Setting the audio buffer and output in Loop by Zaweba
Choose your sound output and a buffer from 10 to 200 ms in Loop by Zaweba's Preferences: shorter for playing live, longer to stop dropouts.
Two settings decide how Loop by Zaweba sounds coming out of your computer: which device plays it, and how big a buffer of audio the app prepares ahead of time. Both are in Tools > Preferences (Ctrl+,). Most people set them once and forget them, but when audio crackles or a keyboard feels sluggish, this is where to look.
Choosing the output device
If your computer has more than one way to play sound, such as speakers, headphones, a USB audio interface or a monitor with speakers, choose the one you want Loop to use. Loop plays through Windows' shared-mode audio (WASAPI shared mode), so other programs can play sound at the same time.
What the buffer does
Sound is made in small batches. The buffer is how much audio Loop works out ahead of what you hear, set in milliseconds from 10 to 200, with a default of 30 ms.
A short buffer means less delay between pressing a key and hearing the note, which feels more immediate when you play a MIDI keyboard or your computer keys. The cost is that the computer has less time to keep up, and if it falls behind you hear clicks or dropouts.
A long buffer gives the computer plenty of time, so playback is smooth even in a busy song, but there is more delay between a key press and the sound.
Finding the right setting
Start at the default of 30 ms. Play a busy song and listen for clicks. If it is clean and you want playing to feel snappier, try a shorter buffer. If you hear crackles or gaps, try a longer one. The right setting is the shortest one that plays cleanly on your computer.
You can change it to suit the task. Use a shorter buffer while recording a keyboard part, when quick response matters, and a longer one while mixing a big song with lots of effects, when nothing is being played live.
Rendering tracks in parallel
Preferences also has a setting for rendering tracks in parallel, letting the work of several tracks be shared out across the computer. On a computer with spare processing power, that can help a busy song keep up.
What to expect from shared-mode audio
Shared-mode audio is convenient, but it adds some delay of its own. Loop is fine for arranging and mixing, and live playing may feel slightly delayed even at short buffers. For playing in parts, the count-in and metronome help you play ahead naturally, and anything slightly late can be tidied with quantise in the piano roll afterwards. For audio recordings, the latency compensation setting in recording lines them up with the beat.
When things still sound wrong
If there's no sound at all, check the output device first; it may be pointing at something that isn't connected. If one sound hangs on, Esc stops all sound. If dropouts only happen in one very busy song, a longer buffer for that session is usually enough.
None of these settings affects exported files. Export renders off-line, many times faster than real time, so a WAV or MP3 from Loop by Zaweba is clean however small or large your buffer is.
