PS1 Emulation, or Control Lag?

[Jiryn]

Setup
Raspberry Pi 4 4GB ram
Official Raspberry PI USB-C AC Adapter
Retropie v4.7.1
8BitDo Arcade Stick in XBOX mode https://www.8bitdo.com/arcade-stick/
8BitDo SN30 Pro+ ( https://www.8bitdo.com/sn30-pro-plus/ )

So I am trying to figure out a way to minimize emulation/control/display lag on PS1 games.
Certain games that take precise timing (Rhythm and QTE games) seem to be off by the briefest of second whenever I try playing them.
Like I have to hit the direction the exact second is flashes or a second before.. and I am wondering if this is due to emulation, control, display, or a mix of all three.

(Though I have noticed SIMILAR issues with a real SEGA CD hooked up to my tv via Component cables, where Time Gal and Revenge of the Ninja, both QTE movie games are harder than I remember... and same with the PS4 version of Dragon's Lair)

Finally, I am trying to figure out if my emulator is having issues or if the slowdown/frame issues on certain PS1 games are normal.
I was playing RE:Survivor and a few other games and every now and then the frame rate would slow to a crawl or just become very choppy.. and was curious if this was an emulation/pi limitation or something that would have happened on the real console...

Meanwhile, games like Blood Omen play SOOO much better, and I am thankful for it.