Problem with sync of audio tracks

Using Sonar4, all patches up-to-date, Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor.

And, yes, I'm a clueless newbie, but I did try to find a clue here and elsewhere, to no avail. Maybe someone here can help.

If I record my midi tracks to audio, then record a separate vocal track using the 1st audio track for cuing, the 2 audio tracks do not sync on playback - even weirder is that it is an incrementally increasing dis-synchronicity - eg, it starts in sync, but at measure 15 it is approx 1 beat off, and by measure 60 the two are a full measure or more off. So, I can't just nudge it.

The second audio track plays back faster.

I tried a work around by recording the midi to audio, then laying in the vocal track using the midi for the cuing, then combining the two audios - and that worked fine for synching - but I then experience instrumental dropouts, pops and crackles on the combined track that are not present in the "original" audios.

My project requires the use of multiple audio tracks, so I'm hoping someone here can help. Thanks!

Thank you for your reply - but yes, my timing method & master were correct.

I did get the problem solved - I hadn't gone far enough in disabling the nasty little internal soundcard on my computer (classic case of too many clocks spoiling the broth, *grin). Once the initialization file was deleted, then deselecting everything except the I/Os I use on the Audigy, everything synched up quite nicely. Whew!

I would like to figure out the dropout problem when combining audio tracks, tho. But one step at a time.