4 more simple n00b questions: direct S/PDIF recording & softsynths

Digital is a foreign language to me. I'm only experienced in direct analog recording. I promise after this, I'll study more like I did when I began recording in the first place. However, I need these few questions answered atleast, to cement my hardware decisions. Thanks for understanding.

1) Can you record stereo audio directly from an S/PDIF out on, say, a synth, to the S/PDIF in on your DAW's interface?

2) Is it really possible to have a virtual instrument (like PMI Bosendorfer 290 for instance) in my DAW, play it by playing a connected but separate keyboard - as if it were one of the keyboard's own sounds essentialy (WITHOUT having to hear the keyboard's own sounds overlaying the softsynth) - and actualy record the virtual instrument like I would normal audio?

3) Can you do the above via S/PDIF or any other digital interface, or does it absolutely require MIDI?

4) When using S/PDIF, MIDI, or other non-analog interfaces, does the instrument or device you're using to control the softsynth, or are recording from, need to match the sampling rate of the interface on your DAW? (i.e. do I need a keyboard capable of 192kHz to record digitaly at 24/192?)

Just need to make sure my hardware choices won't conflict with my intentions. Thanks - yet again. Sorry to be so n00bish. Lol. A week ago I felt like I was actualy becoming somewhat profficient in my own way - then I decided to go digital and it's back to the drawing board. Oh well, that's part of the journey.

*end of embarassing n00b questions*

1. Yes. Make sure your sample rates match on both ends.

2. Yes. You would record the midi information and render the sound using a softsynth or sampler (or even an external keyboard). Once happy with the sounds, you bounce it to an audio track and you are set (in the case of a softsynth or sampler), or send the midi back out to your keyboard and record its audio out.

3. Requires midi.

4. To record the audio from the keyboard, you should have matched sample rates at both ends. To record the midi, no.

Lynx says it's S/PDIF ins are transformer linked and require their XLR-to-S/PDIF RCA adapter cables.

I believe they are referring to AES/EBU here......a different digital connection using an XLR cable.

For stereo, do you need two S/PDIF outs

One S/PDif connection is capable of transmitting a stereo signal.

do you mean I would play the performance without hearing the virtual instrument, then render it into my mix? Or will I be able to play the keyboard, hear the virtual instrument in real time as I play, and record it in SONAR simultaniously? The latter is what I'm shooting for, if possible.

In a nutshell, the setup would be something like this..

- midi track getting input from your kb
- softsynth or sampler getting input from that midi track
- softsynth or sampler output through audio track

Yes you would hear the sounds in realtime (plus latency). What you are recording is the midi data of your performance.

Then you can play back that performance and tweak/change your softsynth all day long until you are happy.

You then bounce to an audio track (render the midi data through the softsynth and record the audio).

You can get rid of the softsynth and midi track at this point because you have the rendered audio.

Yep, that's the catch with SPDIF or any other digital interface you are stuck at the sample rate both the device (synth) and your sound card can do.

OK so, it looks like my only option might be to spend a BUTTLOAD on a Korg Triton Studio. I just need to know something. It says this in it's specs:

Outputs
Main = L/MONO, R,
Individual = 1, 2, 3, 4,
S/PDIF (optical 24 bits, 48/96 kHz),
Headphones


Inputs
1, 2,
Level Switch LINE/MIC,
Level volume,
S/PDIF (optical 24 bits, 48/96 kHz)

And yet then it also says this:

HI synthesis system
48kHz Sampling frequency
48Mbyte PCM ROM
429 multisamples + 417 drum samples

Which one determines whether or not I record from it digitaly at 24/96? (Please let it be the first one...please let it be the first one...)

Also, in these contests which would sound the most pristine (I'm after clear and shiney but warm and not too digital-ish sounding... take into account the fact that most people say the Lynx sounds very analog-like even in digital):

analog recording at 192khz vs digital recording at 96khz
analog recording at 96khz vs digital recording at 48khz

Keep in mind that this is preliminary - I'm poor as hell and I already have a decent DAW that I record analog to - this is a dream I'm planning for a year or so from now when these parts will be "old" and when I have a more stable life lol. I know that might seem silly, but it's kind of what's keeping me going - my passion for computers is almost equal to that for music - though I'm definitely not some kind of expert, I'm also not a complete nincompoop lol - I have some physical issues going on that I don't want to be a bleeding heart about that will delay this lol so - sufficed to say I'm 100% dedicated to doing this, regardless of how long it takes. It's a marathon not a sprint - two steps forward one step back and all of that. I'm going through a "getting my life in order" process involving school and doctors and yadda ya - this is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow I have promised myself for when I'm a healthier person who can work and pay for this with his own money instead of SSI or his Mom's tax refund. And I know I don't need all this to make my music sound good but ... it's my dream don't crush it lmao.

