PreSonus Forums

It is very important to always describe the following when describing monitoring questions of issues:
Options
1) ZLM State
2) Tape Style State
3) Monitor State

Scenarios
1) In the Box Non ZLM Monitoring / Soft Instrument
2) In the Box ZLM Monitoring / Real Instrument
3) Out of Box Monitoring / Real Instrument

Behaviors:
1) Record Meters
2) Live Audio Monitoring
3) Existing track Audio Monitoring

Thanks
------------------------------------
Updated with 3.3.1 procedures and pictures.
This is just a few pages from the Zero latency Handbook (See PDF attached in this post).
Please see the 8 page PDF attached below if you want to learn the how to use it or how it works..

How do you know if you have Zero Monitoring Capabilities
1) You will see a “Z” underneath the hardware interface icon on the start page.



2) You will see the Z icon in your Audio Channels (if Cue mix is set on the main out), and in any Cue mix (if cue is set for your non main outs)



Create cue mixes for monitoring any "Z" mix.

5.10.1 Creating a Cue Mix Output

In Studio One, it is possible to quickly and easily create multiple cue mixes. A cue mix is separate from the main mix and is usually provided to musicians for monitoring purposes during recording.

For instance, when recording vocals, the engineer and vocalist will probably want to hear
different mixes. Most vocalists want to hear more of their vocals in the mix, possibly with some
reverb to make it sound natural, while the engineer might focus on how the performance
balances with the rest of the mix.

The first step in building a cue mix is to create another Output Channel. To do this, open the
Song/Song Setup/Audio I/O Setup menu in a Song, switch to the Outputs tab, and add a new
Stereo Output channel. Next, specify that this output is a cue-mix output by clicking on the
channel’s Cue Mix checkbox. You can create as many cue mixes as your audio interface has
available stereo outputs.

Enable Z
Click the "Z" On, either on the channel for main outputs or on the cue mix. You will hear the "Z" latency in your corresponding output when you do this.



"Z" Monitoring
The procedure is for recording or auto punch in recording mode:
1. Record-enable AND Monitor-enable the new track(s).
2. Verify the "Z" is set for you monitoring cue.
3. You will hear the source at a "Z" latency level. (You are hearing the monitoring from the hardware)
4. Record the track listening to the "Z" cue mix.
5. To hear the recorded track turn off "Z" or the Monitor button.


"Z" Monitoring with (Tape Style)
If you are using the Tape Style monitoring, use this procedure:
1. Turn Tape Style monitoring on in the Options/Advance/Console
2. Record-enable the new track (Disable the Monitor button if you want to use auto punch in)
3. Verify the "Z" is set for you monitoring cue.
4. Record the track listening to the "Z" cue mix.
5. In Tape Style, because the Monitor button is off you will hear the recorded track on playback.



The PDF Handbook has more includes more details like Tape Style Monitoring vs. Non Tape Style Monitoring, Monitoring with Effects (optional),Signal Flow Reference, How The Delays are Handled by Studio One, Technical References. Be sure to check it out if you need more information.
Monitoring Table

Thanks a lot for posting this. I have such a hard time wrapping my head around this topic.

I use a SL 16.4.2 as my recording interface with Studio One 2. Shouldn't I be able to see the "Z" switch on the cue mix block on the track fader? I only get a activation switch and the lock switch on the cue mix block in the track.

Any info that you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for the post.

Can anyone tell me if there are Zero latency options for Core audio in OS X? I was at a friend's studio yesterday and he runs a RME HDSP Interface on PC, and has the Z appear in the Studio One mixer. I run on OS X, using a Metric Halo ULN-2 - this has onboard DSP and therefore should be perfectly capable of running with the zero latency monitoring in S1 - of course I can and do use the DSP for running the Mio Mixer, which allows me zero latency monitoring, but this happens outside of S1 and therefore is another layer to work with. The thought that I could control the monitoring within the S1 mixer would be fabulous! Any thoughts or answers please?

Simon

No, zero latency monitoring in Studio One with a third party audio interface is only possible in Windows.

I have a Mackie Onyx Blackbird interface running under Windows and have been pleasantly surprised since Day One that I seem to have "zero" (or something so small it may as well be zero) latency whether I record audio, virtual instruments, or external instrument (a.k.a. hardware synths) tracks. There is no lag heard when recording and everything lines up fine. When I first assembled my system I was expecting to have to fight latency but have never had to.

