I'm still learning everything
 
Greg

Well, everything checks out fine.   I just recorded some things, and it's still not right.   Maybe it's the Quad-Capture itself (?).
 
Greg

I guess you might have some driver issues or something, try the DPC latency checker. 
 
do it right away 

It is impossible to say without knowing more about the setup. Such as:
Record Mode (for example ASIO or WDM)
Sample Rate
Latency information (ASIO buffers or WDM settings)
from SONAR preferences would be a start

 

The below tweaks, are referenced from the following thread: http://forum.cakewalk.com/The-Sonar-x64Windows-7-x64-Install-Tweaks-Compatibility-Thread-m1862515.aspx
 
Did you disable core-parking for Windows 7?
 
"- Core Parking:  Is a new features in Windows 7 that may be very handy for laptop computers, but not very convenient for systems where high performance is needed at all times.  You can google it if you want to learn more about it.  But, to disable it, you'll need to do the following (skip this if you're not comfortable editing the Registry): 
  
Go to Regedit and find the following key (use the "Find..." command under "Edit" to make this easier): 
  
0cc5b647-c1df-4637-891a-dec35c318583 
  
Within this key, change the values called "Value Min" and "ValueMax" to 0.  You'll have to find the key a few times (press F3) and adjust the values each time.  The number of instances depends on the number of power profiles in your system.  When you're done, do a cold shutdown/power on. 
   
[Thanks to TomG and sky60234 for providing this awesome tweak]
"
 
And using the Unified Preferences view, in the SONAR configuration file, did you try setting the ThreadSchedulingModel section at both 1 and 2?
 
"9- Sonar Tweaks: 
* Improved Multi-Core load balancing  [From Noel's SONAR 8.3 Log] 
  
Since all systems are not made equal we decided to make this new scheduling mode configurable. 
From the help file, the new aud.ini option to control this is: 
  
ThreadSchedulingModel=<0 - 2>  
Type Integer  
Default 1 
  
This variable goes in the [Wave] section and controls the interaction of the main audio thread and worker threads on multiprocessor systems when the Use Multiprocessing Engine option is enabled. Depending on the system, a particular model may result in less glitching and better overall performance. The values are as follows: 
  
............0 = Same as previous versions of SONAR. 
............1 = (default) Better thread balance. Model is more efficient and can provide cycles for other tasks. 
............2 = Additional worker thread is created. This may result in improvement with Quad processor systems or higher. Not recommended for Dual processor systems."
 
To change in SONAR X series, open Unified Preferences view, and under Audio>Configuration File (Advanced view), look on the right and find the section "ThreadSchedulingModel". Change the number to 1 or 2. Check which one works best for you.
 
Also, I would advise, if you are using any softsynths or effects (except any used when recording the Lead guitar), bounce them to audio, to free up any cpu power you can free up.
 
After making the above tweaks, run your project and see how it goes?

To be honest, some things are over my head right now.  I will try what I can figure out.
I really appreciate everyone's help!
 
Greg

Take your time.
 
Get some relaxation.
 
When you feel clear headed, go ahead and try to troubleshoot the problem, again. Back off when needed and repeat the process.
 
I tried to be detailed with how to do some things I posted.
 
If you have some unclearness with some of the terms, such as "bounce to audio," search the SONAR Help or SONAR Reference manual for "bouncing tracks," "Freeze," "Real Time Bounce," and "Fast Bounce." It may help.
 
Also, ask more questions, if that will be more helpful to you.
 
You will be OK, just hang in there.

Thanks!  I appreciate it!
Greg

So I decided to try and record guitar direct.   Sound is better, but the volume is really loud during playback.   I have the Volume knob on the Quad-Capture at 9 o'clock.  The signal is not hot at all.   The wave form is small, but during playback it's just loud.
 
Anyway, I checked the driver settings on the Quad-Capture. 
ASIO buffer size is 256.
Sample rate is 44100
It's set for Low latency.
There is an unchecked box that says "Use ASIO Direct Monitor"
Under "Windows Sound Setting" there is another unchecked box that says "Match with the ASIO sample rate."
 
Do these settings seem right?    I uninstalled the old drivers for the QuadCapture and installed new ones, so I don't know if there needs to be some kind of audio adjustment (?) that's causing the volume level to be so loud during playback.
 

IMHO, I dont think those settings and your DAW should have any trouble to playback 20 audio tracks. No tweaking should be necessary to playback with 256 samples.  
 
Thats why you should check with DPC latency checker if you have any issues, this tool shows if there are any drivers etc which causes spikes and trouble. 
 
Check with DPC, and post your result here.