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??)
 

yes, all the inputs and outputs (audio & midi) communicate through the firewire port.
 
And you are correct. If your SOFTWARE DAW has the ability, it will see all the inputs on the interface. MC only sees 2 of them at a time. They are all available in MC but MC limits you to 2 at a time. X3 will allow them all at the same time.
 
The way they claim the inputs and outputs is a bit deceptive.
 
Yes you have the inputs they claim, but not all in a row....you have 2 on the front XLR or 1/4", you have 2 RCA on the back and apparently 2 more using the digital input from something that gives you a digital output. So you have the 6 inputs but they are in 3 different formats.  You have 4 outputs on the back and the headphone out which they include in their output count as 2 more outputs. (stereo)
 
Variety of I/O Options
Record from a variety of sources through the plethora of input and output connectors on the FA-66: 2 XLR/TRS combo inputs with phantom power, Hi-Z (Guitar) switch on input 2, stereo RCA inputs, S/PDIF optical I/O, four individual analog outputs, 1/4" stereo headphone out, and MIDI I/O.
 
 
My saffire is similar. With only 2 inputs and I do believe there is a digital input as well.... which I never used. And with 8 outputs on the back not counting the 2 headphone jacks on the front..... the outputs default as pairs... so I have 4 pairs on the back. One to my studio monitors, one to the headphone amp, another to the stereo system, and I use one of the last pair for the sub. The interface I have is actually designed to allow surround sound mixing for video game music and such things as film scoring. By sending tracks to the outputs directly, this can be accomplished, however, for me, stereo works just fine....

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

Thanks again so much! Thanks for not sending me to the couch Herb, I was hoping to be able to use all the inputs supplied and was waning in my inability to do so. You gave me courage! I installed SonarLE which was a free load over my MC, and was terrified at the screen display, not only was I grossly confused but my poor old eyes couldn't see the tiny icons packed in everywhere. It did although recognize all of the FA66's inputs. I slowly and fearfully purchased the upgrade to Sonar X3, held my breath and Voila!, almost the same functions and setup as MC6! so pleasantly surprised. And it accommodates all of my connected inputs, and even those that are not connected, which is equally cool as the software shows me additional inputs I can use that I was unaware of as well as a plethora of outputs. Not sure what the limit is, but soon I will push the envelope and see. This is exactly what I was hoping it would be from the beginning and was so very disappointed in MC6 with the limitations. I'm sure X3 has more features than I will ever use, and as a noob, I am quite content with all I have to learn here. Robert you are quite correct, I subscribe to a few forums, some are very good, some not so, but Cakewalk has been more than patient and helpful to me, and many others as I have read. Technical support is ok, but I have gotten much more help here than I did with contacting Tech support. Every thing is up and running smooth as glass. thanks so much fellas! I got a lot to learn now, then I'll try my hand at understanding that whole MIDI thing. I would really like to understand MIDI and how to use 'soft synths', but that is for another day! You guys Rock!!
PS, Herb, I'm still lovin that sax!!