Sonar version 2.2 and above and Homestudio 2 and above now supports the widely accepted ASIO protocol (Audio Streaming Input Output developed by Steinberg). This is a pro-audio low-latency method of getting audio to and from your audio card and software. You will most likely find it to be much more stable and have much lower latencies. Here's how you make the switch:

If you are using Sonar 3.0 or 4.0 or Homestudio 2 or 2004, there's no need to download an ASIO update, it's built right in. (Although it's always best to have the most current version.)

If you have Sonar 2.0, you'll need to first download the upgrade to 2.1 and then 2.2 and install them in order.

This upgrade is available at Cakewalk's website: www.cakewalk.com
Then, launch Sonar, go to Options - Audio - Advanced, select ASIO as Driver Mode. Close & relaunch Sonar, go to Options - Audio - Drivers, and if the audio card you intend to use is not selected, you will first need to deselect ALL inputs and outputs before selecting a different audio card. Close & relaunch Sonar again, and everything should work fine.