Anderton
Do you have ASIO4ALL installed? A friend of mine ran into a situation very much like what you describe. He was about to get a new interface but I suggested uninstalling (not just disabling or turning off) ASIO4ALL. Not only did that solve the stuttering, he was able to get lower latencies than ever.

I do, in fact, use ASIO4ALL. The problem is, I can't use ASIO without it (My mic does have its own ASIO driver, but the interface I have does not include native support, and I can't very well bypass it.). The only other option I can think of would be MME-32; am I mistaken in thinking that WASAPI and WMD driver modes don't allow higher sampling and bit rates?

I have 12GBs of RAM because I was told I needed more RAM to run a lot of virtual instruments; however, I have never seen my RAM usage hit even 6.  (By the way, "a lot of virtual instruments" means 6 to 12 instances of soft synths, like RealGuitar, Ivory II, two or three Kontakt instruments, EZDrummer, Vienna, etc..)

Get a soundcard for cryin out loud.  I've ran a system similar to yours and your problem is relying on onboard sound. No ASIO4ALL driver is going to make an improvement.  Get something like a Focusrite Scarlett.

Hey, Craig.  Good comments, thanks.  I am contemplating getting an SSD for Vienna (SE, SE+, Dimension Strings) and Hollywood Strings.  Right now performance sucks on Hollywood and Dimension legatos.  My system is pretty powerful so I think there is just a limit to how well a spinning drive can support these instruments.  If I could go to RAM-only mode for Dimension, that would be awesome since I only enable the patches I need in a track, but no one has suggested that is possible.  I think about $500 will get an SSD big enough for those two libraries.

grizwalter
 
Well, now I'm even more confused, since every time I attempt to use those driver modes (WASAPI or WDM) I am told the driver cannot support the sampling rate or this or that and the other thing. I know in the case of at least one of those, it automatically snaps my recording bits and sampling to 16 and 44.1. Since I can record at any bitrate and sample rate using MME-32 and ASIO, clearly my interface doesn't have a problem with higher rates, so that isn't the cause. I'll be double checking on this. I'll come back and post a link to some screenshots of what I see if I can't figure out how to get them to work at higher sampling rates.
 

When switching to WDM, there will be a hardware analysis which will tell you what sample rate/bit depth is available.
 
Check sonar help
http://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation/default.aspx?Doc=SONAR%20X2&Lang=EN&Req=Beginners.18.html

kitekrazy
Get something like a Focusrite Scarlett.

I just got my first Focusrite based on things the folks have said in the forums, and it is beyond amazing. Even though it is set to ASIO and exclusive (both in Win7 and X3), anything I open connects to it in "ASIO" mode at the same time! X3, Melodyne, Geist, Audition... all open at the same time and playing through the Saffire without any issues. First time I saw it was with Melodyne and I attributed it to ARA integration, but I am assuming that it is truly "the best damn WDM wrapper" on the planet.
 
I found that feature by accident, but have been nothing less than thrilled about it.
 
Edit: The Focusrite ASIO driver actually uses "ASIO Aggregation," meaning that it can accept multiple inputs via ASIO and process them all... someone dropped the proper term and tech spec on me in another thread, so I wanted to update that here.

Anderton

grizwalter

kitekrazy
Get a soundcard for cryin out loud.  I've ran a system similar to yours and your problem is relying on onboard sound. No ASIO4ALL driver is going to make an improvement.  Get something like a Focusrite Scarlett.

I could probably use a better soundcard, but that has nothing to do with the bulk of my problem I'm certain.

Then borrow an interface and find out. I have a couple laptops and gave up on using the internal sound options a long time ago, they're just too unreliable. A good interface with good drivers will solve a lot of problems.
 

 
I am using an interface. I don't have an external sound card as well, but I run everything through my ART USB Dual Pre, which is a Preamplifier/Audio Interface which has everything I need. I do mostly mixing and mastering, so don't need a ton of inputs, outputs, but do need phantom power and XLR stereo ins, among other things. Thus this particular interface. Like I said, that certainly isn't where my problem rests. It is in my old motherboard in part, and in part it is also, I think, that the song I was working with must have something odd going on behind the scenes, because I moved on to another project, and ended up using a lot of processing, and never once encountered any audio glitching, with about 30 tracks. So it was less tracks, but it was at least as much processing.

Pragi
Hi,
why not trying another soundcard like focusrite,roland aso?
Sure a lot of your probs will disappear.........
and if not (imo not possible!) there is no problem cause most 
online shops offer a 30 days money back guarantee aso.
So there is no risk except you get rid of probs.
 
Have fun
Pragi

 
I considered doing so. However, since my system is clearly a bit old now, and considering I've spent a good deal of money on other things this year (my favorite being my KRK Rokit 8s!, lol), I am probably just going to make do with what I have for now and next year it will probably be time to simply buy a new computer. When I do, I'm going to have one custom built. Outside of a motherboard, better CPU and new soundcard, my computer is actually a gem I've pushed way beyond its expected means and lifespan with my own upgrades over the years. It hid its underlying problems from me until SONAR X3, it seems!
 
Anyway, it just doesn't make much sense to me to spend money on a new soundcard running in conjunction with a somewhat underpowered computer. Next year beckons!
 
Thanks,
Griz

jhughs
I'm with scook.  I may throw this out for discussion, but it doesn't seem like there's a lot of value in going to a 96K sampling rate and it seems to be the culprit behind a number of performance problems.  If you've already recorded your clips at 96K I believe the processor will still be driven to high levels, so try converting or re-recording those at 44 or 48K.  Otherwise, buy the most powerful CPU and largest disks you can find.

