Audio buffer latency calculator
Enter the buffer size your DAW or audio driver uses and the sample rate. The calculator shows the delay of one buffer, the round trip through input and output buffers, and how far sound travels in that time.
Runs in your browser: nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Enter the buffer size in samples, as set in your audio interface or DAW.
- Choose the sample rate of the project.
- Add a known extra delay of the converters or driver if you have it; leave 0 otherwise.
How it works
One buffer lasts N ÷ fs seconds. The round trip is two buffers (input and output) plus the extra delay. The number of buffers per second is fs ÷ N, the rate at which the driver asks the software for audio. Distance is the one-buffer time × 343 m/s.
Worked example
256 samples at 48 kHz: 256 ÷ 48,000 = 0.005333 s = 5.333 ms. Round trip 10.667 ms, 187.5 buffers per second, and sound travels 1.83 m in one buffer. The same buffer at 96 kHz takes half as long, 2.667 ms.
Tips
- Doubling the sample rate halves the latency of the same buffer size, but each buffer then holds half as much time.
- What the DAW reports may be higher than this figure because it includes converter and safety buffers.
- Under about 10 ms round trip, most players do not notice the delay when monitoring.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate latency from buffer size?
Divide the buffer size by the sample rate and multiply by 1000: 256 samples at 48,000 Hz is 256 ÷ 48,000 × 1000 = 5.333 ms.
Why is the round trip twice the buffer?
When you play through software, the sound waits in an input buffer, is processed, and waits again in an output buffer. With equal buffers that is two buffer lengths, plus whatever the converters and the driver add, which you can enter as extra delay if your interface reports it.
What buffer size should I use?
Small buffers (64–128 samples) give low delay for recording and playing live, but load the computer more and can cause clicks. Larger buffers (512–1024) are safer for mixing, where delay does not matter.
What does the distance mean?
Sound in air at 20 °C covers about 343 metres per second, 34.3 cm per millisecond. A 5.333 ms buffer delays sound as much as standing 1.83 m further from a speaker.