Just for "fun" I re-installed the same driver I used to have with my 580, version 320.18, same problem. In any case I'm quite simply unable to believe that either a video card or a mouse driver (the fader itself is being problematic, mouse or midi controller) could somehow interfere with a professional daw. Especially when the rest of the audio software works fine (and the daw itself used to perform as intended). Yes I meant recorded automation, I edited the post, sorry about that. During the recording of the automation, there is indeed the noise. Speaking of which, I used my X-Fi's What U Hear feature to record the fader noise, for those who are curious. Not sure where the odd ringing comes from, possibly the X-Fi's rather crappy recorder, but you can still clearly hear, in succession, the volume fader, the pan fader and then the gain fader. Bonus: a click upon pressing Stop, despite having a long enough Fade Out on Stop to normally avoid this.
Here it is on soundcloud: http://bit.ly/1lqFBl5
 
This guy here http://forum.cakewalk.com/Sonar-Faders-Make-Noise-When-Using-SPDIF-and-Analog-outs-m2437639.aspx had a similar problem, it would seem. He probably went on to keep using DAWs that don't have such highly illogical and apparently unsolvable issues. I'm rather tempted myself.

Try moving the graphics card to a different slot if possible.  

Spencer
 
This guy here http://forum.cakewalk.com/Sonar-Faders-Make-Noise-When-Using-SPDIF-and-Analog-outs-m2437639.aspx had a similar problem, it would seem. He probably went on to keep using DAWs that don't have such highly illogical and apparently unsolvable issues. I'm rather tempted myself.

Snarky and unfounded. The gentlemen's most recent post discussed using X3. Not sure how that helps your cause but you know best.
 
Good luck

I know you are frustrated, but please understand that we are trying to help you get to the bottom of this, so that you can get it sorted out.
 
I FIRMLY believe this issue is system-specific, because this is not an issue that is being reported by a bunch of folks, regardless of what you believe can or cannot be the root cause.
 
So, you can either provide the information we request - which may indeed be barking up the wrong tree (in which case we will figure that out and adjust our questions appropriately), or you can choose to not help us to help you, in which case there's not much value in continuing the thread.
 
Let's take a fresh look at what and how you are running, and go from there.
 
1.  What is the ASIO Buffer Size set to for your audio interface?
2.  In Sonar, what is the Driver Mode set to, and what does Sonar report your Total Roundtrip Latency to be?
3.  Does this noise happen in ALL projects, some projects, or just 1 project?
4.  Have you tried starting a new project and recording, with NO effects loaded at all, and then tested to see if the noise is still present?
5.  IF your audio interface is connected to your computer through a USB port, is it connected through a USB 3 port, or through a USB 2 port?
6.  Is ASIO4ALL installed on your system, even if it there but not used?
 
Thanks, I will do my best to help you get this squared away - just hang in there.  I look forward to your providing info as requested for each of the above items.
 
Bob Bone
 

Spencer,
If you are on Win 7, try turning on the Aero interface. This is supposed to offload graphics chores to the GPU rather than the CPU. This helped with crackles and pops on my system although I am sure you have a much beefier setup than I do. You don't need all the snazzy Aero features, I turned off everything but smooth screen fonts so it looks exactly the same as non-Aero.
Also there was a thread within the last two months describing a high end Nvidia card switching power modes. This caused problems similar to yours. There was a registry or GPU control panel option to keep the GPU in one power mode. I tried to find this thread but could not. Maybe someone here can direct you to it.
Michael
 

Spencer,
Here is the thread describing the issue. It is PCI-E video card switching between PCI-E mode 1.1 and 2.0.
http://forum.cakewalk.com/Sound-Crackling-CPU-Latencies-When-MultiDock-Maximized-m2921285-p2.aspx
post # 49, near the end.
 
Michael
 

robert_e_bone
1.  What is the ASIO Buffer Size set to for your audio interface?
-192
2.  In Sonar, what is the Driver Mode set to, and what does Sonar report your Total Roundtrip Latency to be?
-ASIO, 44.1KHz, 24bit, 10.1ms roundtrip
3.  Does this noise happen in ALL projects, some projects, or just 1 project?
-All projects, old and new.
4.  Have you tried starting a new project and recording, with NO effects loaded at all, and then tested to see if the noise is still present?
-Yes. As long as there is any discernable low frequency content, be it a synth or sample, it will click and pop and the fader will make the noise when moved. There's nothing else at all in the project. Not related to PDC either.
5.  IF your audio interface is connected to your computer through a USB port, is it connected through a USB 3 port, or through a USB 2 port?
-My sound card is Firewire. Focusrite Saffire Pro24dsp.
6.  Is ASIO4ALL installed on your system, even if it there but not used?
-No. Never installed that.
 

I did the PCie tweak, hopeful it would help, and I guess it kind of does since the clicks do seem less numerous, but they're still there, and the fader still makes noise when moved. To be truthful I hate nVidia's drivers, their software team is full of completely hopeless dweebs and they always break important stuff (their latest work of art is messing up texture filter clamping), however in this case, if my new card really is the culprit, which would leave me truly dumbfounded, IMHO it's on Cakewalk's end since nothing else in my vast list of audio software is affected by it. Really, sometimes I think it's just too bad that every single other daw's interface is abysmal compared to Sonar. Certainly would save me some headaches otherwise. What a finnicky, annoying audio engine.
 
Tried disabling aero, didn't help, instead left me traumatized. Good lord. Never again.
My specs are i5 2500k 4.4ghz, asus p8z68v/gen3, 2x4gb g.skill 1600mhz ddr3, zotac gtx770 4gb, crucial m4 ssd 128gb, assortment of 5-6TB worth of secondary drives, good old Novation X-Station 49 with the upper octave not working so well anymore, 800w mushkin PSU, vestigial 5.25" bay hard drive cooler from 10 years ago with a non-connected 150gb Raptor drive in it, but more importantly it has a still functional scrolling LED display which says "Apple Sucks!!". Ties the box together like nothing else.

I have had video issues in the past - cannot recall details, but DO remember that I chucked the 2 high-end cards I was using and LITERALLY moved to driving 2 HDTV's I use as display monitors with simply the on-board video.
 
For my setup, 1 display is connected to the motherboard's HDMI port, and I connect the other one using a plain old VGA cable.  My two displays are a 32" HDTV and a 46" HDTV, and just using the on-board video works just fine for me with Sonar.
 
The reason I mentioned all of the above, is to suggest - just for a test - that you simply pull the video card and try using your on-board video, IF present.
 
Bob Bone
 

Unfortunately that's not a possible workaround. I'll chuck sonar long before I chuck my graphics card. Other daws don't have such non-sensical problems.
 
@John I tried, didn't help.