Direct Monitoring
Definition
A feature of audio interfaces that routes the input signal directly to the headphone or monitor output, bypassing the DAW's processing chain entirely. This eliminates the round-trip latency caused by analog-to-digital conversion, DAW processing, and digital-to-analog conversion.
In Simple Terms
A button on your audio interface that lets you hear yourself with zero delay while recording. Instead of your voice going into the computer and back out (which adds delay), it goes straight to your headphones. The downside: you can't hear plugin effects like reverb on your voice while tracking.
In Practice
A singer recording vocals activates direct monitoring on their audio interface to hear their voice without the 10ms round-trip latency that the DAW introduces at the current buffer setting.
Common Confusion
Direct monitoring bypasses the DAW entirely, so any effects (reverb, compression) applied to the track in the DAW won't be heard in the direct monitor path. Some interfaces offer built-in DSP effects to compensate for this.