Basics - Hybrid Audio Engine
In the Audio Engine, the core of every DAW, mixes the audio data that is present at the inputs and played back from the hard disk, calculates the effects that go with it, and outputs the result via the outputs. The processing takes place block by block: The data is read in small portions into a memory area (buffer), calculations are performed with the data of the buffer and transferred to other buffers, which are then provided to the sound card for output. While one buffer is being filled with new input data, another buffer is being summed with another, effects calculations are taking place on yet another buffer, another buffer is being copied to an output buffer, another output buffer is being read by the sound card for playback. These read, write and compute processes must be synchronized, because if one sub-function cannot provide its results to the next in time, there will be dropouts in recording or playback. In this context, the size of the buffers has a significant influence on the behavior of the audio engine: Large buffers are less sensitive to short load peaks in the system, because the copy operations between the buffers occur less frequently and the parts of the processing chain have more time to catch up with the delays they create. The disadvantage of large buffers is that the engine can respond to changes in parameters by the user (e.g. the volume on a mixer channel or an effect parameter) with a greater delay (latency), since these changes can only take effect with the next buffer.
Samplitude uses the Hybrid Audio Engine by default. This engine combines two different engines with each other (hence "hybrid"): For real-time functions like monitoring, i.e. the immediate playback of the received audio signal with effects
The Hybrid Engine thus enables a combination of Low Latency Engine and Economy Engine for track and effect calculation.