Digital What? Options

[CptAnalog]

OK, I read the rules, I'll try to be civil.
Ever since the 90's, Y'all have told me what a great new world digital audio is, never mind what my ears told me. Gone are the days of aligning tape machines and cleaning heads. Also gone are the days of great sound and being able to plug anything into anything and have it work.
I just spent three days configuring a digital system. I finally figured out that Cubase is seeing input on 5/6, not 1/2, as is the default. I get things happening from the SPDIF input of the interface, do some recording, fast forward to the next cut, then all heck breaks loose. It sounds like total crap, though the next selection is at a lower level. I quit, restart the computer, then there is nothing on the right channel.
It's not as if I can swap cables to find the problem.
I do love the editing capabilities, but for recording, I'll stick with my old Studer.

[CptAnalog]

Been there, done that. I used Protools in version 2! I preferred Dyaxis, simple, elegant, did what you wanted and nothing more.
My old SDII system still works, under OS7.5.
My biggest gripe is that there are no standards which can't be broken. Sure, if you can put up with everything one company has to offer, the system works. If you hold your mouth right.
Even in analogue these days, "balanced" does not mean the same thing to any two vendors. Give me transformer balanced, 600 ohm to and from everything, like God intended!
BTW: The system acted the same the next morning until I recorded silence for two seconds and returned to zero. Then, it output properly. I guess the gremlin was satisfied, but I still prefer to know what was wrong in the first place. I still don't wish to go into a session with the thought that anything like this can happen again. It will, at just the wrong moment.
Yeah, I love, "The Nightfly." Understand, that was done on the old 3M system with Elliot Scheiner at the board. That system, and the old Sony 3324 still sound better than most "modern" DAWs, go figure.
In any case, the snare still sounds like cardboard.