HI Craig ...just read your article (again) ...following the advice to disable "other" audio devices ...(in this case, NVIDIA HiDef Audio & VIA HiDef audio) on my ASUS G55V laptop.

The identical situation occurs here also ...in random fashion... so far no definite pattern to the problem.
We're a busy studio for hire ... far more projects are completed with no problems than those with these audio problems... (btw: I have reported these here including one you commented on ...your advice was followed)

1.
...projects typically consist of :
Addictive Drums 2
3 - 5 recorded guitar tracks ...mostly mono tracks
1 bass track (mono)
3-5 vocals (all mono)

>>>OR>>>
2.
(the most recent project I finished contained )
8 instances of Komplete Kontrol
Addictive Drums 2
Z3ta+
Auria Mini
NO VOCAL

The project most likely to display audio "problems" are guitar as in ex 1.

Our last exchange on this dealt with a low "buzz"... it's not a 60 cycle hum, btw
I have written Focusrite about this ... there are several topics describing similar circumstance on MAC ...nothing for PC.

Since the problem is random (on the order of 1 in 40 ~) ...I have not catalogued common elements to accurately reveal what may be causing this...

I move ahead with things in the while ..because paychecks happen when I do!

As per our last exchange, I've more or less eliminated software as the likely culprit ...
However ...the situation only occurs when using SONAR X3e...

Projects that will experience problems always start up with a noticeable "POP"... that's the only detail I've found so far that is common to all "problem" projects

In addition ...after "LOTS" of playback whilst refining a mix ...the audio engine will stop ... (as you suggested long ago ...I just wait for it all to "catch up"... sure enough ... I go away for 2 minutes ...SONAR displays the audio dropout dialogue ... I restart the audio engine and we're good to go ...sometimes for the rest of a workday (8-12 hours)

SONAR and the ASUS G55V get a real workout ...almost every day.
Mostly ...things go very smoothly ...and satisfactory to clients...

The OP mentioned "crackles and pops" ...which caught my attention as I've devoted a couple hours today to research this situation and find cures....

If nothing else has been learned here ... we've found that patience and careful attention to workflow has always revealed a cure for most problems ...I suspect this problem to be 85% hardware and 15% SONAR...

I should also mention my dedication to Cakewalk SONAR (Pro Audio, and future evolutions) ...and my appreciation for your sharing so much with so many... can we have a PAIA project to build a better iPad?
hahahhahahahaha...

Thanks to All for this helpful thread.

I have had similar problems. I have created many projects, and, every once in a while, I run into constant snap crackle and pops.   I do not know why it happens on some projects, and not on others.  I just had one today and solved it by changing the mixing latency setting to complete left - "Fast" on the preferences menu under driver settings.  This solved the problem.

The OP never mentioned in his specs which audio interface they were using?? 
Crackles and pops are not only DPCL related. Drivers can also cause havoc.. MME mode or the wrong ASIO drivers as example.  
Everyone should check their system with a DPCLAT utility. 
I'm surprised it is not as well documented in the instructions. 
For windows 7 this handy free utility works fine:
 
 http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml
 
This one is more involved and works for W 7 and W 8 
http://www.resplendence.com/latencymon
 
 
 
 
 

Try the test I describe in the following post (I just posted it about 2 minutes ago):
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/3124088
 
Bob Bone

If it's only 1 project that has this prob & your other projects are ok....(I had this once).
I saved the project in a new folder, somewhere else under a different name....and saved it as a bundle so the audio is also saved in the new folder.......that fixed it for me...
 
good luck

OP,
I get this problem as well, with some degree of frequency. I can see the usage on the first CPU core goes up into the redline when it happens. Usually I can clear it up by bypassing the effects bin on the main-buss, disabling/re-enabling, or deleting and re-inserting a synth.
 
http://axiology.bandcamp.com

Karyn
Glad you got it sorted Michael,  if freezing synths cured it, it simply means you need a faster computer to run everything "live".

^^^ this