On my system with the Roland ASIO Quad Capture, trying to play back with all the Fx on and latency set to 3 or 4, the play back and record does not crackle, but hiccups - stutters- millisecond skips.  To keep the latency low, I have to turn off all the Fx.  In the Groove 3 video on Sonar it talks about changing the "Buffers in the Playback Que" in Preferences/Driver settings.  However, this must be for WDM drivers as the ability to change the buffer is greyed out.  In the Quad core driver panel, I can change the latency setting, but there is no place to change the play back buffer.  I have tried messing with the I/O buffer settings in Synch and Caching, default is 128 for both and I have tried up and down in multiples; but this doesn't change the incidence of the hicupps.  Any ideas????

Hi Larry,
 
I also use the Roland QUAD-CAPTURE.
 
I do not have any problems myself. I do, however, have an i7, not and i5.
 
My ASIO settings are:-
 
Sample Rate = 44100 Hz
Audio Buffer Size = 4
ASIO Buffer Size  = 96 samples (can't change this)
Use ASIO Direct Monitor = unchecked
Reduce CPU Load = unchecked
Match with the ASIO sample rate = unchecked
 
Also, in Preferences, under MIDI > Playback and Recording I set the Playback Buffer, Prepare Using: to 500 milliseconds
 
Does that help at all?

Hay..i found that Sonar locks the asio mixer for my setup, so, I set up the Audio device applet , before opening any DAW...and making sure the buffers are set up in the Daw to match the asio mixer app setting I set before running the Daw...or making a project...finding the right buffer setting so as to allow enough tracks and plugs to be used with minimal effect on audio with drop out and pops and clicks....latency is not a issue if you monitor from the audio device...But if you monitor through the Daw, play back of recorded tracks ((with effects)) and recording at the same time, then back out to the audio device .. while recording more tracks to it, you will notice cpu issues and latency depending on the system and load being applied to that...
 
Some drivers for High end audio asio allow the Daw to open up its mixer/applet and change things that way, to adjust latency...others allow the Daw to make changes to the Asio mixer and buffer /bit rates and such, with ouot opening the audio mixer applet to make changes through it...So...once in for a pound, you have to make choices to get the penny!...I say put buffer up higher in the audio devices mixer app, then open the Daw and make the preference match it...that might help?

I think now a days you can also have the DAW read ahead certain tracks laid down, and off set them to the rest of the  rest, but I have not gotten into that yet...still trouble shooting here, and testing new ideas and setups...but I know it works something like that...I think....

oh and in preference in the buffer part of the driver section...there is a button to open the ASIO applet for the audio device...if Sonar does not let you make changes in itself...then the audio app should allow when opened...but, also sometimes when a DAW takes the ASIO or other driver...it locks it up...so you have to close the DAW and do as I suggested above in the first post of mine....that's show bizz ...cheers!

You can also make a new project, and load in the stems of the old one/ to ghost you along , without effects...work until you have all recorded tAkes./no effects..a make stems of each track, and import em back to the old project with your effects....once you render accordingly to that projects bit/tempo..it should all line up.