kcearl: All DAWs are not created equally. Ableton may well sound better on your rig.
I think you are MUCH more likely to hear a difference based on the hardware you are using than the software you are using. The audio that you are mixing in the computer was not created by the software- that is, audio comes in through the soundcard / interface converters and is simply played back by your software. The only point at which your software might impart its own "sound" is either what plug-ins you happen to have with your software and when it comes time for your software to combine all of your tracks into a final mixed-down track (the "sound' of various softwares has been debated since the begining of this website
).
Certainly, there are some computer interfaces with good converters and some with bad. The same would hold true for the stand alone units.
I'll also agree, that the stand alones have some advantages- portability is good (although current laptops, certainly compete as portable). The purpose built stand alones also have the benifit of a factory designed combination of hardware and the internal software that runs it. SO, yeah, out of the box, a stand alone might simplify the time between unpackaging-to-making-your-first-recording.
HOWEVER, in the last 10 years or so that I've been a home-recordist, I've had FAR more trouble with the stand alone units, and the limitations in editing and file management are more than I can bear. I really think you overstate the issues that people have with computer based recording (not that you havent had your own troubles- beleive me, I've had trouble with a few stand-alones). Also, consider that the hardware and software have come a LONG way just in the past couple years for recording. Especially with the advent of the firewire interfaces. A decent, and relatively new computer coupled with a good interface or soundcard should yield little trouble in set-up or everyday use.
I don't think there is anything inherent in standalones that make them "record better" than the computer based counterparts. Personally, I think recording to a computer is much more intuitive once you get the hardware setup. Add the benifit of data management that you have with a computer (ability to move files and easily backup data). There aren't many people that I would recomend a stand alone to. I truly think computer is the way to go.
