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latency

LAY-tun-see /ˈleɪtənsi/

nounC1GREGMAT

technicalprofessional

The delay between the initiation of an audio signal and its reproduction or processing by a digital system.

In digital recording, latency is the frustrating lag time it takes for an analog sound (like singing) to convert to digital, process through a computer, and return to your headphones as analog sound.

The story behind the word. From the Latin word 'latere,' meaning 'to lie hidden.' In audio, latency is the time that 'lies hidden' between the moment you strike a piano key and the moment the computer actually plays the sound.

Word relationships

lag: A more informal, general term for delay, often used in gaming and networking.
propagation delay: A highly technical physics term for the time it takes a wave to travel through a medium.

Commonly confused with

delay: Delay is an intentional creative echo effect, while latency is an unwanted, technical lag caused by digital processing.

Word family

latent (adjective): Existing but not yet active or visible.

Collocations

low latency
audio latency
zero-latency monitoring
buffer latency

Example sentences

"The singer found it impossible to record her vocals because the digital latency caused her to hear her own voice in her headphones a quarter-second after she sang." A review of a new USB microphone.
"Lowering the buffer size in your DAW will reduce latency, but it will put a much heavier load on your computer's CPU." A technical forum discussing computer specs for music production.

Memory hook

Think of a 'late' response—latency makes the sound arrive 'late' to your ears. Latency is the lag that makes sound arrive late.

When not to use

Do not use latency to describe a natural echo in a room; it specifically refers to processing delays in digital hardware or software.

Fun facts

Humans generally cannot perceive audio latency below 5 to 10 milliseconds, but anything over 15 milliseconds will make a musician feel like they are playing in slow motion.