[sw rec]

"you would think that basic soundcard functionality would be a given... something that even the most 'generic' soundcards possess."

But that's not what they designed it for. (You can't take a $40,000 Cadillac and run the Baja 1000, either. It takes specialized hardware! But a Baja-winner won't be worth squat on the street.) And that basic generic soundcard is in no way shape or form going to have Pro-Tools-capable operability. It was NEVER intended to be a solve-all piece of hardware. Just like a 1-inch 16 track won't work as an FM tuner......