audio set up issues

Please tell me:
 
1.  What Sample Rate and ASIO Buffer Size do you have set for your audio interface?
 
2.  What Sample Rate is set in Sonar (Preferences>Driver Settings)?
 
3.  What are the reported latency values in Sonar - Preferences>Driver Settings?
 
4.  What is the Driver Mode set to in Sonar - Preferences>Playback and Recording?
 
5.  What is the Record Bit-Depth in Sonar - Preferences>File>Audio Data?
 
My recommendation is that you first (With Sonar NOT running) set your audio interface Sample Rate to 44.1 or 48k and its ASIO Buffer Size to 128 (or if it has a slider set it to 11MS or slightly less), then after power cycling the audio interface, start Sonar and set your Driver Mode to ASIO in Sonar, click Apply, then set your Sample Rate to 44100 or 48000 (44.1k or 48k), so that is exactly matches the setting for your audio interface, and start with a Record Bit-Depth of 24.
 
After completing the above, try creating a new project in Sonar and load an empty audio track with a simple song file from your computer, such as WMA or MP3, and hit Play.  Does it play back properly through Sonar?  If so, then all is well, and if not, then something is not configured properly.  Either way, please post back with the results.
 
Bob Bone
 

i imported an mp3 track as you suggested and when i played it back I was getting the same sound quality issue. However, as I could just about make out the singing it has become apparent that the sound is so bad because the track is being slowed down, its running at like 1/4 speed or something. Any idea why this is happening?
 
answers to your questions
1 - I don't know, how can I tell?
2 - 44100
3 - reported latency values
     input - 25.4 msec, 1118 samples
     output - 37.4 msec, 1648 samples
     total roundtrip - 62.7 msec, 2766 samples
4 - driver mode - ASIO   Dithering - Triangular
5 - record bit depth - 16
     render bit depth - 32
     import bit depth - original
 
 
thanks, D

Make sure the Scarlett's I/O are set as Playback and Record Timing Master in Preferences > Audio > Driver Settings. Also go into Sounds in the Windows Control Panel, and make sure your onboard soundcard is set as the default device for Windows playback and recording. This ensures that Windows, your browser and other multimedia apps will keep their mitts off your Focusrite which should be dedicated to SONAR. Some users will recommend disabling onboard sound, but I prefer to leave it available for use by the O/S and other apps (though I do turn off Windows sounds).

hey guys, thanks to all for the help. I will try all these suggestions later on after dinner. I hope it works for me. I will post back with the results

There are two ways of accessing one's audio interface, and usually only one of the two ways will work for a given interface.  (It varies from vendor to vendor, and possibly even within the product line of a given vendor).
 
One way that they provide access is through an icon that lives in the Windows System Tray - at the bottom right of your desktop in Windows.  You would usually have to expand the hidden icons, and then hover your mouse over each one to see what they are.  This is how I access the interface for my Presonus AudioBox 1818 VSL.  Double-clicking its icon brings up the settings screen and all that.
 
The other way is to give access to the host program, such as Sonar.  Sonar provides for this by including a button in Preferences to get to the ASIO Control Panel, which if that's how the interface vendor has it set up, would bring up the audio interface user interface settings screen.
 
If your particular interface is accessed through the Sonar Preference's ASIO Control Panel button, then yes, you would need to be in Sonar to get to the settings for the interface.  If so, then after making any settings changes to it, you would exit out of Sonar and then power cycle the interface.
 
What I meant by power cycling the audio interface is literally turning it off and then back on.  The recommended method of getting changes made to the interface to be properly recognized in Windows and applications, is to turn the audio interface physically off and then back on.  Doing so will completely reload the memory space is uses, and get the new settings in play.
 
Sometimes, if there is no power switch on the interface, one could disconnect it and reconnect it, if it uses a USB connection, or you can simply restart Windows.
 
If you HAVE made changes to the audio interface, it is best to power cycle it PRIOR to then making changes in Sonar that are based off of the new changes.
 
