Since technically I don't NEED anything else let me rephrase: if I get an awesome custom machine, will a separate quality ad da unit be able to do anything that the computer can't?

I see. So when one buys a unit just for conversion what are they paying for that their interface'a stock converters can't do?

Edit

ASG,

I think you are confusing things.  The computer runs handles digital effects, spooling audio and everything else inside the box.  It receives timing info from the interface.  Interface usually means a combination unit of converters w/ a clock, maybe preamps and definitely a means of digital outputting to the computer.

Your saffire includes all three of the above items.  The audio comes in and is converted (and the clock makes sure all the digital bits are lined up).  If you use a mic the preamp converts a mic level electrical signal to a line level signal so the saffire can "hear" it.  It uses USB to send the digital bits (lined up correctly) to the computer so your DAW can manipulate it in the box.  And then the manipulated signal goes back out to the saffire, is converted to analog and on out to your speakers.  THe computer and the interface are two separate entities, tho not closed.  You upgrade the computer for more realtime manipulation (we used to have to do anything cpu intensive off-line).  96 k recordings do twice as much computation as 44.1.  While the interface simply turns the digital ones/twos from the computer into audio.

Some "interfaces" are merely converters (w/ the attendant clock).  Like the Lynx Aurora.  It is a separate rack unit w/ converters in it and a card for outputting the digital info.  It can be AES but your computer needs a card to plug those cables into (and Lynx makes a good one).  Or it can output over FireWire or USB.  It does one thing and one thing only - convert analog to digital and send the digital out.  You would need a separate preamp to record a mic well (at most you would get a weak signal from a dynamic).

A faster computer will let you manipulate higher rates and pile on more effects in real time.  A better interface/converter would provide (hopefully) better ADDA conversion, but  most of us agree your bang for buck on the purchase would be small.  Unless you go to the very high end like Burl or Prism etc, and then you need a very good system to get the most of it (monitors, outboard etc.).

From what you described, if I was you I would make sure that I do hear the difference between 44.1 and 96 by blind testing.  If you can hear the difference 70-80% of the time, get a new computer to run the higher rate first.  If not and the saffire meets your needs now (number of inputs etc.) I would invest money in a mic, or room treatment, or a preamp before I upgraded the converters.  But remember, it is a system.  It makes no sense to convert audio that you can't hear because your speakers aren't good enough to show the difference or your room has big flaws.  But as you work on the technical side and your ears get more experienced and your mic placement technique gets better, you will learn where the flaws are in your system and be able to improve those.  A consistent upgrading in step w/ your audio education is the way to go, along w/ buying the best equipment you can so you aren't throwing it out the next year as you graduate from good sound to great.

@

I used a M-Audio Fast Track Ultra for 5 or 6 years and in November 2012 upgraded to an RME Fireface UCX.

The RME UCX is significantly better than the FastTrack Ultra.
Converters, noise-floor, clock, etc... (all reflected in the cost)
I have no doubt you hear a difference.
RME makes great audio interfaces.  Not an inexpensive option, but the kind that'll last 10 years... and you'll never give it a second thought.

Thanks AT you have officially un-confused me

ASG,

it is a lot of stuff to learn all at once.  And there is always more to.  You've picked an expensive and time intensive thing to get into.

@

...at the end of the day one thing made clear is that id be paying a lot of money for a little improvement

Bingo. Put your money into the beginning and end points of the signal chain: microphones and speakers, and acoustical treatments. That's where you'll get the biggest bang for the buck. And I'd even suggest holding off on those for awhile. 


Success is going to be 90% technique and 10% technology, although even that estimate may be overly optimistic on the technology side of the ratio. Take everything you read on the internet or watch in YouTube videos with a grain of salt, even if they sound authoritative. The ratio of bullsh*t to solid advice on the internet is also about 9:1.

Hard drive speed won't have any effect on sound quality. It may, however, let you record more things at once or play back more streaming samples at once.

VST samples absolutely can sound as good as any hardware ROMpler. And even though it's considered blasphemy in many quarters, I'll extend that even to software synthesizers versus analog hardware. Computer-based sound sources can be extraordinarily good, often far superior to conventional hardware synths.

The difference you may be hearing with your hardware samplers is reduced dynamic range compared with computer-based sample libraries. Most hardware synths that play samples (e.g. Motif, Fantom) have a limited number of velocity layers compared to sample libraries on your computer. They are compressed out of the box. That's exactly what you need for live use, but for recording you want to start with wider dynamic range and then squash it to taste. That's what most people mean when they say "radio ready".

As to what makes hardware sound better/different from their software equivalents, that's a huge topic fraught with controversy and mythology. The short version: you can do what you want with software alone, as long as you learn your tools and techniques really well. Hardware might have a slight edge, but a production done all in software by someone who really knows what they're doing will easily beat a production done with only hardware by someone who doesn't. Expensive hardware is simply not a shortcut to great productions.