What audio delay is
Every sound an app plays takes a little time to reach your ears. Developers call this output latency: the time between an app generating a sound and the sound coming out of the speaker or the headphone jack.
With Bluetooth headphones, the sound also travels by radio and is buffered on the way. How much delay this adds varies a lot from one phone and one pair of headphones to another.
- You tap a pad
- Audio is sent over Bluetooth
- You hear the sound
Why it matters in a rhythm game
In a Beat Maker Pro lesson, a tap counts as Perfect when it lands within 50 milliseconds of the beat. When the sound reaches you later than your fingers hit the pads, the beat you hear and the beat the app expects drift apart, and Perfect gets harder to reach.
Lots of Late or Early ratings while your timing feels right? Check your headphones first.
What Beat Maker Pro does
- Career mode
When Beat Maker Pro detects Bluetooth headphones, it shifts the timing of the notes to make up for the delay.
- Lessons and free play
No automatic adjustment here: the phone speaker or wired headphones give you the most accurate timing.
How to keep your timing tight
Use the phone speaker
It is the shortest path between your tap and the sound.
Or plug in wired headphones
If your phone has no headphone jack, an adapter for its charging port does the job.
Keep Bluetooth for career mode
If you prefer your wireless headphones, play career mode, where the app adjusts for the delay.
Check your headphones’ settings
Some wireless headphones offer a low-latency or gaming mode. See your headphone maker’s instructions.
Questions & answers
A few things worth knowing
Can I set the audio delay myself in Beat Maker Pro?
No. There is no manual setting. In career mode, the app adjusts automatically when it detects Bluetooth headphones.
Do AirPods add a delay too?
AirPods connect over Bluetooth, so some delay can be added, as with other wireless headphones. How much depends on the model and the device.
Does the delay change my score?
It can. Lessons rate the timing of your taps against the beat, so if the sound you hear lags behind, it is harder to stay in time.