There is a huge clue in your report.  You have your CPU dynamically changing speed.  This is often the type of thing that can cause your problem.  You need to sort this out first.  As I have said previously in this thread, at the very least, you should go into advanced power settings and set the minimum processor state to 100%

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU SPEED
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Reported CPU speed:                                   3500.0 MHz
Measured CPU speed:                                   2843.0 MHz (approx.)

Note: reported execution times may be calculated based on a fixed reported CPU speed. Disable variable speed settings like Intel Speed Step and AMD Cool N Quiet in the BIOS setup for more accurate results.

There are also guides on the internet about disabling speed step, etc.

Nicely put, drew.

I read beeps posts. I only bounce in real time if I'm using external FX. I never bounce in real time to help the dither.

Daylaa
I hate to be the bearer of confusing news - but I have tonight attempted to reproduce the issue by changing the record and render settings back to '64' and then pushing up my sound card buffers to 1024.
 
The Pro Channel continued to operate seamlessly - whilst this sounds like a positive thing, it surely means that we haven't yet found the cause of the problem?
 
*Edit: I have experienced days of seamless Pro Channel operation before only to switch on another day to find the problem has returned.

I wouldn't be so ready to discount this as part of the issue (if not all).  Even though you were able to have things running seamlessly when you returned your settings to the non-optimal (or rather redundant) record bit settings, it's not conclusive that it wasn't the issue in the first place.  It might be that it takes a certain number of recorded tracks for the problem to resurface or a race condition where parts of your system are being more taxed.
 
Either way, I would definitely return to the settings recommended by Noel from Cakewalk, and enjoy using your system until the issue returns.  Hopefully it won't ever return...

So... I'm guessing here... but I'll bet that the scanner wasn't causing a prob just when you twiddled the eq nobs. I think it was burning your processer every time you hit stop and it had new files to scan. It was checking them for issues and working your processor. The bigger the files, the longer it took.
 
When you messed with your FX, you just didn't have enough processor to spare for real-time audio. That's my bet.
 
I always turn off that scanner before a recording session. When I'm doing one track at a time (just me in my studio) it doesn't slow me down, but when I'm doing 8 or 16 and running for an hour before I hit stop... then it's an issue.

Daylaa and OBHave,
 
If you are using windows 8,

• hit the Windows Button and type 'Scan for Malware'.
• Under the settings category, launch the scanner. It will begin to scan.
• Hit the Cancel Scan button.
• Click the Settings Tab.
• Uncheck Turn on real-time protection
• Click the Save Changes Button

If you do these things, when you hit stop within Sonar and the files are released, Windows will not try to scan them. Windows only scans them once, and it isn't normally too much overhead. The overhead point where it's a problem within Sonar will be different for different users. I can record 4-5 tracks at 24 bit 48 on my old laptop with no issues. When the count gets to 10, I can end up with dropouts when I record for a while, stop (closing the files) and immediately start recording again. The Windows Scanner will scan the large files and can be ungracious about its resource consumption. It will immediately start reading the 10 files from same drive I'm trying to write 10 new files to.
 
I normally leave Windows Defender checked and on, but I turn it off before big sessions. I have a DAW much like Daylaa's, built by Jim at Studio Cat (thanks Jim!!) and I have never actually encountered this problem on my current Daw.
 
Daylaa and OBHave, if you want to smoke this out, ensure you have Windows Defender enabled and bump up your File Bit Depth and start a new project and record 10 waves for an hour. Hit stop > then hit record again with ten tracks record-enabled and start twiddling your FX pots. See if that doesn't do you.
 
** The scanner is a double hit. It works your processer and reads from your drives. If you have lots of large files you are trying to write to the same drive that the scanner is trying to read from, it creates extra overhead. Interestingly, RME has a recorder that writes all the waves to a single file, making the task of thread switching easier for the PC. You can record with less overhead when all the tracks are written to a single file, but then there is additional overhead after the session when you have to split up the Waves. I haven't actually done a side-by side to get actual numbers of maximum tracks on the same PC using Sonar vs RME DigiCheck so it's possible they are equivalent. But I think DigiCheck can write more based on my load experience making recordings. I believe Windows Defender is multi-threaded meaning it will concurrently scan all 10 new files when you hit stop. If you use DigiCheck, there is only 1 new file to scan, if the scanner is enabled (granted it's much larger but a single thread will be created and the file will be scanned serially rather than all ten smaller files which are scanned concurrently creating extra concurrent load on the drive and processers).

Just went back into my power management settings again and this time it said '100%' so I may have accidentally been looking at the 'power save option' (5%) before. It says I have 'High performance' active.

Just an update for you all...
 
Tonight the problem has returned! But after a while of not really doing anything other than adding synths to a test project and tweaking the Pro Channel EQ - it has stopped.
I have checked MIDI tracks vs Audio tracks - at first it looked as though it might have been the audio tracks that caused the worst problem - but then the issue vanished completely.
 
