can't sync audio

used to have a desktop setup with midi interfaces, etc, but don't now (long story not worth telling).  Here's what I'm running at the moment:  laptop 3 gb ram and sys 7, 64 bit.  sonar x1b essential.  no midi input.  no midi output except through soft synths.  currently, just messing with some of my old midi files as I learn x1.  with no midi time clock, if I try to record a vocal (with a cheap usb input mic), the first word is right on the beat and then starts to lose it.  Even without an audio track the midi playback sound (going through sound synths) is about a half measure behind.  when recording an audio track, the midi playback sound will be as many as 20 measures behind.  I realize I don't have an ideal set up, but it's all I can do right now.  That being said...is there any way to sync audio tracks on a laptop?  have tried it with internal clock and every other available button.  thanx in advance for yoru help.

thanx, loptec, for taking a look at this problem.  audio drivers are up to date.  Just bought the laptop around Christmas...and has the latest driver for Conexant CX20671 Smartaudio HD.  audio settings on wdm/ks.

A few thoughts:
 
First, realize that a USB mic actually has a builti-in audio interface with it's own indepedent sample clock.  So the first question is who's that timing master for playback and recording. It should probably be the soundcard, since the mic probably can't be a playback master, and you don't want to have timing masters from different clocks for playback and recording.
 
Depending on what driver mode everything is using, the mic clock and soundcard clock might not be playng nice together. I assume you are using WDM or MME driver , or you wouldn't be able to see both the Mic input and soundcard output. If it's MME, you'll likely have very bad latency which will contribute to the problem.
 
Also, if you are using the MIDI metronome, you're gettting the click from the GS wavetable in your soundcard which may have response latency on top of the base buffer latency, making you play/sing even later.
 
It's hard to say exactly what the problem is, and whether it's fixable, but if you're having to use MME driver mode, I would guess you're fighting a losing battle. If you can use WDM, that may help, but you; might still have problems. Using a USB mic is asking for sync problems IMO, though I'm sure some have made them work reasonably well.

thanks, brundlefly.  I'm not a fan of a midi mic, but that's all I can do on this laptop right now since I'm stuck with the factory installed soundcard.  you may be right, this may not work at all, but with a very fast processor, plenty of ram, etc., you would think that even on a laptop there would be better response than this.  I'm open to any suggestions for changing things in the preferences just to make it work.  I'm thinking, too, that Sonar X1 doesn't do too well on sys 7, regardless of the setup.  I have problems, for example, with Proteus VX because drivers are for XP.  Nevertheless, any suggestions you have are certainly welcome.  Anybody on this board has more expertise than I.

X1 runs great under Win7. The problem with Proteus VX is the x64 environment, not the fact that it's WIn7. I believe Proteus VX runs fine on 32-bit Win7.
 
In any case, before I can make any suggestions, I need to know where we are now. So go in to Audio Preferences, and tell me what the driver modes is, what the latency is, and what devices are the Tming Masters for playback and recording. And where are you getting the click from? Is it SONAR's audio metronome or MIDI driving the GS Wavetable synth (see metronome preferences).
 
Also as a reference point, what kind of timing do you get recording your voice via the laptop's built-in mic? Is it better than with the USB mic?

Slider moved all the way over to SAFE, which was recommended in something I read...with numbers of 349.2 msec and 15400 samples
 
with usb mic plugged in, it is listed as the recording timing master. there is not a device for playback timing master, nor is there a choice when clicking on the menu arrow.

 
These are the two big issues. As with many automobiles, the "Safe" and "Fast" are at opposite ends of the performance spectrum. If you want to eliminate the timing problem, you will want to set the latency as low as possible without encountring click, pops or distortion in the audio.
 
The fact that there is no playback timing master is a big problem. Go to the Drivers tab of audio preferences, and make sure your soundcard outputs are shown there, and are checked. I'm not quite sure how you are managing to hear any ouput without SONAR being able to see a playback timing master. That may be another side effect of the USB Mic drivers.
 
I think the best thing you could do is get a cheap analog dynamic mic to plug into the 1/8" jack on your soundcard, and take the USB mic out of the mix.