greg54
My audio is distorting in playback when I record guitar - not clean guitar, but OD.   Recording vocals, acoustic guitar or clean guitar is fine.   It's just when I record with a little gain on my guitar.

Now, let's read this carefully (I take the post litterally):
It only distorts when you add gain on your guitar. Guitar settings are not in any connection to the internal life of the DAW/ASIO/CPU or anything.  Twisting the knobs on amp or guitar has no effect on the CPU use, latency or whatever, does it?? Your soundcard and DAW don't know if the signal coming in sounds clean or dirty, it's just a signal which has a level, so how could the CPU/ASIO etc. start acting up with a distorted signal. Isn't it the same as if the sound would suffer  when you change your shoes?
So could it be that adding gain makes the signal clip/distort in Quad Captures input? Or am I totally overlooking something?
 

We visited that long ago. Still, something is up. I vote for audio examples or a project file.

Greg, try this please.

Plug your guitar directly into the Hi-z input on the interface. Set the volumes on the guitar at full and manually adjust the gain on the interface to get your input level to hit around -6 at it's peak (if recording in 24bit then aim for -6 but don't be worried if it spends more time around -12)
Then record this into sonar. Make sure you do this on a new track and you have not adjusted the trim/gain in sonar.
See what happens when you do this and see how it sounds. If all good, then plug all your effects in after the guitar, pop it into the Hi-z input again and do the same process and see if the results are the same.
The wave file you posted above doesn't look too odd, other than being quite low amplitude.

Another thought, are you sure the distortion is coming from the recorded guitar tracks? are you sure that you are not experiencing issues with your monitors? Check using headphones to see if this is the case.

Sanderxpander:  I'll try to get a clip this afternoon.
 
Kalle Rantaaho:  I'm going to try another interface because it may be the Quad Capture.
 
thebiglongy:   I'll try that.   I just ordered new monitors.  My current ones are about 10 years old.   
 
Thanks, everyone!
Greg

greg54
Something I forgot to mention.   Someone posted something (I looked for it but couldn't find it) that said to check the recorded clip to see if the top of where it distorts was cut off.
It is cut off.     What would this mean?
 

That means you're clipping the A/D converter of the audio interface.
Need to record a lower level signal...
With 24Bit resolution, you don't need to record super hot.  
Leave some headroom

Jim Roseberry
That means you're clipping the A/D converter of the audio interface.
Need to record a lower level signal...
With 24Bit resolution, you don't need to record super hot.  
Leave some headroom

 
Jim, I am in no way clipping.  That's been my frustration.   It acts like I'm clipping when I'm not.  In fact, I have been recording with a weak signal, and it still sounds like it's clipping, even though the meter doesn't even get close to the red.
 
Thanks!
Greg

They should allow you to delete posts.   Since they don't, I'll just say, "Nevermind."   :)
 
Greg

You seem pretty sure your not clipping. At which point in the signal chain are you observing this? 
 
It is possible to clip your A/D converters and still end up with a low level coming into Sonar. And where this can happen is when there is a software mixer involved in the chain. Are you looking at the Quad Capture software while recording? I asked if it had this feature and you didn't answer so I looked it up. 
 

• Graphical Control Panel software provides fast, intuitive control of the VS Preamps

I have adjusted all the knobs on the interface and within the Quad Capture's software, and nothing is even close to clipping.  
Sorry for not answering you previously.   I must have missed it.
 
Greg

A project bundle file or even an audio example would really help further troubleshooting. At this point we don't even know what kind of clipping is going on - it certainly doesn't look like digital clipping of the recorded waveform.