Tonight it seems like a strange latency has joined in the fun. The audio 'over runs' and motor boats/pops when I start and stop playback. That's new.
 
RAIN assure me that they made every 'tweak' an audio PC could ever want and that nothing is running in the background that could be causing an issue. He is still gonna dial into my PC hopefully this week to see again for himself.
 
What the hell is going on. This has been going on for months and months.

Dave,
 
When you faced the issue, did you launch LatencyMon and see what was happening? That is definitely the tool that can point you to the problem.
 
Edit: Well it aught to be able to. hmmm feels all insecure suddenly. ;-)

I have just noticed that when I start or stop a Windows Media player video, I get pops.
Is this telling me something?
 
thebiglongy: I've seen that mentioned lots but never understood what it's for?

Silicon Audio
There is a huge clue in your report.  You have your CPU dynamically changing speed.  This is often the type of thing that can cause your problem.  You need to sort this out first.  As I have said previously in this thread, at the very least, you should go into advanced power settings and set the minimum processor state to 100%

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU SPEED
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Reported CPU speed:                                   3500.0 MHz
Measured CPU speed:                                   2843.0 MHz (approx.)

Note: reported execution times may be calculated based on a fixed reported CPU speed. Disable variable speed settings like Intel Speed Step and AMD Cool N Quiet in the BIOS setup for more accurate results.

There are also guides on the internet about disabling speed step, etc.

+1 if this hasn't been handled already...

Daylaa
Just went back into my power management settings again and this time it said '100%' so I may have accidentally been looking at the 'power save option' (5%) before. It says I have 'High performance' active.

Change your minimum processor state to 100% and the dropouts should go away. 
 

Paul P
What affect might this have on fan noise ?  If you set your CPU to run full blast all the time, won't it run hot ?

Paul, for me, I can set the System and CPU fan speeds at different temperatures. When I'm tracking, I don't use FX inside Sonar. I use the Reverb in my Interface. I sometimes output soft-synths or metronome clicks from Sonar. I turn off everything in my PC I don't need and reduce the fan speeds at lower temperatures. I leave the fan speeds where they are at higher temperatures, but my PC doesn't normally reach them when I'm just recording a band.
 
When I mix, I run with everything on my PC Enabled (like Gobbler) and the Fans at their default levels.
 
To tell the truth, the loudest thing I have is the heat pump in my house. When I know I'm having people over, I crank the heat until they arrive and then turn it off. It gets steadily cooler, but it's quiet.

Jimusic - I will let you off on this occasion simply because you are from Vancouver (or thereabouts) and I used to live there too. And it's great.
 
I have already looked at the minimum processor speed and mine is set at 100%.
 
Can anyone comment on why my Windows Media Player pops? Does this indicate a possible soundcard issue?
 
 

hockeyjx
If you were handy with PC's and reinstalling the OS and everything, I would suggest that because of the amount time you've spent on this.
 
Obviously, by spec, your machine is just fine. But something is just wrong. If you try/or have tried the separate interface and it still doesn't work (I think you did an X3 re-install as well), you may want to considering bribing an IT friend to redo your machine. I am in IT and at a point, the time trying to solve a problem(that doesn't seems to be one the majority do not have) is not worth it and a "nuke and pave" is in order. 
 
I am aware that involves a lot of programs to reinstall and such, but may be a better use of your time. Sometimes these bloody boxes have GREMLINS in them.

Hey Hockeyjx.
 
I WISH I knew more about PC's. It definitely seems like the folks on here who have the 'know how' definitely have a better experience of Sonar. I never imagined upgrading my home studio would be such a technical nightmare. 
 
Just to update you - I am using X2, not X3. And I am yet to do a full re-install of X2 because I'm not confident enough to do it (unless you could kindly show me/tell me how.) I would like to do this.
 
The guys who built my PC (Rain) remotely accessed my machine a couple of weeks ago and said they could find nothing wrong. However, why is a machine as powerful as mine experiencing such annoying issues? Popping when starting/stopping audio in Windows Media Player is the latest?!
 
I am also yet to try a different audio interface because I can't get hold of one to borrow. I even went into a music shop and asked to 'rent' one. The guy gave me a strange look.
 
 
 

Daylaa
Jimusic - I will let you off on this occasion simply because you are from Vancouver (or thereabouts) and I used to live there too. And it's great.

 
I was hoping you'd get a kick out of that!  Can't imagine you'd leaver Vancouver or surrounding areas or anywhere in BC, unless you had little choice in the matter. 
 
But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
 

Daylaa
I have already looked at the minimum processor speed and mine is set at 100%.
 
Can anyone comment on why my Windows Media Player pops? Does this indicate a possible soundcard issue?
 

 
 I'm sorry - I wish I could help.
 
I too think I had the same thing happen, but never found out what it was.
 
My sound card is in top notch shape though, so I don't think that's it.