Complete Beginner! Sonar X1 - Warning ! Patience may be required...

Hi all.
 
I'm a complete beginner to making music on the pc and a friend recommended the sonar series.  I bought a copy of Sonar X1 (bit old now i know).  I've also bought myself a tutorial package to help me learn the basics.  At the moment, I really only want to use it for recording vocal audio and guitar tracks and to engineer these together to make an acoustic album.  I've got the bug at the moment and I'm looking into being able to create more to my tracks, have been looking into MIDI keyboards etc which is something i'd like to get into in the future once I've mastered the basics first.  Been searching the internet for info but I'm struggling to find an answer to the following questions, i was hoping there may be some experts amongst you out there who can help?
 
Firstly, I have imported acoustic guitar tracks (recorded on a Tascam DP-01 and mastered) into the program but I'm getting a horrible buzzing sound coming through the program when i play the track - I think it might be something to do with the driver set up on the program? I thought the buzzing was the speakers at first but when i play the track through WMP it is fine?
 
Secondly, I have added my PC specs (from dxdiag at the bottom of this post, most of it is gobledigook to me, but my PC isn't a bad one, i would appreciate comments on whether they need/could be improved to enable me to do what i want to do?  I was wondering a bit more about sound cards especially, should/do i need to upgrade to one with more ports etc/audio interface built in?
 
Thirdly, I'm looking to upgrade my pc speakers soon anyway and was wondering what other people used for music production/creating?  I'm still in the stage of learning and was looking for something that wouldn't break the bank. 
 
Finally, I have recorded vocal tracks in to the DP-01 also and can add them but was looking to hopefully be able to do this directly into sonar - looking at a Samson G  Track microphone (with audio interface built in) - does anyone have any knowledge of using these and if so/not can they recommend a decent set up to help me get started? 
 
I know there's a bit to digest there and it takes time to help us newbies get started but I appreciate you getting this far if you have read it all.
 
My pc spec is:
 
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.130828-1532)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
System Model: GA-MA74GM-S2H
BIOS: Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 620 Processor (4 CPUs), ~2.6GHz
Memory: 4096MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 3326MB RAM
Page File: 1758MB used, 4892MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: 120 DPI (125 percent)
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 32bit Unicode
------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 2: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.
--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D: 0/4 (retail)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (retail)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)
---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series
Manufacturer: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Chip type: ATI display adapter (0x9442)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_9442&SUBSYS_05021002&REV_00
Display Memory: 1912 MB
Dedicated Memory: 505 MB
Shared Memory: 1407 MB
Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor Model: Hanns.G HH241
Monitor Id: HSD2275
Native Mode: 1920 x 1080(p) (60.000Hz)
Output Type: DVI
Driver Name: aticfx32.dll,aticfx32.dll,aticfx32.dll,atiumdag.dll,atidxx32.dll,atiumdva.cap
Driver File Version: 8.17.0010.1114 (English)
Driver Version: 8.930.0.0
DDI Version: 10.1
Driver Model: WDDM 1.1
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 2/6/2012 23:02:27, 778752 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
WHQL Date Stamp:
Device Identifier: {D7B71EE2-D702-11CF-E877-0825BEC2C535}
Vendor ID: 0x1002
Device ID: 0x9442
SubSys ID: 0x05021002
Revision ID: 0x0000
Driver Strong Name: oem34.inf:ATI.Mfg.NTx86.6.1:ati2mtag_RV7X:8.930.0.0:pci\ven_1002&dev_9442
Rank Of Driver: 00E62001
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_A ModeMPEG2_C
Deinterlace Caps: {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(YV12,0x32315659) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{3C5323C1-6FB7-44F5-9081-056BF2EE449D}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{552C0DAD-CCBC-420B-83C8-74943CF9F1A6}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC1,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC2,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC3,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC4,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(S340,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(S342,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
D3D9 Overlay: Not Supported
DXVA-HD: Not Supported
DDraw Status: Enabled
D3D Status: Enabled
AGP Status: Enabled
-------------
Sound Devices
-------------
Description: Speakers (High Definition Audio Device)
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0887&SUBSYS_1458A002&REV_1002
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 65535
Type: WDM
Driver Name: HdAudio.sys
Driver Version: 6.01.7601.17514 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
Date and Size: 11/20/2010 10:00:21, 304128 bytes
Other Files:
Driver Provider: Microsoft
HW Accel Level: Basic
Cap Flags: 0xF1F
Min/Max Sample Rate: 100, 200000
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 1, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
HW Memory: 0
Voice Management: No
EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No
Description: Digital Audio (S/PDIF) (High Definition Audio Device)
Default Sound Playback: No
Default Voice Playback: No
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0887&SUBSYS_1458A002&REV_1002
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 65535
Type: WDM
Driver Name: HdAudio.sys
Driver Version: 6.01.7601.17514 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
Date and Size: 11/20/2010 10:00:21, 304128 bytes
Other Files:
Driver Provider: Microsoft
HW Accel Level: Basic
Cap Flags: 0xF1F
Min/Max Sample Rate: 100, 200000
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 1, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
HW Memory: 0
Voice Management: No
EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No
---------------------
Sound Capture Devices
---------------------
Description: Line In (High Definition Audio Device)
Default Sound Capture: Yes
Default Voice Capture: Yes
Driver Name: HdAudio.sys
Driver Version: 6.01.7601.17514 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Date and Size: 11/20/2010 10:00:21, 304128 bytes
Cap Flags: 0x1
Format Flags: 0xFFFFF
 
