Monitoring Modes

  • No audio monitoring (peak meter only): Display of input levels, but no monitoring. This monitoring setting is only useful if you use an external mixer for audio monitoring.

    Input signals sent to tracks and VST instruments played via MIDI input cannot be monitored. Objects of the tracks, VSTi controlled via MIDI objects, busses and masters are played back via VIP object buffers with higher latency.

  • Hardware Monitoring: Audio monitoring through the sound card. This is the only possible monitoring type with MME drivers. Some sound cards also offer hardware monitoring under ASIO and can then directly process functions like mute/solo, volume and pan. You cannot apply effects to the input signal.

    Input signals applied to tracks cannot be monitored via Samplitude, but only directly via the sound card if it offers the corresponding function.VST instruments played via MIDI input can be monitored with low latency. Objects of the tracks, VSTi controlled via MIDI objects, busses and masters are played back via VIP object buffers with higher latency.

  • Software Monitoring/Economy Engine: (only with ASIO drivers) Audio monitoring while taking the set levels of the recording tracks into account and when recording software instruments. No effects are applied to input signals.

    Input signals applied to tracks and VST instruments played via MIDI input can be monitored with low latency. Objects of the tracks, VSTi controlled via MIDI objects, busses and masters are played back via VIP object buffers with higher latency.

  • Track FX Monitoring: (only with ASIO drivers) Audio monitoring including the track effects of the recording tracks. However, no bus or master effects are included.

    Input signals applied to tracks and VST instruments played via MIDI input can be monitored with effects in low latency. Objects of the tracks, VSTi controlled via MIDI objects, busses and masters are played back via VIP object buffers with higher latency.

  • Hardware monitoring/Hybrid Engine: In this case, the complete mixer works in low latency mode. This keeps playback latency to a minimum. The input signals are monitored via the sound card in use.

    Input signals applied to tracks cannot be monitored via Samplitude, but only directly via the sound card if it offers the corresponding function. Busses and masters and VSTi played via MIDI input or controlled via MIDI objects can be monitored with low latency using effects. Objects of the tracks are played back via VIP object buffers with higher latency.

  • Mixer FX Monitoring/Hybrid Engine: The Hybrid Audio Engine allows audio monitoring through the entire mixer, while also calculating track playback in the mixer with short latency.

    Input signals of tracks and the output of busses and masters and VSTi played via MIDI Input and controlled via MIDI objects can be monitored with effects at low latency. Objects of the tracks are played back via VIP object buffers with higher latency.

Playback with higher latency does not mean that there will be delays between the tracks, because the latencies are known in the program and are automatically compensated, so internally the playback starts earlier by the corresponding time offset. This also allows the use of effects that add latency independently of the engine latency (e.g. dynamic effects with preview or FFT-based effects).

The following applies to all monitoring modes: The effects of the recorded track are not recorded. However, depending on the monitoring mode used, you will hear the recorded signal with effects during recording and playback.

If the CPU load on your system becomes too high in Mixer FX Monitoring / Hybrid Engine mode, select a monitoring/engine mode that best suits your needs while not overloading your system.

If, for example, you want to do without effects monitoring for input signals on principle and completely, software Monitoring / Economy Engine could be the right monitoring mode for you.

If you cannot do without monitoring track effects of the incoming input signals, but can do without bus or master effects in the monitor path, then we recommend the monitoring mode Track FX Monitoring.

If you monitor the track inputs via your sound card, choose between the monitoring modes Hardware Monitoring or Hardware Monitoring / Hybrid Engine, depending on the performance of your system.

Note: If you use "TotalMix" from RME in combination with a hardware monitoring mode, then set the panning law in "TotalMix" to -6dB. This ensures that the recording levels in Samplitude correspond to the monitoring levels in "TotalMix".