I have my buffer set low, but not incredibly low (128; have not touched it in six months and everything's honky-dory).

However, there is no Z appearing in the mixer on any tracks.

I'm not sure what my point is, other than to say you can have a fabulous user experience with or without the Z ... probably depending on your interface and how tuned your overall system is.

Or on how awesome you are.

OMG, I have been wondering what that Z was all about - thank you!

Hi there and thanks for the info.

I have a problem with Zero Latency in Studio One / Firestudio Project.

When I enable Zero Latency to monitor a track I can no longer hear pre-recorded audio (it's like muting the track and hearing only live input) so punching in becomes difficult of impossible as previously recorded audio can't be heard.

I hope someone can help.

rokko101 wroteHi there and thanks for the info.

I have a problem with Zero Latency in Studio One / Firestudio Project.

When I enable Zero Latency to monitor a track I can no longer hear pre-recorded audio (it's like muting the track and hearing only live input) so punching in becomes difficult of impossible as previously recorded audio can't be heard.

I hope someone can help.

There could be many differences on how you set up your outputs.
Can you attach a few pictures to explain your set up in more detail?

Remember Z monitoring only occurs on outputs that you have specified as Cue type outputs.

Hi.

My actual setup is pretty simple. FSP / Studio One.

1.- Try recording a track with ZL enable (Routed to a CUE enable output). Everything works. No Latency and audio is recorded properly.
2.- Now try to hear what you've recorded without disabling monitoring. You'll hear nothing. The armed track is unable to blend direct input and playback. (Unless you disable monitoring or disable ZL for the used track).

There maybe some workarounds but i'd appreciate if Presonus includes the option "Not to mute playback when monitoring" also for ZL enabled tracks.

Got to run so no time for more details but do you by chance have Audio Track monitoring mutes playback ( tape style ) set in your advance preferences?

"Audio Track monitoring mutes playback (tape style) " can be disabled only if Zero Latency is off.
Once working on a ZL enabled track it won't follow this behavior and it's stuck muting playback.
I've contacted Presonus so they can check if it's a bug (or bizarre feature).
--
The need to enable, disable monitoring all the time to hear playback or live signal (blending both is what is expected) is a no go in my handbook.

Studio One is a great piece of software and I'm really in love with it, make no mistake. Maybe this is the only odd behavior i've encountered.

rokko101 wrote"Audio Track monitoring mutes playback (tape style) " can be disabled only if Zero Latency is off.
Once working on a ZL enabled track it won't follow this behavior and it's stuck muting playback.
I've contacted Presonus so they can check if it's a bug (or bizarre feature).
--
The need to enable, disable monitoring all the time to hear playback or live signal (blending both is what is expected) is a no go in my handbook.

Studio One is a great piece of software and I'm really in love with it, make no mistake. Maybe this is the only odd behavior i've encountered.

Ok you're saying if you switch the tape style button and zero latency button in the right order it will work? I'm struggling with this with an 1818vsl, last night I swear it worked properly for a min, but then went to punch in a guitar and could not get zl monitoring to work without muting playback of the track I wanted to punch on. Like I said it worked for a minute, then I clicked around the monitoring buttons just trying to figure the settings out and couldn't get it back. Got frustrated and quit the session.

Zero Latency monitoring will mute playback no matter whether you uncheck the option not to do so. Which sounds like a bug.

I've reported it to Presonus. Let's hope they'll sort it in a future release.

Page 5 of the hand book tells you to create a Cue Bus. Then Monitoring will work on play and record.

If you create 2 Cue mixes for the same output you'll hear 1) the direct Zero Latency signal and 2) a delayed copy (according to buffer size) at the same time. This is plain wrong and unusable even if this allows to hear playback (attenuated by a few dBs for some reason).

So i'm afraid to say this is not a solution at all and still consider this is a bug that needs to be addressed by Presonus in a future release.

thnx for the info. just got me a new interface and it is the only one that has the "Z" and i was wondering since i had not seen it before. cheers

Version 3.0.1 Version of the Zero Latency Handbook.
- All revalidated
- Added Tape Style monitoring procedure and comparison table
- Rearranges to get the the "how to" quicker and less theory
- Graphics updated to 3.0.1 and Flow diagram simplified

Thank you for this!

I wish we were able to use Zero latency with 3rd party converters. The apogee maestro is very bare bones. Embarrassing for 2016