I think this may be the only info required - let me know if you need more.
 
I would be much appreciative if you could provide me with any answers.
 
Kind Regards
 
BadHoon
 
 

Thanks for such a speedy reply Dubdisciple!
 
I bought the PC nearly 5 years ago now to help me play a few games - I'm not a big gamer but enjoy the total war series but thought it was time i put what power it has to good use.  I also use it for video editing, which is something i know a lot more about than creating music!
 
Running the risk of sounding dumb here - but how do i tweak driver settings? - do you mean within sonar or on the pc itself through device manager?  is this something i can google advice on?  It is a 32 bit system on my pc to my knowledge.  When you say experiment on various modes and mention the mme driver?  What exactly are you referring to? i.e whats mme?
 
Cheers.

Wow!!! look at all of the computer information provided!!!   
 
I am afraid to ask to ask,  how did he enjoy his meal... LOL
 
Peace
 
 

Just an update fellas - and it is positive -changed my driver from WDM/KS to MME and it now plays fine - I must confess, I don't know what all these driver modes are, what they are for or what they mean but it seems to have done the trick!  If anyone can provide any details for a better understanding of these terms it would be much appreciated?  Also, this working means my speakers actually sound quite good!  
 
I googled the M audio M track interface - it looks the ideal bit of kit to get me started and having the MIDI ports built in would help further down the line too.
 
I am still interested in the Samson G Track usb microphone with interface built in, reviews are good and with it being 2 things in one, may save me a penny or two in the short term, if anyone can share any experience about this device or using a mic with an interface built in, that would be great. 

If heading down the path of "getting serious" you definitely want to improve gear. Stepping up your game as you allude to is a good approach. I have never used the M audio M track, so cannot speak to it directly; but for entry-level, it may be more than adequate for your needs.
 
As far as mics, I just got my first condenser mic 4 months ago, and they are incredibly sensitive (pick up everything, and if you drop them, they can be damaged). Depending on your environment, they may require a lot of babying (i.e. environment they are used in), or a digital way to "deal" with the background noise they can grab on you. I have used dynamic mics for years (over 20 now), and they do not require delicate handling and do quite well depending on application, but are typically not as "bright" (which is not necessarily a bad thing). For where you are, a decent XLR dynamic mic may be a better choice to start.