12. If your mic sound delayed, late, or when you record vocals in Ableton, try my top 3 fixes for Mic Latency for 2025. These tip & tricks are divided into Basic, Advanced, and Expensive Professional solutions for audio latency in Ableton 12. This tutorial uses the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen, and Universal Audio Apollo X Twin 2nd Gen Audio Interfaces to demonstrate direct monitoring and adding FX to your headphone mix.

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0:00 - Intro
0:42 - Basic Latency Fix
3:11 - Advanced Latency Fix
6:07 - Expensive Latency Fix
8:08 - Outro

[SeedtoStage]

Check it out, you can go to options, then select “reduced latency when monitoring” THEN set the audio output of the track you’re recording into to ext 1/2 or whatever your headphones or speakers are. This will bypass the audio stream and any latency on your master track or your project. When you’ve finished recording, simply change the track output back to “main” or “master”. Latency no more 🎉

[Sylendanna]

The biggest problem for me is I make these big Productions and then proceed to add layers and layers of vocals in the same project, even though I have a really fast performing computer is just always that latency that's really rough so I'd always recommend people having a vocals project file where it's just one audio file of the instrumental so you can record with ease every time! Great video as always my man!

[Bionicle.DefenderBOSS]

that wet reverb track monitoring + direct montiorying from interface is an insane hack! ive never thought about that, thats very usefull! gonna use that

[iamkarramusic]

Latency will always be my biggest opp 🙅🏻‍♀️🚫🚫🚫

[eqt.studios]

too great Reid. I love everything about your tutorials... so they just feel great!

[DadRockAndGuitars]

I'm not an Ableton user, but Studio One has a low latency monitoring option that works really well and makes it possible to monitor with effects - similar to the Apollo interface. I've used option 2 for years and it works great as well. Good clear explanation and examples of the 3 different options 👍

[thonykx]

that is real good solucion even for live situations! thank you!

[Beatsbyend]

You have no idea how timely this video is. Huge thanks

[Syntiont]

The greatest thing about the studiolive series iii mixers is the outside dsp. 1176 compression, revers and delay sends for monitoring. Record dry but monitoring a nice wet signal helps

[mcmc]

Second 'advanced' workflow, great idea! Can't wait to try it. Thanks Reid, still the coolest puppet in the game.

[dkingone]

The advanced steps here saved me hours. Thank you so much! Direct Monitoring can be a pain.

[tommorton]

My version of your freeze all tracks is to export the instrumental as a wav file and have that in a separate session where I record all the vocals. When I’m done, Ableton makes it easy to pull those tracks back into the main session leaving vocal guides or failed experiment tracks behind. I do this for instrument recording as well when swapping out a midi instrument for the real thing.

[danydark]

Можно просто записывать сразу на 2 дорожки, первую с эффектами и мониторить её, вторую-без эффектов и мониторинга, после записи - перетягиваем аудио с дорожки без эффектов на дорожку с эффектами

[minervaqqq]

another option i think works well is monitoring through something like superrack performer if you don't have an interface with dsp. you can load in any plugin as long as its vst3 and get something good enough to track with while input monitoring is set to off in ableton and still have all your effects on when you press play. i've used it for a few months now and it's one of the best investments i've made software wise.

[rikn]

Best video on this topics !!! Thank you so much !!!

[MiMicTower]

Hey Reid Stefan, I left this question on SeedtoStage's video on latency but never got an answer. So here is the question for you, BUT I believe I found the answer thanks to a max for live plugin someone made. end of the day I just want Ableton users to be aware of this so we can grow and not be restricted from the Ableton restrictions. And if this plugin can be expanded upon from the user who made it in max, then more solutions can come to life. Here is the question first below that I sent for his video on ableton latency.
Here's is a question because I've worked live events with many audio boards so I'm hoping this puts my question into perspective to figuring this out. Ableton has send/return tracks. It makes sense to send a vocal to a send (a mix bus) and then route the out into a stereo input(Yamaha, x32's, digicos all have this option). What happens is even with no effect plugin is on the return track and disabling the sends on the audio return track (the track that receives from the "audio to" in the return track) or just straight sending to the main with the original audio track there is a big amount of delay. I see that the Ableton, "external audio effect" could solve this, but if the return tracks are in the software and you can't get this in time from them. Why use them? If you have any experience with this that would be appreciated. If I need to explain more id be happy to since plenty of daws work like mixer boards and I'd like to find a solution for this.

so this was the question. Here was the solution I found from "cycling74" on the max for live site. He made the "Audio Routes 1.5.1" which has the "audio receiver". when placed on a open audio track it can receiver audio from an existing audio track (aka it becomes a return track). with close to no latency (did a phase flip against the original track and is pretty close)! And multiple tracks (having multiple audio receiver's on the one track) can get sent to this return track. I've sent 4 to 5 tracks to this return track for parallel compression and 3 to a reverb for drums. This is what should happen for return tracks but the "default" ones only do 12 in total. nail the mix which i was trying to learn from, shows many that you will need more than 12 return tracks. Now I have noticed a problem with this plugin. it goes pre-fadder only and still sends signal even if the track is off. Hopefully, if the creator could. He could make it so you can use volume amounts on it (-inf to 0db), change sendings between post and prefader, AND allow audio to pass on or off if the track is on or off. I think this will improve the plugin greatly! but that's if the author wants to update it which I think putting this out there can solve.
here is the link to the plugin on max for live.

I think if you make a video on this and then many max users (not me, unfortunately) or the one who made this can finally make the best solution for this. I don't care for recognition, I care for the investment I made years back when I bought Ableton. Because if there's only 12 sends and returns that don't work as they should. I really was going to buy protools. But if this can fix this, I'm sure many won't have to re-invest their cash.

[arapocket]

i love this puppet with all of my heart

[Thereisonlyone]

Can you do a tutorial on using Ableton with the apolo twin for a live stream using auto tune for vocals? Learning so much from you ❤

[schackal]

Very cool Video. Had a lot of trouble with latency issues.

[fritsvanzanten]

Coincidentally I had to fix latency on a guitar track this afternoon. I guess it doesn't matter, guitar or vocals? Great video.