Out of time - set up problems?

I’ve just bought Cubase 6, upgrading from LE4 since I refreshed my pc and upgraded to 64 bit. I’m using a Zoom H4 as a USB audio in interface and am just trying to get to grips with recording before I start any proper work.

Unfortunately I’ve hit a familiar problem already - using a midi drum track for tempo I record a guitar part - but on playback, the guitar part plays back faster then the midi, meaning it slowly goes out of sync. I had this issue with LE4 - if I remember rightly recording another guitar part to the tempo of the first produces the same effect again - so it’s not even that it’s just audio-midi synchronising it’s struggling with. The output also tends to crackle, stutter and pop on playback. Is it just that my computer isn’t quick enough to do anything heavy, or is the problem solveable by changing some clock/buffering/whatever settings?

Make sure the correct ASIO driver is selected and that the samplerates of the soundcard and the project match.

Checked - using the ‘Generic Low Latency AISO Driver’, and both H4 and project samplerates are set at 44.1kHz…!

You should be using the specific ASIO driver for the device.

I’ve installed the H4 AISO driver, but unfortunately it’s thrown up more problems than it’s solved - the recording input will now record properly for around 15-30 seconds, and then the time bar lags, jumps and only records silence until you stop and reset the recording. The pops snaps and crackles are still there too, and the playback often stops and jumps.

Also it means I have to use the H4 as an audio out, which is moderately inconvenient! Would it not work to use a more general driver so I can use it only for the inputs and use my PC soundcard for the output?

I’ve tried a few different drivers including AISO4ALL, the H4 Driver, Full Duplex Driver, etc. and anything that’s actually got to the functional stage goes out of sync by approximately 1 second every three minutes (too fast!).