Latency checklist
The essentials in 10 seconds
- 5 things to check before every session — 5 minutes max.
- Tick each: Ethernet, audio interface, wired headphones, Audio Engine running, laptop on AC power.
- Each unchecked item shows in your latency bubble: a growing buffer, hardware not counted, an overloaded computer.
Where does latency come from?
In the studio, each musician's bubble breaks what you hear down into three measured lines, plus what is not counted:
- Network — the trip of the sound between you, measured continuously. It depends on distance: it is not fixed, it is known.
- Buffer — the anti-dropout cushion, adjusted automatically. Small on a regular network (Ethernet), it grows as soon as sound arrives in bursts (Wi-Fi, VPN). This is the item you control the most.
- Audio — the encoding and the audio blocks of both sound cards. Stable from one session to the next.
- Hardware not counted — what the drivers declare without proof: built-in sound card, Bluetooth headphones, plugin. Not in the figure, but very much in your ears. An external audio interface and wired headphones make it disappear.
Everything is explained line by line in Reading your latency bubble. The checklist below takes care of what you control.
The checklist — tick before you play
0 / 5
Tick each item to get started
Computer → RJ45 cable → router. Wi-Fi disabled if possible. Avoid repeaters, extra switches or Wi-Fi extenders. Ethernet vs Wi-Fi →
Directly into a USB port on the computer, not via a hub. The built-in card, the bubble cannot even count it (“Hardware not counted”); a USB interface, on the other hand, is measured. Why an audio interface →
Plugged into the audio interface's headphone output, not the computer. No Bluetooth / AirPods — they add 150 to 300 ms every time. Wired headphones required →
It carries all the sound: without it, the studio door does not open. Launch it before entering, interface plugged in; the badge at the top right of the app confirms it is running. Install the Audio Engine →
On battery, macOS and Windows reduce CPU performance (throttling) to save energy. Plugged into AC = maximum and stable performance.
Bonus: 3 more items
If after all that you still have problems, here are the next things to try:
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On Windows: ASIO driver installed
On Windows, Jamodio only accepts your interface's ASIO driver: without it, entry is refused (“WASAPI driver — not accepted”). Detailed install procedure →
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Turn off the VPN
An active VPN sends every audio packet on a detour: a longer, irregular trip. Turn it off before opening Jamodio.
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Close heavy apps
Browser with 40 tabs, Discord with screen sharing, Dropbox syncing, Time Machine running — each consumes CPU and/or network. Close what isn't needed.
Latency, in Jamodio, is something you read.
Once in a studio, each musician's strip carries a button: bars and a figure. Hover it: the bubble says how much, where it comes from, whether the link is stable, and who should act. No threshold to aim for: a figure and a verdict.
To read every line (Network, Buffer, Audio, Hardware not counted, Avoidable) → Reading your latency bubble.
Once in a studio, each musician's strip carries a button: bars and a figure. Hover it: the bubble says how much, where it comes from, whether the link is stable, and who should act. No threshold to aim for: a figure and a verdict.
To read every line (Network, Buffer, Audio, Hardware not counted, Avoidable) → Reading your latency bubble.
If it does not work
- Everything is ticked and the bubble still says “irregular”: look at which stage carries the alert. If it is the other musician's network or computer, it is not at your end: send them this checklist.
- “Your computer is overloaded”: close heavy applications, lighten your plugins, plug in the power. The bubble updates within seconds.
- The figure is high but stable: that is the distance between you; there is nothing more to tick.
- An “Avoidable” line appears in your bubble: it tells you what to unplug (plugin, Bluetooth output). Do it, then look at the figure.
Still stuck? Write to support@jamodio.com with a screenshot of the bubble: we reply within 24 hours.