Timing issue with Echo Out Effects in DJay

Timing Issue with Echo Out Effects in DJay

Hi,
I’ve captured an issue on video that I already noticed a while ago for the first time. It’s regarding timing of effects in DJay going from good to imperfect, and I’ve managed to pinpoint it to show you. Note that this may also apply to other effect/stem combinations. Also I’m testing it here on both decks for thoroughness, but the problem seems independent of decks.

Please bear with me and watch the entire video, as the explanation becomes clear by the end.

On each deck, I’ve set up the same effects: “Echo Out” applied to the entire track and “Echo Out” applied to the vocal stem only. Here’s what I observed:

  1. Echo Out on Entire Track and Vocal Stem:
  • The timing is spot-on for both. The effect activates exactly on beat and behaves as expected.
  • Even when activated using my Reloop controller, the timing is as expected.
  1. Inconsistent Behavior:
  • The issue arises after performing a mix. If I’ve used the the track beforehand for some kind of mix, the “Echo Out” on the vocal stem becomes slightly delayed—off the beat and behind the word “place” in my test track.
  • When I tried this effect earlier, without mixing beforehand, it worked correctly.
  1. Potential Cause Identified:
  • While recording this, I may have found the root cause of the issue. It seems tied to whether you already played / mixed a while. This may confuse the internal clock / timing of at least the stem/mix.

Summary:
The timing of the “Echo Out” effect on the vocal stem becomes inconsistent after performing a mix, possibly due to a specific workflow. Restarting the software or controller may temporarily resolve it, but the problem reoccurs. This makes it challenging to mix accurately.

I hope this feedback helps highlight the issue for further attention. Thank you!

==> Again, note that this may also apply to other effect/stem combinations, so please test it thoroughly before introducing a partial bug fix.

BTW: during this demo I had my Main Output mapped to the MacBook Pro Speakers.

====
Device: MacBook Pro (16", 2019)
Operating system: Apple OS / Sanoma 14.6.1.
Djay version: Djay Pro 5.2.6
Hardware/controllers used: Reloop Mixon 8 Pro

I haven’t heard anything yet, but I hope we can agree that this should be considered a bug, @Slak_Jaw?

Hi @DJ_Big_Blender, sorry I was busy catching up with other users before my holidays and didn’t have time to investigate this one. I’m OOO until Jan 26, but you can submit an official support request from within djay. Please see link below for more details. Thanks.

No problem. I will wait till you are back in the office.

Have fun!

The moment when the timing issue happens in the video there is one thing different: you have the Sync function on.
So my guess is that it has something to do with the FX snapping to the grid or/and Quantize being active.

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Hi @delaSarge,

Thank you for taking the time to watch the video and for your keen observation! I almost always work with the Sync function enabled, so in principle, this feature should actually perform at its best in such cases I would say.

It indeed likely has something to do with Snap/Sync/Quantize, but it doesn’t explain to me why the issue only occurs with the effect on stems vocal and not when the effect is applied to the entire deck.