Holy mother of... PDC

Question

ok i just cant get my head round this pdc [plugin delay compensation] thing.
as a test i loaded up an exs24 instrument [mono] with a 4 bar tambourine sample. bounced in real time to audio. duplicated to another track with a gain plugin on and when i hit the phase reverse button it doesn't cancel out? this is with pdc set to audio tracks and instruments..? [logic 7.2.2 & 7.2.3]
can anyone help me get the basic understanding of this down? i mean the manual didn't make any sense to me... i need a real idiots explanation of what this is doing and how to test it is actually doing it.
thanks for your time,
mark

Answer 1

sorry, i couldn't get back earlier: i was delayed with no compensation.
"does the sample buffer delay affect it just because it adds even more delay to the audio playing through logic?" no, they are separate issues.
"does the pdc affect virtual instruments or just plugins on virtual instrument tracks?" just the plug ins. however, with some sample libs and romplers there is dead air at the start of some of the individual samples. this can make it feel sloppy/latent. i generally won't buy any products that can't be used in the exs24 because of this. at least i can edit the individual start times of every sample clip within a given patch this way.
i have just completed an orchestral project where a great deal of re-anchoring was done. it works, and for once i've actually got the orchestra to "rock" properly.
i think where i have been going wrong is there is an adaptive limiter on the main outputs in my autoload [bypassed... but i found out that doesn't help]. i am using h/w monitoring [motu cuemix] and pdc is always left on 'audio tracks and instruments' [i never touch it as i'm afraid it will mess with the audio so bad that i can't correct it] but i think where i have been playing along to the delayed track through the limiter playing it back sounds out of time? does this make any sense? god i am so confused...!
you and me, both!! yes the ad limiter will scr*w up your timing - bypassed or not.
to reduce/minimize latency(using software monitoring):
use the lowest buffer setting that works.
have no plugs being used on said trk or the output bus.
use a separate midi i/o box to the one in the motu, and give it a dedicated input - usb will do, motu make some good ones, although i feel emagic's unitor/amt8 were the best for logic.
i have a unitor and i suspect it's the reason i can get away with high buffer settings on my audio i/o and still play well.
most of the time, after i've play in the part, and then rendered it to audio (sort of a must on ol'grannie) still have to shift the resulting file a little to get it to sit. generally the files anchor point is off, but i do a lot of this on every project anyway - part of my routine editing in logic.
i hate sloppy timing as much as the next guy.