Thread Latency in the real world

Quote: For easy figuring, let's call it 1000 ft/sec, so that sound in air is always delayed from the source to our ears by approximately 1 millisecond per foot (1 ms/ft).

Now, give this a try. Plug a microphone into a standard analog sound system and speak while standing 5 feet from the loudspeaker. You're now experiencing about 5 ms of latency. Step back another 5 feet, and you're experiencing about 10 ms of latency. Move the microphone a foot away from your mouth, and it adds another 1 ms.

Delays within an ensemble of musicians can be, and often are, relatively long. Think of a symphony where performers are located across a 40-foot stage. The conductor waves a baton to keep time. The percussion section might be 30 feet (and 30 ms) away, while the second violins are 5 feet (and 5 ms) away.

Does the conductor hear all of the notes attacking at different times? The harps might be 40 feet (and 40 ms) away from the timpani. Do they think they sound out of time with each other? How do the musicians stay in synch with each other?

Actually, research sponsored by the National Science Foundation, through the Stanford University Department of Music, has shown that performers in an ensemble have no problem synchronizing with each other while experiencing latencies as high as 40 ms and even greater. In fact, latencies in the 10 ms to 20 ms range actually have a stabilizing affect on tempo and are thought to be preferred over zero latency. 2