The Behringer WING has been an amazing console ever since it launched, and one huge upgrade is adding external plugins like Waves into your mix. The Behringer WING has many options for integrating programs like Waves SuperRack SoundGrid, Waves SuperRack Performer, Yamaha VST Rack Pro, or Live Professor. However, the most significant factor when adding these, especially when it comes to live mixing, is latency.

With the new WING AoIP-WSG card almost available, we will have a super-low-latency way to run external plugin racks. 🙌

In this post, we will discuss three different ways to connect external plugins to the WING, the amount of latency each method adds, and what is best for your mix.

🎛 Quick Buffer Size 101: Why It Matters for Live Sound

Before we get into the numbers, we need to discuss buffer size quickly—because it plays a huge role in how much delay you’ll hear.

When you use your computer to process audio, it doesn’t handle every sample individually. Instead, it batches a bunch of samples together (a buffer) before sending them through plugins and back out.

• Small buffer = faster latency, but way more strain on your CPU
• Large buffer = easier on your CPU, but slower latency

In a live sound situation, we want the smallest stable buffer size we can get — because higher latency doesn’t just delay the sound; it disconnects you from what’s happening onstage.

(Imagine trying to mix monitors and hearing everything 15–20 milliseconds late… 😬 Not fun.)

🎛 Testing #1: WING USB Connection + SuperRack Performer

First up, I tested the WING’s built-in USB audio interface.

The WING’s USB 2.0 interface allows you to connect 48×48 channels directly to your computer—super convenient if you want to run Waves SuperRack Performer, Yamaha VST Rack Pro, or Live Professor.

There are two ways you can patch it:

• Direct Option: Waves pulls from the input source, then the WING Channel pulls from the Waves Return
  • (AES50A 1 > USB Send to Waves > Waves Rack > USB Return from Waves > WING Channel)
• EFX Rack Option: Use the External FX block inside the WING’s Effects Rack and Insert that on the WING Channel

Check out this video on how to use the External Effects plugin type on the Behringer WING:

Using the External FX Rack gives you much more flexibility — you can drop your Waves plugin chain anywhere you want (pre-EQ, pre-fader, post-fader) and toggle it on/off easily. But it does add a bit extra latency — about 1.14ms.

Waves SuperRack Performer + WING USB Connection Latency:

Here’s what the latency looked like using different buffer settings:

💬 Takeaway:

Using USB and native processing is fine for FOH and lighter plugin chains — but if you’re mixing monitors, your musicians will feel that latency creep up if your buffer size gets too big.

🎛 Testing #2: WING AoIP-WSG Card + Waves SoundGrid Server

Now, this is where things get fun. 😎

Everything changes when you add the WING AoIP-WSG card and hook it into a real Waves SoundGrid server setup.

Instead of your computer doing the plugin audio processing, a dedicated SoundGrid server takes over.

SoundGrid is built for low-latency audio processing, meaning audio gets pushed through the SoundGrid system with near-zero delay.

Waves SuperRack SoundGrid + WING AoIP-WSG

Here’s the latency based on the Server Buffer settings:

🎯 Takeaway:

This is the gold standard if you want a lot of plugins while mixing live and with the sub-2ms roundtrip latency, using Waves for monitors is not a problem— even with full plugin chains inserted.

⚙️ Gear Needed:

• Waves SuperRack SoundGrid
• Waves SoundGrid Server
• Behringer WING AoIP-WSG

🎛 Testing #3: WING-Dante Card + SuperRack Performer

I often get the question, “Can I just use the WING’s Dante card and SuperRack Performer?”

Short answer: Yes — but expect more latency.

Here’s why:

• Dante Virtual Soundcard (DVS) running on your computer needs its own buffer (4ms, 6ms, or 10ms), which is in addition to the buffer used in SuperRack Performer.
• Plus, the WING-Dante itself has a base network latency (even at 0.25ms, it’s not zero)

Here’s what the real-world numbers looked like at 0.25ms Dante latency on the WING-Dante and 6ms Dante Latency on Dante Virtual Soundcard:

💬 Takeaway:

If you bump up Dante’s latency settings (like 6ms or 10ms for bigger systems), that delay stacks on top.

So Dante is workable if needed, but it’s not as snappy as SoundGrid.

🎛 Important: Full Roundtrip Latency Numbers

All the numbers I’m sharing are full roundtrip.

Meaning:

• Input into the WING
• Sent to plugins
• Processed
• Returned to the WING
• Played out through the outputs

So, it is the total latency that you and the performers hear.

(Not just “plugin processing time.”)

🎛 Other Plugin Rack Tests: VST Rack Pro & Live Professor

For fun, I tested the same setups using Yamaha VST Rack Pro and Live Professor instead of SuperRack Performer.

🎯 Result:

There was no measurable difference in latency between the three — which is fantastic.

It means you can pick whichever platform you like best for workflow without worrying!

(I didn’t dive into CPU load or stability testing — that’s a separate rabbit hole.)

🎯 Final Thoughts: What Should You Use?

• If you’re doing serious live mixing:
• Get a AoIP-WSG card, Waves SuperRack SoundGrid, and a Waves SoundGrid Server. Your plugin chains will feel tight and responsive and the near-zero latency of SoundGrid means you can use it for monitors!
• If you’re doing FOH with no monitor sends or broadcast:
• USB with native processing is fine — watch your buffer size.
• If you’re stuck on Dante:
• It works, but expect more latency, especially as you raise buffer sizes or network safety margins.