If you notice that the audio arrives slightly before the video, that's by design.
Lutefish is optimized for real-time music collaboration, where accurate timing is far more important than perfectly synchronized video.
Audio Comes First
When you're playing music together, even a few extra milliseconds of audio delay can affect timing and make it harder to stay in sync.
To keep latency as low as possible, Lutefish prioritizes the audio path.
The result is:
Low-latency, real-time audio
Video that may arrive a fraction of a second later
Why Isn't the Audio Delayed to Match?
Many video conferencing platforms intentionally delay audio so it stays perfectly synchronized with video.
That works well for meetings, but it adds latency that musicians can feel.
Lutefish takes the opposite approach:
Audio is delivered as quickly as possible.
Video is optimized separately and may lag slightly behind.
This provides the best musical experience.
Will I Notice It?
During normal conversation, probably not.
The difference between the audio and video is usually small enough that talking feels natural.
However, if you're trying to:
Watch someone's strumming hand
Follow a drummer's sticks
Cue off another musician's physical movements
...the slight video delay can make visual timing feel a little behind the audio.
Should I Follow the Audio or the Video?
Always follow the audio.
Your ears provide the most accurate timing.
The video is there to help you:
See your fellow musicians
Read facial expressions
Communicate naturally
For musical timing, trust what you hear—not what you see.
Quick Summary
Audio is intentionally prioritized over video.
Video may be slightly behind the audio.
Most conversations feel completely natural.
For music, always follow the audio rather than visual cues.
This design helps Lutefish deliver the lowest possible latency, making it feel as much like playing together in person as the internet allows.