I had the disk manager open and noticed on the hard disk monitor that the clicks occurred when the 10 mbs rate was approached.  I do have a SSD available.  would I be able to reduce or eliminate the clicks if I incorporated the SSD?  If so, which files should be run from the SSD?  The machine I'm running is a core i7, 3.4 gHz, 16 gig ram with a focusrite liquid saffire 56 interface.  thanks for any help.  I should add, the clicks occurred while playing back 4 tracks recorded at 176 kHz, 24 bit.  it was just a test

Hello Steve
 
Confused sorry about the context of all this.
Where/what is Disk Manager?
Where/what is hard disk monitor?
What is your definition of a click? You mean crackle? Through the speakers or is the hard drive itself making the noise?
 
May I suggest updating your footer to be similar to mine, not sure what version of Windows and Sonar you are running for instance.
 
Thanks..

Sounds like your settings are just hitting the edge of your capabilities for your setup.
 
Also, I realize it was a test, but as pointed out in a rather in-depth thread here in the forum, there is at best a point of diminishing returns as one samples at higher and higher rates.
 
The link to that thread is: http://forum.cakewalk.com/The-science-of-sample-rates-m2969534.aspx
 
I choose 24-bit at 48 k, with an ASIO Buffer Size of 128, and have zero dropouts, crackles, and can literally run as many tracks as I feel like without ever having to worry about it.  These settings give me sub-10ms total roundtrip latency, and I am quite content with this.
 
Bob Bone
 
 
 

+1 the system specs and to Bob's point above.
 
As you get your system set for how you intend to use it, you will also need to find the sweet spot on your audio buffer, and I/O buffers... these values are dependent on your system, and adding additional flow paths (like another drive) will affect this as well, so keep that in mind. (Edit: here is a post with some info on how to find that "sweet spot")
 
As far as "placement" of an SSD, the optimal usage is as the OS/programs/plug-in drive, and not partitioned in any way. This will give you the best bang-for-the-buck usage, as their advantage is incredible read speeds and the OS/program/plug-in drive (C drive) is the one that needs this most. Samples (which can eat a LOT of space) are best to put on another magnetic HDD.

thanks Alex for the suggestion of the footer.  some clarification: the disk manager I was meaning was the task manager when I push ctl-alt-del.  sorry for my confusion on that.  I was able to look at a graph showing the hard disk transfer (rates?).  also, the sound is not from the hard disk, so I would guess the program output cant keep up with my settings. 

thanks Robert for the link.  I printed it out and will read it in a few minutes.

Had I known the thread I above had posted the link to would have degenerated into where it is now, I would have skipped posting it.  :)
 
Good luck with it all - post back if after reducing your sample rate you still have problems with dropouts, crackles, and pops and such, and I will do my best to assist.
 
For me, ANY CD-quality song, and most commercial MP3's, sound WAY better than anything I heard growing up.  I listened to AM monophonic radio, and many of my favorite 'B' science fiction movies were in black and white.
 
I am these days happily spending my time creating music without system issues or sound quality issues, using the settings I had posted.  
 
My recommendation is that you find settings that you are happy with, that are in the 'sweet spot' for your system, where they just 'work' without constantly having to do battle with dropouts and all of that.
 
Bob Bone
 

What motherboard? HDD controller?...As I have found on the internet, that certain Marvel 91xx, or J-micron controllers Put on some motherboards are buggy....and also, some do not play well with SSD drives.
 
Not saying this is the issue or causing the problem , But something to look into on the net.
 
So you should put up a detailed system Spec, and brand names, and dig deep into the features of the motherboard, and add on cards, OS, and software installed and or running in the background, for a nice posting so more can address and try to route it out better.
 
As Bob once mentioned to me, ..He stopped using SSDs, cause there were too many issues for him with them....And it went over my head...and I continued to over look that statement, which possibly killed the onboard controller, or something else...RMAing the board cleared the issue with a exact replacement of the brand and make and revision number...So no ssd for me...until I find the next board solution and R&D'd controller for them ssds.
 
Hope I do not lead you down the wrong road...but looking into it would be something to check.
 
And Post more specifics of your system...it really helps.
 
Best wishes.

The easiest solution for you right off the bat is to simply lower your sample rate to 44.1KHz. That alone will greatly reduce the throughput requirements of your disk drive. With an i7 and 16GB you should be able to play hundreds of tracks without artifacts. If that doesn't do the trick, increase your buffer size, which will ease the load on the CPU (although it sounds like I/O is your primary bottleneck).
 
The SSD will serve you best if it's reserved for your project and audio files. However, if the SSD isn't big enough for all your projects (eventually, it won't be) you could also just add another conventional drive and dedicate it to audio files.
 
This is based on the assumption that you're recording and playing audio files. Software synthesizers and sample players are another can o' worms. People who use samplers heavily will often add a third disk drive just for sample libraries.

The I/O playback and Recording buffers effect Disk Percentage. So increase those I/O buffers and your good to go. ASIO and WDM driver settings effect CPU %, so those settings may be good. But your I/O buffers are not!
 
Cj