Someone please add all these good tips to a list....
*Also, I do the Windows pending thing too.

azslow3
Have you tried to match Windows settings to what you use in projects?
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-other_settings/how-to-change-sound-control-panel-settings-in/5a70718b-7ecf-4547-a64a-22efda8da0c2?auth=1
I mean if your projects are 48kHz/24bit, setting the same for Windows sounds can prevent or at least reduce glitches.
Sometimes required combination is not in the list, getting it there is hardware/driver specific.
 

Thanks, that was exactly the problem.  Once I changed the Windows settings to match my settings in Sonar (48kHz/24bit) the problem is solved.  I just had to check on the ASIO Buffer size in my Saffire control panel, which changed on it's own, and reset it back to 512, everything was fine.


------------------>  Not again! ------------->
EDIT:  Oh Geez!  My computer went into sleep mode, and when I woke it up, the problem above went back to the way it was.
This time after following the directions, I went to the Playback Devices, double clicked on my Saffire Audio driver, and the ADVANCED TAB wasn't even there.  I tried playing online streaming music, but again it wouldn't play.  Only AFTER I opened up my web browser to try and play music, THEN the advanced tab reappeared and (it was already set to the right settings), I closed the tab and everything worked fine again.

So why would rebooting or having my PC go into sleep mode cause the changes to revert back (and cause the Advanced tab to disappear?)  Maybe there's a setting in the BIOS I have to change?

Continued from previous post ^^^^
Do you think one of the options in Exclusive Mode needs to be unchecked?

You might want to edit/append the OP to point out the solution so that folks can readily find it in the future.

The problem with awaking from sleep/hibernation is bugging users since the introduction of these modes. Some hardware/driver combinations do not like to sleep. F.e. my wifes PC (old Via chipset) build-in Ethernet not only does not like sleeping, it does not like QuickBoot...
You can find endless stories about problems with audio on notebooks after sleeping (with fancy variation, like "does not work after sleeping if I forgot to pull our my headset before...").
Sometimes massaging power/sleep options or downgrading/upgrading drivers helps, but most of the time people just accept they can not use sleep/hibernation/quick boot on particular system with particular OS and drivers.
Note that with Firewire, not only audio interface but also the Firewire interface card can be the reason.
 
Problems with the mode switching, which we just avoid by matching Windows settings, indicates that your Focusrite is already on "thin ice". I have the same with my old M-Audio Firewire interfaces, one step left or right and the system BSOD in m-audio driver... But if I "stay on the road", then everything is fine.
 

Leee
Continued from previous post ^^^^
Do you think one of the options in Exclusive Mode needs to be unchecked?

No. You want some applications are able to use exclusive mode.

I am STILL having terrible issues! After much research, it seems that there "may" be an issue with latest win updates. Not sure if they are however.
It is extrememly frustrating and heartbreaking, not being able to work.
I am hoping that the Cakewalk people in the know, can shed some light on what can be done.

Hello Noel, thank you for the info above. I did run Latency MOn and do see that there are two drivers with consistently high DPC Count. What do you suggest can be done. How should we evaluate and'/or treat this info.
Thank you.

lgmab
Hello Noel, thank you for the info above. I did run Latency MOn and do see that there are two drivers with consistently high DPC Count. What do you suggest can be done. How should we evaluate and'/or treat this info.
Thank you.

It can help in case you add how "high" DPC Count is and which drivers are mentioned.
Just in case... have you checked that you are working under Performance Power Plan? I mean your CPU is constantly on full frequency? Windows updates have a bad habit to reset some settings to defaults, probably driven by idea most users do not know what they are doing during settings customization

 I always find there are two areas to check after any Windows 10 update, the first means going into device manager and checking that the on-board sound card hasn't been re-enabled, the second is to check that the update hasn't set my power plan back to default rather than my customised high performance power plan where the cpu never sleeps.
There is plenty of advice on the web on how to set up power plans.
 
It is also worth mentioning that some motherboard manufacturers include power saving options as part of the BIOS such as ASUS Cool and Quiet setting applied on the advanced cpu options page.
 
The other thing which was alluded to earlier is to stick to a sample rate/bit depth setting in Sonar and mirror that with your windows audio driver playback settings (advanced tab) for your audio device (they normally come with both an ASIO and WDM driver). That way if you switch between Sonar (using ASIO) and say audio streaming (using WDM), there won't be any hiccups.  I also uncheck exclusive mode in the windows audio settings. I also have Sonarworks systemwide so I make sure that mirrors my Sonar settings as well.

Guys...I am so dispirited. I tried everything except reinstall of OS and or a clean install of Sonar. I imagine that an OS reinstall will be a pain. Has anyone else tried that route?