Does onboard soundcard matter if I use a USB audio interface?

The short answer is no, it does not.
 
You can not use more than one soundcard in DAW without troubles with synchronization.
You still can use internal card for windows sounds and even route it's output to Scarlet input (practical in case you do not have separate headphones/speakers).

You could probably disable the onboard soundcard in the BIOS if you like, or if you have it enabled route all the windows sounds through it away from the Scarlett  (Check "Sound" under control panel)... 
 
You will set up the Scarlett ASIO driver within Sonar, make sure you download the latest drivers from the Focusrite web page. I also suggest having the latest motherboard BIOS and chipset drivers installed.
 
Cheers...

I have a similar MOBO and set up. I just ignore the on board card , nothing is plugged into it and I did not have issues with it interfearing. Sometimes we will disable the on board card if it is causing issues with taking over Sonar. Focusrite drivers seem to not have this issue. 
 
Install and test the Focusrite drivers before you install or open Sonar. This way when you first open Sonar it will not even look at the realtech. I put Sonar in WDM and run the audio test thing before setting it to ASIO. 
 
Also if you have any older versions of Sonar install them first. I install barebones 8.5 to get True Pianos as example. Apparently it's not good to install older versions after the newer versions or important things get overwritten. 

sounds good..it all makes sense.  thanks for the quick responses!

Hey Bob, after Craigs thread about Video card Hi Def Audio drivers causing huge DPCLAT issues one needs to approach using HDMI for audio with caution. I think it was just AMD and Nvidia anyhow. Can't find the thread.  

I'm running my Scarlett 2i4 along with my onboard sound (Realtek).  For Windows, iTunes, VLC player, watching movies, etc, I use the Realtek and it goes to my Logitech 2.1 speakers.
 
For Sonar, I use the Scarlett (obviously), with main outs connected to my monitors, but I also run a y-connector from the 3/4 outputs of the 2i4 and swap it into my 2.1 speakers when I want to hear my mixes on a system with a subwoofer.  It's a must for me for taming the lows in my mixes, as my little 5-inch monitors don't give me a good idea of the bass content.
 
The other reason I run the Realtek is that if I want to record an internet stream or something from a DVD, I can easily start Audacity, hit record, and get me a wave file.  If I'm running the Scarlett by itself, I can't do this.
 

 I have Windows use onboard sound. DAWs use a real audio interface.
I've ran into more problems having an audio interface running everything like youtube, games, ect.
 

Anderton

johnnyV
Hey Bob, after Craigs thread about Video card Hi Def Audio drivers causing huge DPCLAT issues one needs to approach using HDMI for audio with caution. I think it was just AMD and Nvidia anyhow. Can't find the thread.  

Here's the summary. 
 
BTW - just so others don't get confused - the Producer version of X3e does have True Pianos, but the Studio and base versions don't.

I do not have audio issues on my system when I play things through HDMI speakers of my TV - it is only the Windows sounds and non-Sonar sounds that use that device.  Sonar is set to use my audio interface.
 
Long ago, I had trouble with some sort of NVidia video card, and I subsequently got rid of that, and my computer video is using the HDMI connection from the motherboard's on-board video.  My other display monitor uses VGA, also from the on-board video.
 
If I WERE to have audio issues running as above, I would use a splitter cable from my computer's speaker jack output, and connect each left and right cable to a left and right input on my audio interface, and then all sounds, both Sonar and all else, would end up running through the audio interface - indirectly for the non-Sonar sounds.
 
Bob Bone
 

I never read the original thread, so I actually learned a bit -- seeing how others handle this issue. So all was not for naught.
 
Incidentally, I have my on-board sound disabled in the Windows Sound "window" and my sound card enabled as the default device. So it handles all sound tasks with my PC, including Sonar. It's simpler that way.
 
Hey abacab, I just noticed your avatar. Are you still running Pro Audio 9?  Windows XP broke my copy. Forced me to upgrade to Sonar. I wasn't too happy about it at the time.
 
 
 

mwmcbroom
 
Hey abacab, I just noticed your avatar. Are you still running Pro Audio 9?  Windows XP broke my copy. Forced me to upgrade to Sonar. I wasn't too happy about it at the time.
 

