Buffer Size
The block of samples processed at once, trading latency against CPU load
Related
Buffer size is the block of samples an audio interface hands to the computer at a time, usually in samples: 64, 128, 256, 512 or 1024. It converts directly into latency — at 44.1 kHz, 128 samples is about 2.9 ms one way — before converter and driver overhead.
A small buffer suits recording and performing: quick response, more CPU work. A large buffer suits mixing and mastering: stable load, sluggish monitoring. Clicks and dropouts are often not a broken device but a buffer too small for the plug-ins in use. The common practice is 64–128 while tracking and 512–1024 while mixing.
The usual mistake is to expect buffer size to change sound quality. It changes processing rhythm and latency, not sample rate or bit depth; the same project should export identically at any buffer size.
Related → Latency
Sources
- 缓冲区与延迟的换算，参 Huber & Runstein, Modern Recording Techniques 与通行音频接口说明；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.