Here's a weird question. I have both Home Studio 6 and X3 (brand new).
I have "share drivers" checked in both programs. 
When either program is running, if I play an mp3 thru either Windows Media Player or another player called Foobar, the SONAR connection to the audio driver crashes. SONAR wont play. Same thing happens when I'm at Lynda.com and watching one of the tutorial movies there.
However, I can use an older version of Nero Wave editor to listen to mp3s, all day long, and SONAR has no problem with that. Both programs can be running at the same time. I cant find anything in the Nero preferences or system that would explain this.
 
I dont know if this is the issue, but, my soundcard isnt great. Its a Soundblaster, it did not come with actual ASIO drivers, so I'm having to use this third party interface thing called ASIO4ALL. Maybe some of you are familiar with it. Even if I got a better soundcard, with real ASIO drivers, I still dont know if this shared drivers issue would clear up.
 
Any other suggestions? Any help would be appreciated.

The short answer is you need a proper audio/midi interface with GOOD drivers. 
Your set up has a long history of issues. Both Soundblaster cards and asio4all rarely work with modern versions of any DAW. 
My answer is $300 software does not work with a $10 audio device. 

Using windows 8.1.1
Sonar 8.5.3 and X3
X3 will lose or hold the sound drivers when attempting to use web browser.
Way annoying.
8.5.3 does not do this. I can record from a web browser into a track in sonar.
Not so with X3.
 
'Tis beyond stupid when I press F1 to open the online help and Sonar becomes quiet. The transport works, just no sound.
 
Using ASIO drivers for sonar and the windows driver for all other programs.

OK so its not just me. and buying a "Real" soundcard with ASIO drivers may, or may not, correct the problem. Good to know.
 
Thank you.

I think the problem is that ASIO really doesn't like to share its drivers. A dedicated (pro audio) soundcard will definitely benefit you when it comes to recording and mixing.  Any of the non dedicated soundcards will most likely give you a lot of headaches/frustrations. You can get a fairly good audio interface for around $100 (check the Focusrite products.....excellent driver support).
 
You can try using the WDM driver when playing multiple formats of audio and see if that works.

I use the share drivers option and I switch between all sorts of music apps all the time. I will have Sonar , Wave Lab, Nero and Win Amp open and all will play just fine. I've done this on all my DAW computers for years now. I disable the on board sound card because I don't need it. 
 
Only conflict you occasionally run into, is if you try and play a 48Hz song in one app and the other app is set up for 44.1. 
 
I'll almost guarantee you will be very happy you bought an audio interface. Overall it's the only way to work properly without issues with audio. ( and midi)  But stick with recommended brands like Focusrite, Tascam, Roland, Steinberg, Prosonus etc. Of course RME and Lynx are the leaders but that's a lot of moola. 
Make a list of what sort of connectivity you need and look at sites like Sweetwater for pricing and reviews. The reviews are just a general feel and don't believe the complainers who will complain because they are having issues like "it sounds terrible" they are idiots who should take up another hobby. 
 
 

As said above,...When one opens sonar, and then another prog using same driver...one prog using one samlpe rate set to record and playback, and the other a different one may open a file of a differing sample rate...You will get a issue with conflicting sample rates, and if Sonar will loose that connection for its sample rate and use there of of that device, as the driver will change the sample rate to play the other file, if it is not locked, and sharing unlocks it..I believe...The Sonar project will not have things set right for that driver, when the change occurs....if that occurs....
 
My solution is to get a audio device with a few ins and outs...say four or more....And use that driver for sonar ....the onboard driver for windows...and run a stereo line out of the computers on board audio device, into one stereo pairing of the Newly added audio card....and when you want to listen to something outside of Sonar...it uses the on board audio chip and outs..into the external new audio device..And plays back through, in Sonar...So you loose no driver, or share no device or driver.
 
 
Might have to tweak the system devices. ons and offs, of redundant devices, to get no shared IRQs, or as few shared devices as possible on Irq's///to reduce clicks and pops that sort of sharing IRQ thing causes...
 
 
 
 
Works here.

WDM didnt work for me. Same problem, video tutorial starts, X3 loses connection to audio output device.
 
I think a simpler workaround thats free, for me, is to keep using NEro Wave Editor to preview and chop up exported wavs from sonar, and play mp3s etc, while X3 is running, because that works
 
and if I want to watch the lynda.com tutorials, I'll drap my laptop over and put it on the table next to me and watch on there.
 
Thanks to all of you for your suggestions, but, I'm not buyng a 500 dollar interface just yet. MAybe one day.
 
 

roddey_phipps
WDM didnt work for me. Same problem, video tutorial starts, X3 loses connection to audio output device.
 
I think a simpler workaround thats free, for me, is to keep using NEro Wave Editor to preview and chop up exported wavs from sonar, and play mp3s etc, while X3 is running, because that works
 
and if I want to watch the lynda.com tutorials, I'll drap my laptop over and put it on the table next to me and watch on there.
 
Thanks to all of you for your suggestions, but, I'm not buyng a 500 dollar interface just yet. MAybe one day.
 

 
$150 will get you TASCAM's US-2x2 2 in/2 out interface with excellent audio quality, MIDI I/O, and well-written drivers. The Focusrite 2i2 is similar in performance and price (although it doesn't have MIDI I/O). However, I just tried what you're trying to do with Windows' MME drivers, and had no problem playing music from SONAR, Windows Media Player, and listening to videos on YouTube...although I will say the combination wasn't a particularly great mashup 
 
WDM/KS is a whole different thing. Not all laptops and soundcards support it by any means. MME is universal, but requires higher latency settings to work properly.
 
ASIO delivers the highest performance, but its preferred mode is to work with a single program and interface. ASIO4ALL is not ASIO. It is a "wrapper" for the Windows driver that fools a program into thinking it's seeing an ASIO interface. Also, it's important to understand that the share drivers option allows other software to access device drivers only when SONAR is not the focus of Windows.
 

MME worked! thanks!
 
about the interface... I do a lot of live band recording and so I need at least 8 live simultaneous lines in. I've looked around. Theres a nice scarlett but theres nothing with 8 for 200 bucks.
 
Right now I'm using another machine to do my recording, its an old XP machine with the Delta 1010LT, and it works fine for what I'm doing. I transfer all the files over to a big powerful Windows 7 machine for mixing (thats the one I have been asking about, with the cheap but decent soundcard).
 
I've thought many times, I need to move everything over to this Windows 7 machine, but its expensive. So far what I'm doing is satisfactory. The audio interface is on my wishlist, but, if you're like me, theres always a zillion expenses in real life. Just yesterday i realized my DI box for bass guitar was crapping out so I had to plunk down 200 bucks for a decent Radial.
 
One day I'll get the Scarlett, but, I'm in the mode of basically just keeping everything I have now, working... perhaps you know the feeling. This recording, especially when its tied into a small home studio, can get very expensive very quickly... and with a wife, a mortgage, three cars, a kid getting ready for college... all this takes a back seat unless something required, breaks.