I am no longer using 96K. I was told at one point that higher sampling rates made things run better, but I didn't see any difference one way or the other. It didn't cause me any performance problems generally, but I didn't notice much advantage to it either. I'm back to 48K--keeps less resampling involved anyway.
 
Otherwise, I completely agree. The next purchase will be a new, custom built computer, and that should pretty much cover everything.
 
Thanks,
 

Kev999
I don't get how you were working at 96/24 with this device:
http://www.bhphotovideo.c...REPS_USB_Dual_Pre.html
48/16 is the max according to the spec listed here.

The link you provided isn't working for me. Just keeps saying the page can't be displayed.
 
Someone else told me there are multiple versions of the thing though, so maybe that's the story.
 
Also, I'm thinking the interface wouldn't matter (in terms of specs like that) when it comes to mixing/mastering anyway, right? I mean, everything is happening inside the computer with wav files, and I'm only hearing it back through the speakers connected to the interface. I haven't actually recorded a single thing with an audio input since getting X3 Studio, so maybe I'll have a new problem with which to contend then! lol  

Kev999

grizwalter

Kev999
I don't get how you were working at 96/24 with this device:
http://www.bhphotovideo.c...REPS_USB_Dual_Pre.html
48/16 is the max according to the spec listed here.

The link you provided isn't working for me. Just keeps saying the page can't be displayed.
 
Someone else told me there are multiple versions of the thing though, so maybe that's the story.

According to the spec in the manual on the manufacturer's website, the converters are only 16-bit, with a max sampling rate of 48kHz.
http://artproaudio.com/ar...oduct/usb_dual_pre_ps/

 
Well, I don't know, but I am definitely getting a better rate than that, and like I said, there is no conversion in progress anyway, since I'm not recording anything. It is all internal, so not going through the interface except to hear it in my speakers.

Griz,
You mentioned you're planning to buy a custom built computer.  Jim Roseberry helped me on a computer question and I noticed he has a link to this site for custom DAW computers: www.studiocat.com.  I built my last computer awhile ago but may get my next one from studiocat.
Jeffrey 

jhughs
Griz,
You mentioned you're planning to buy a custom built computer.  Jim Roseberry helped me on a computer question and I noticed he has a link to this site for custom DAW computers: www.studiocat.com.  I built my last computer awhile ago but may get my next one from studiocat.
Jeffrey 

Thanks for the link Jeffrey! I'll definitely give him a look. If nothing else, I can get some pricing and options.
 
As to the 44.1/16 bit thing others have mentioned, again, it isn't a problem for me. I'm able to record and playback at pretty much any rate I want, and from everything I can tell, it doesn't really have any impact on the performance one way or the other. My problems clearly lie in my older motherboard first and foremost, and so I suppose the time has come to finally acknowledge that fact, man up, and start looking into a brand-spankin'-new computer I can ride and flog years after it too is senile and decrepit!
 
Thanks again all.

Blades
My guess/prediction is that you will get better performance with a new computer but you may still find that the sound card is one of the sources of the issue and will likely upgrade that as well.  Sinceyou pretty much know that the PC needs an upgrade, going with that first is probably the better idea.
 
Let us know how it goes.

Hey Blades. Agreed completely. My intent, since most of the components of my computer are actually quite good (upgraded, excellent power supply, installed upgraded killer graphics card, Extended USB support, quiet fan system, and so on, etc.), I'll be able to spend more money on a new mother board, better cpu, better ram type, and a sound card. Should be a good experience all around!
 
As a sidebar, and I know this issue is pretty well covered now, but weird things happen from time to time, and with this issue I'm sorta experiencing one of those moments now.
 
I completed a 30 track mix without encountering a single instance of audio drop out or stagger. I found this somewhat odd, but attributed it to good luck. Of course, most of the time I haven't had issues, so it got me wondering what had happened with the other mix, and why? At the same time, I had recently downloaded Ample Guitar LITE to give it a try before buying the full version. The day I did that, I was damned glad I hadn't just bought without trying it out first, because it literally would not play two chords in a row without crashing my audio. This was all happening at the same time I was working on the oh-so-notorious 44 track mix, but I was not in that project when testing out the guitar program. After upgrading my RAM, I tried Ample Guitar LITE again, and it still acted stupid. I was a bit baffled, but let it go, attributing it to a program which required a very serious system to work.
 
Anyway, with the 44 track mix painfully completed, and Ample off the to-buy list, I went to work on the 25 tracker and all went splendidly. After a couple days passed, I figured, what the hell, why not try Ample again. I did, and it worked without a hitch. No problems. No issues. No drop outs. Nothing but perfect performance.
 
Someone mentioned earlier that maybe the project I'd been working on itself was corrupted or causing my problems. Is it possible, though, that just by having the files in the project folder, and opening it at some point in a day, it could cause problems with my performance/system globally, in effect? That mix is off my main hard drive now, and I haven't experienced any problems at all since. Could this have been a primary driver to the drop out problem? I don't see how, but what the hell do I know?
 
 

Wow! That printer one cracks me up!
 
Yeah, makes sense. Probably was some utterly unrelated issue underneath everything, and probably one I'd have never found. Maybe one day soon I'll load the 44 tracker in question again, only this time I'll just yank it off my backup drive directly, and see how it runs. Will be very interesting maybe.
 
Thanks sir!