Here's my future specs though - critical evaluations are welcome!

Cooler Master CM Stacker server tower (this I already have - the best combination of sheer size and features I've ever seen - I have extremely silent fans replacing the ones it came with - "ultra silent" my ass by the way lmao - and dust filters on all of them)
Seasonic S12-500 ATX12V 500W PSU
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe (Had the most RAID options, stability, and compatibility with the newer Athlon 64 X2s)
Athlon 64 X2 4800+ (Based on the CPU benchmarks in this thread and on what was explained to me in this one combined with the fact that every benchmark done thusfar has shown the X2 4800+ to be signifigantly faster in multithreaded apps than any of the Opterons, until something better comes along this CPU should - atleast logicaly - allow for the lowest latency possible in Sonar).
2GB (4x512MB) CORSAIR TWINX1024-3200XLPRO DDR400 (This is one of the models Corsair says has been extensively tested with this board, and ASUS lists it as being recommended. It runs at 2-2-2-5 timings).
Two 250GB Western Digital Caviar SE16 SATA II hard disks in RAID 0 for OS and apps
Ditto the above but in RAID 1 for primary storage
One Seagate Barracuda 400GB hard disk for full system volume backups and extra storage for emergencies.
Lynx L22 or TWO-B (I've settled on this - for now - based on what I've read here and across the net with respect to it's DMA performance and it's digital recording sounding pristine yet "analog-like" .. if anyone can suggest something better that isn't as expensive as MOTU's stuff, I'd appreciate any advice - it just needs to be comparable in I/O features to the Lynx)
PCI - or, if they exist yet, PCI express x1 - MIDI interface (Haven't settled on a brand or model for this yet. If someone could recommend which PCI MIDI interface has the tightest timings under Windows XP Sonar 4, I'd be very grateful. MIDI interfaces outnumber even soundcards it seems, and wading through the hundreds of reviews is difficult - as is discerning fact from hype with respect to timings and latency claims on manufacturers websites)
ViewSonic N2750w Black 27" 16:9 16ms LCD TV Monitor (if I'm gonna spend thousands of dollars anyway, I'm gonna have an LCD monitor with 16ms response time - provided it doesn't cost thousands itself, and this one is under a thousand lol).
MSI RADEON X800XL 256MB PCI express 16x VGA card w/HDTV out (I meticulously compared performance of all the newer video cards - just as I did with the CPUs - and this was the best card that cost no more than $300.00 and could still run everything at my minimum acceptable fps in most settings - the MSI model also comes with a software bundle which includes Restore It 3 Professional which unlike Windows restore actualy backs up all of your files regardless of their source - with that, plus the fifth storage drive for normal backups, plus the RAID 1 set up, I'll have some reasonable redundancy).
ATI Silencer 5 replacement VGA cooler to quiet it down
Plextor SATA 150 PX-716SA SATA DVD+R/RW CD-R/RW drive
Sonar 4 Producer Edition (Part of my life-fixing project includes college and one of the courses I'm going to take as soon as I finish the prerequisites are sound design and digital audio production - otherwise I wouldn't even consider PE and would just get Sonar 4 - I know I don't know jack yet really lol).
EDIT: forgot to mention - Grace Designs V3 preamp (I HATE it when I sing and I get my voice to a place I feel good about, which is hard for me, and then on playback the preamps on my Behringer Eurorack have made it sound noticeably different irrespective of any amount of EQ - on the mixer or in Home Studio. If I understand correctly, this Grace preamp wouldn't have that problem, and has 96khz S/PDIF out to boot).

How's it look? I know better things will be out by the time I get to the point where this is possible, but I don't need the absolute best of tomorrow - just the best of today (which, by then, will be yesterday - that confused me lmao). Anyway, it's good enough for me and should give me DAMN low latency if I've understood correctly. Have I?

Lol, yeah I know they shouldn't but I figure as long as I optimize everything for good DMA performance, give certain IRQs preferential treatment and make sure I'm getting low latency, it'll balance out if I play my cards right. I used to be terrified to play games on my current DAW, but much to my astonishment, now I surf the net and play Doom 3 and it doesn't effect my audio performance at all. The main problem is that my C drive fills up to fast (it's presently only a 37GB drive) hence those 250GB SATA II drives in the new one. I'd go for SCSI but try finding a board that supports the X2 chips that also has onboard SCSI support lmao.