Pre-session checklist
The essentials in 10 seconds
- 5 things to check before every session — 5 minutes max.
- Tick each: Ethernet, audio interface, wired headphones, agent running, laptop on AC power.
- Each unchecked item can double your latency or create crackling.
Where does latency come from?
The total latency you hear is the sum of several sources. Some are fixed (the speed of light in fiber, the distance to the server) — others are avoidable.
Network (distance)
~8 ms
Jamodio SFU
~3 ms
USB audio interface ✓
~4 ms
Wi-Fi ✗
+3–50 ms
Built-in sound card ✗
+50–200 ms
The last two rows are the ones you control. Remove them and you go from a painful experience to a smooth one.
The checklist — tick before you play
0 / 5
Tick each item to get started
🔌 Ethernet cable plugged in
Major impact
Computer → RJ45 cable → router. Wi-Fi disabled if possible. Avoid repeaters, extra switches or Wi-Fi extenders.
🎛️ USB audio interface plugged in
Major impact
Directly into a USB port on the computer, not via a hub. The built-in card adds up to 200 ms — a USB interface drops to 2–6 ms.
🎧 Wired headphones on the audio interface
Major impact
Plugged into the audio interface's headphone output, not the computer. No Bluetooth / AirPods — they add 150 to 300 ms every time.
🤖 Jamodio agent running
Strong impact
The native agent (macOS / Windows) accesses your sound card directly — bypasses the browser and saves an extra 10–30 ms. The green badge in Jamodio confirms it's running.
🔋 Laptop on AC power
Medium impact
On battery, macOS and Windows reduce CPU performance (throttling) to save energy. Plugged into AC = maximum and stable performance.
Bonus: 4 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
Without your audio interface manufacturer's ASIO driver, Windows routes audio via WASAPI Shared (the system sound engine), which imposes a ~10 ms incompressible floor. ASIO completely bypasses this mixer → typical gain of 8-10 ms on round-trip latency. Detailed install procedure →
+
Turn off the VPN
An active VPN wraps every audio packet in an encrypted tunnel and adds 30–100 ms. Turn it off before opening Jamodio.
+
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.
+
Lower the buffer to push further
In your audio interface settings (manufacturer software), try a buffer of 64 samples instead of 128. Extra gain of 2–3 ms. Only try this once everything else is already optimized.
Latency shown in Jamodio.
Once connected in a studio, Jamodio shows the latency in real time on each musician's strip. Aim for under 40 ms for comfortable playing. Under 25 ms, it's almost imperceptible.
To understand what these numbers actually mean (My Studios vs. peer strip, constants vs live measurements, where the 25 ms threshold comes from) → read Understanding the latency numbers.
Once connected in a studio, Jamodio shows the latency in real time on each musician's strip. Aim for under 40 ms for comfortable playing. Under 25 ms, it's almost imperceptible.
To understand what these numbers actually mean (My Studios vs. peer strip, constants vs live measurements, where the 25 ms threshold comes from) → read Understanding the latency numbers.