As for checking the Sample Rate and ASIO Buffer Size for your audio interface, get into the screen for its settings, using one of the two above methods, and then you will see them.  I recommend you start with either 44.1k or 48k as a starting point, and an ASIO Buffer Size of 128 (or if is uses a slider, shoot for something like 11ms or a little less).
 
62 milliseconds is WAY too high for latency.  Check the settings for your interface, set them to 44.1k or 48k, power cycle it, then go into Sonar and make sure the Sample Rate in Sonar EXACTLY matches what you have it set to for your interface.  Then click Apply, and again note the reported latency values, like you did before.
 
IF your interface uses a USB connection, make sure you are using the correct kind of USB port.  Plugging an interface designed to use USB 2.0 ports into a computer's USB 3.0 port is quite likely to jazz it all up.  My Presonus interface wigs out completely if I do that.
 
Bob Bone
 

brundlefly

Mesh
When using other apps, I've changed the default playback (in Win8) to use the onboard sound, and then when switching back to Line6 DI (to use X2), the L6 drivers need to be reinstalled for Sonar to work.
 

 
Dunno. Maybe a Win8-specific issue with the Line6 drivers. I'm not familiar with either. But you should not have to change the default device in Windows once you set it to your onboard sound. SONAR does not care what Windows is using for the default. That's the beauty of leaving onboard sound enabled, and setting it as the default for Windows. SONAR (and other "serious" audio apps) will use whatever you tell it to use, and everything else will use the Windows default device.

The reason I change the default device is because I haven't setup my reference monitors (yet) and use the generic speakers when my children and I play video games. I use my headphones when I'm on Sonar.....thus, the switching back-n-forth. Still, I couldn't figure out why the drivers need to be reinstalled as it just "should" be available, although I'm only switching the playback devices.
I suppose this all won't make much of a difference after I set up my reference monitors (after we move into our new home).
Thanks for the help. :))
   

I think disabling the internal Windows sound card & ensuring both Sonar and your ASIO soundcard are set to the same sample rate (e.g. 44.1 khz) should do the trick.

hey guys, thanks for the help, greatly appreciated. I got it sorted (for now). I couldn't find a control panel for my audio interface so I am guessing it is accessed through sonar. I did as you suggested and accessed it through preferences, ASIO control panel, but the sample rate and buffer size was matching what i already had set, so that seemed fine. However, following Bob's suggestion regarding the type of USB port, I moved the interface to the a different usb port and when i hit play the track played perfectly :) So i guess it is the usb port that was causing the problem. Again thanks for all the help and hopefully I have learned at least a little (though I'll probably be back pretty soon with my next problem hehe)
 
thanks D

Good news Dermy!!
 
Sonar will insure that we all be "computer savvy"..........whether we want to or not.  
 
Next is to post some of your songs in the song forum. :))

I AM glad you have it up and going now.  Good news, indeed.
 
Bob Bone
 

'Yes, good to hear. Nice catch on the USB port, Cactus. I might never have gotten there.'
 
I think Bob mentioned it first but I didn't actually read his long post, I tend to skip those.  I have read this issue coming up here and there on other forums where ( some?) USB 3 ports just screw things up. 
 
My DAW is dedicated ( no internet etc)  so I have no use for on board. There was always a issue with the onboard taking over if you played a song in WMP or winamp. You would return to Sonar and it would be telling you something was wrong or worse, it would play slow. So I disabled the on board and set Sonar to share drivers a long, long time ago and all has worked since. I think this issue is system specific. Not all systems behave this way. 

I too am having a set up issue with my 2i2.  I can't, for the life of me, get X2 to record past 16 bit.  The 2i2/ASIO set up is set on a slider that can range from 1 to 10ms.  I have tried 44 1, 48 and 96 and X2 shows 24 bit grayed out in the preferences window and either 44 1/16, 48/16 or 96/16 from the track view window (under the time code), but never at 24.  I have combed Focusrite's site, been through all of the optimizing threads/posts/videos I can find.  Any ideas?   

Scook - if you could see me, I am bowing down and worshiping you!  That totally worked!  I haven't been able to get this answered for ever!  Thanks so much.