I'm looking into buying my first MIDI Keyboard because I've grown tired of using the laptop keys as a replacement for it.

At the same time, I'm afraid that my laptop will not be able to handle an MIDI keyboard without latency because of the latency that I already witness using the Computer MIDI Keyboard function in Ableton.

Is there really any correlation between those two or the Computer MIDI Keyboard has a lot of latency because it is a workaround?

eg.: When I use ASIO4All I can kill the latency to 6ms, with almost no crackling, while on the MME/Directx Sound drive the minimum I can go with is 505ms.

PS.: I have no Audio Interface. I intend to get a keyboard with a MIDI to USB function.

Specs:

• Intel i5-5200U CPU @ 2.20Ghz
• 8Gb RAM

Don't know if you're having Ozone. But you could use the hamonic exciter in there to give the highs some more prescence (it gives the high end some kind of subtle distortion). After that you could widen the highs to the sides to give them more space. It also helps to treat the high end with the same caution as you would mix the low end (make sure freq's are not overlapping each other etc.). When I mix down my tracks I always want the click of my kick to stand out, so I try to mix the rest of the high frequency material around the click of the kick so to speak. Another issue that could be dulling the high end is an incorrect frequency balance of your mix which can change your highs massively when limiting or compressing the total mix. Check out the spectrum of a track where you like the high end and compare it to your mix. Hope this helps!

I'm using FL's Maximus and Fruity Limiter to do my mastering. Never used Ozone, but I heard great things about it, gonna try out the demo.

I'm starting to think also that it has something to do with my mix, going to try to redo the mixdown and see what happens.

Thanks for helping.

This is basically me venting out more than anything...

When I started producing (around 3yrs ago) I started it out like almost everyone else, pulled some basic drums samples, made a beat, recorded some guitar with my shitty headphone mic, and that was it. The "song", if you could even call it that, was awful, but the experience was amazing. The idea of making music all by myself was so freeing, since I was used with the idea that to make music you had to get friends who played, then create a band, then practice and etc...

So the years pass, and I notice that, slowly, I'm improving, both in sound design as well in mixing/mastering[at as slower pace than the usual, but everyone's different]. I excluded composing because I were always kinda of a natural in it, since my dad played guitar and loved music as well, I've kinda grown in an enviroment were the idea of pursuing music was heavily approved, and even influenced.

Last year my 4 year old relationship ended, and in that same year a very close friend of mine discovered he had stomach cancer. I got into a time in my life I don't really like remembering, I got into a really depressing state and found that the most effective way I could distract myself from all the shit that was happening was sitting in front of the computer and try to produce, so that's what I did, last year becoming the year I have most improved technically.

But as if the amount of bad stuff happening wasn't enough, february of this year my dad enters in a coma and ends up passing away in july.

I was able to get back on my feet. But since that I feel like my ability to make music has disappeared. I can sit for a session of 8 hours and still, nothing even remotely good comes out. I don't know what happened.

I never was one of those people who believe like music is an extension of your soul or that you're exposing yourself and everything about you in a song, I just made music for the simple joy of making something that sounds nice.

Like I said in the start of the post, this isn't anything but a vent, I'm not hoping for any help. I just hope this goes away with time.