static noise in Sonar 7 recordings.. MiaMidi soundcard/vista

vista 64x
abit ip35 pro XE
gskill 4 gb ram
intel Q6600 @ 3ghz
Echo MIA MIDI sound card (version 8.2 vista drivers)


I'm running sonar 7 producer edition and im trying to record, i initially was trying this with the ip35's integrated Realtek sound card which gave a lot of popping and crackeling in the recording. I researched this a little and found a lot of people having compatability issues with the Realtek audio and sonar. I had already planned on getting a quality sound card and decided with the Echo 'MiaMidi' PCI sound card for its reviews with vista and multiple inputs

I got it all setup, downloaded the most recent vista 64x driver and its been fine for playback so far. however when i record i get a very similar static noise in the recording, not just background static, but popping and crackeling that cuts through the recorded sound.

this sort of leads me to think it must be sonar 7 but i havent heard of any other similar cases

i record with a mic into a mixer into the sound card... i use the same gear all the time with another PC w/o issues

i'd love any advice people may have, thanks