Drivers MME vs ASIO

A newbe her, all I seem to be able to get to work is MME drivers, is there indeed an advantage to ASIO and any ideas on why when I change to ASIO drivers in the preferences tab on MMC6 everything changes well but I have no input signal/sound. Any help would be most appreciated. (Fantom connected to SBZ card via A?D converter to optical 'in'. everything works ok (except for gross latency problems) with MME drivers but not with ASIO or WDM/KS.

After setting the driver mode, make sure that the Audio > Devices input and output driver settings in MC6 are correct. All interfaces that have an ASIO driver supply a client to configure the interface. You may need to run that client to diagnose your ASIO issue. For WDM/KS drivers the Wave Profiler needs to be run from Preferences > Audio > Driver Settings.

Most of the factory cards seem to work better with MME. However, they also tend to have heavy latency that prevents one from working in an efficient manner.
 
Soundblaster is not the best sound card to use with Cakewalk recording software. Most often, people will purchase a third party USB audio/midi interface which does support ASIO drivers. Once this type of interface/soundcard is set up, the process becomes transparent and latency is no longer an issue.
 
Look into Focusrite, M-Audio, Presonus, Roland as choices for the sound card/interface.

The FA-66 is a firewire based interface. My Saffire by Focusrite is a firewire interface.  One of the issues that FW interfaces have has is compatibility issues revolving around the chip set that is in the computer which manages that FW port.
 
If the chip set is a TI chip set there will likely be no problem. Anything other than Texas Instruments chips could (not will, but could) be problematic.
 
I have a Dell lappy that works fine with it, and a custom built DAW that also works fine. I can not say that the chips are TI in either and when buying the parts for the DAW no one.... not even the MOBO manufacture's tech support could tell me.
 
USB based interfaces do not have this issue. Most stores will take the interface back if you do encounter this problem..... so get it and start using ASIO drivers.

Let us know how that 1394 card works out.

Good to see you are making headway.
Re #1, MC has always been limited to two inputs(one stereo pair), and I believe that has carried into MC6.
However, it should see both mic/instruments or Line Inputs 3/4.
Check Edit>Preferences>Audio Devices.
You will probably see one pair of inputs highlighted and one pair greyed out.
This is MC limiting you. It is not an issue in the other Cakewalk versions.
ASIO is kind of funny, and instead of seeing Input 1/Input 2, you will probably see Input 1L and Input 1R. Note the L and R markings on the face of the FA66.
The Line inputs(3 & 4) will probably show as Input3L and Input3R This is normal behavior.
So, to record both mic inputs, you would set up something like this:
Audio track 1
Input-ASIO In 1L
Output-Master
 
Audio Track 2
Input-ASIO In 1R
Output-Master
 
If your latency is good enough, and you want to hear effects such as amp sims as you record, turn on Input Echo.
Arm and Record.
 
Re #2, Fade in/out is the same. Be sure you have the smart tool selected. Hover your cursor over the top right corner of the clip, and you should see the fade triangle. If the clip is too small, you may want to zoom in so you can position the cursor.
hth

You may be recording stereo tracks, using both inputs on 1 track. Select left input in 1 track and right input in another track and you should be able to record 2 tracks simultaneously.

Thanks do much guys, I have been seeing what you are describing with much confusion for a while, and now it kinda makes sense. I am connecting my piano/keyboard into the digital 'toslink' input on the FA66, so when I select my record ASIO option I select the SPDIF stereo option. Is that what negates me from being able to assign a different input to another track?
Ideally I will need to mic two guitars independently with two vocals as well as run the piano stereo. The FA66 touted itself as having 6 outs/ and 6 ins. I think from what I have been seeing is a boast of all available I/O options, line/digital/stereo etc. as if one could use them all concurrently. I've learned to look at the pictures of the products carefully.
Question here is, am I limited by the MC6 software therefore would benefit from changing to a higher end/different product? If so, could someone suggest which one? (There are sooooo many!) and would I indeed benefit from a hardware mixer to do what I need? I was trying to go "mixer less" with the FA66, but it appears that it has some limitations.
2) just a thought, do I have to use the AISO drivers? Would a configuration of the others be better suited?
Thanks again guys for the responses and patience with an old man that let technology pass him by! You all are so kind!
Robert, I will try the link and maybe improve my learning curve. I know the SeaSound was dated (one of the reasons I liked it : / ) but was not aware I needed a special card, I had tried to adapt it to USB (from the COM port) and the found a COM port on the Motherboard that just needed an adapter cable to bring it to the I/O panel. I hate to resign it to propping the door open (it's so pretty) but alas, live and learn. One more time, thank you all so much!!

Thanks again guys! Herb, those (software X3s) that allow greater than two inputs, will they return the same number?
And the AISO drivers for the FA66 work fine I guess, I was just reading somewhere that (and I know I don't have the names right) the WPA or something is more useful in sending multiple seperate tracks. And really don't fully understand half of what I read. You guys here have given me more useable information than I have read anywhere. Y'all are indeed a great service!

My Focusrite Saffire only has 2 inputs, but up to 10 outputs (or 5 stereo pairs), and my SONAR Home Studio 6 can utilize those outputs. Probably SONAR X can, too. If the interface has multiple outputs, you should be able to use them with the X series. Most only have 2 outputs, so check the specs before you buy.
In the case of the Saffire, that's so you can use it to drive a surround sound speaker system if you want.
I think.

Thanks again guys!
Please be patient, and this may indeed be a stupid question (yes there are such things, but usually they are the easiest to answer), I'm becoming a bit confused, the FA66 has four line outs, a SPDIF out, MIDI in/out..but do they all not communicate through the firewire connection? Should not the software recognize all the outs or at least those that have an 'in" connection to an instrument/mic/synth whatever, or have I lost the whole concept?....wait..I think I see what you are saying, software like X3 will recognize all the outputs, so to do what I want, I have to upgrade my software. (sorry, sometimes I have to read it through a few times) So here surfaces another dilemma, and I bet this is a hot one,...which software is best?  ...(did I ask that out loud??)
 

As for which software is best, yeah, that's a pretty wide open question.
I am admittedly biased toward Cakewalk. You can't beat the support here in the forums, and on the rare occasions I have needed it, Customer Support has always been good.
As a registered customer, you can upgrade to the base X3 for $49. It's a pretty potent package, and would satisfy your basic requirements.
Or, you can upgrade to X3 Studio for $149. For me, Studio is an outstanding value, and offers everything I really need.
While the Producer version is certainly "the best", I have a hard time recommending it to a new user, as the dizzying array of options can be a bit much to grasp. And it is significantly more expensive.
Your needs will dictate which is best for you.
This comparison chart may be helpful:
http://cakewalk.com/products/sonar/versions.aspx