I ran Pro Audio 9.0 on Windows XP for a couple years in early 04 thru 06. It even worked on Windows 7 in compatibility (mode minus a few plug ins).

 
 
Nah, I just switched my avatar after the Cake announcement... 
 
I started with Pro Audio around 20 years ago (Professional 6).  I have(had) the Platinum "lifetime" deal!


 
Me too...but trying to record myself(and use a computer for the 1st time late in life),has been hugely interesting,but after a couple of years it sort of really has turned into a nightmare for me hahaheh,I've got to laugh,it must have been the super dumb username(insert facepalm) for who knows what reason I chose that?- though no I'm NOT changing it now in case of more oddness.
 
I got 5 years from X1,X1PE,X2,X3,SPLAT of course with the life sentence (Life Time Updates) for not going with a MBP in may of 2011(with Thunderbolt 1),and have come to the conclusion I'm NOT ANY better at being an audio engineer,than JUNE 2011,after 1 month with X1 Studio! LOL
 
In fact I think I actually was better after 4 weeks,than 5 years(with a year in WT? land-family stuff),especially ATM,fun some of the time,but playing live all those years ago in Sydney(for 10 years almost),and shortly in 85 out north of THIS lovely,but fairly...conservative city,when guitar rock n roll was happening,THAT totally was what I WAS designed for,I tried to get to the US,but BC Canada as a consolation prize(?)was pretty good actually,anyway last Sat. nite the band I used to be in on our East coast (one of them)played here,and they did real well,good on them!
This forum has,and is fantastic,let's see what great things WE all get going again!
Bob 

It works DOWN here...Sorry 'abacab' I messed the quote arrangement up,it's 2.38am so all apologies.

mwmcbroom
I got started with Pro Audio 8 and my freshly build DAW back in about 2001. Most money I'd ever spent on a piece of software. Then about six months later Pro Audio 9 came out, so I upgraded and used it until XP broke it. I don't recall anymore what the problem was. But I wasn't able to find a workaround for it and, as I recall, the Cakewalk community wasn't very helpful at the time.

Oh yeah! I know VERY VERY well what that can be like!
 
Just NOT here at this forum in my short 6 years total time,just stuff like NOT getting ANY credit for long years of toil....until a great friend helped some,but a lot more is either totally missing with other people replacing me,or just totally never been covered(still!)...why? Only THEY know,due to whatever really nice vilification trip they're into,for whatever reasons...I could say WAY more,and WILL NOT (here,and now,or maybe ever) that's far too irrelevant in regards to the topic.
I still needed to know more about the onboard soundcard. 

Thanks,
Got it,loud and clear,PCI or PCIe even old PCI is still what I would like eventually,as they're still RTL champs,and lower cost than any locally available TB interface,though my W540 laptop only has TB1.
 
I mistakenly misread(so unusual for me! ) the manufacturer's description of it's 2014 inclusion of Thunderbolt,believing it was TB2 on this particularly configured model,as a refurb (not sure I'll go for a refurb again? definitely a lottery,as some can be fine),and an external PCIe card TB enclosure can be,with TB cables,plus a card,just way too OTT at present,but my NI KA6 works fine,except one XLR has the tip of a guitar cable stuck in it,so embarrassing.Hmm maybe I really should not write about myself at all! on the web....definitely it seems.
 
About onboard sound on this,I must say tough machine,as I've knocked it flying a couple of times semi recently unharmed,anyway I've completely uninstalled anything that tried to use the shockingly terrible on board speakers on this machine that really should've been specced with better as a 'workstation' laptop,as with this exact config. in mid 2015,where it was still listed as the current model on the aust. site at AU $3,550 or so.
 
I got it including shipping for less than half that delivered from an ebay store in NYC,but it's been an adventuresome couple of years, would be one way of describing my experience with it from mid 2015, it is more powerful than my offline,neglected sandy bridge i7-2600k desktop I keep meaning to move from the garage/room,and start fresh,but this laptop's on board speakers...whoa,are so bad my mono cathode old cheapie mini TV( i still watch VHS tapes with when web tv is uh huh) actually seems high end.
 
I never wanted ever to hear them again (w540 speakers),which is a shame as my 2011 xps was really surprisingly good,that machine had a lot going for it,it just wasn't upgradable enough in the end,but it really was a gem,as it was 1/2 the price of the 2012 model.