first, what you buy at guitar center is a bundle of locked DVDs and a license to install a particular product from that bundle.  i believe you should have gotten a special receipt with instructions for activation--it's been awhile since i installed S2.0 (i can check mine when i get home if you like)--my understanding is: THE RECEIPT IS THE PRODUCT THE CRAP IN THE BOX IS WORTHLESS WITHOUT IT!  if you didn't go through all of that i would guess that this is your problem.  you should be able to install Solo, EZplayer (?) and the S2.0 plugin plus the MirZ MIDI loops which may be a seperate install/download--everything else that you received would have to be purchased to activate it.  if activation isn't your problem, I would recommend installing standard out-dated S2.0 first then updating--only because that's the path i took and didn't have any issues.  I don't think i'm on the latest revision just because i haven't had time but i have updated twice to my knowledge without any issues.  Also, i don't recall downloading hours and hours of anything--the sample library doesn't change, it's just the interface that they update from time to time.

o.k. so i did upgrade to the latest version of S2.0--took just a few minutes to download and install (including the updates to AVATAR samples which should be installed after the S2.0 update)--it does not require installation of the original DVDs btw.  very nice upgrade because it includes a groove player which, as nearly as i can tell, makes learning EZplayer pointless--you can audition loops within S2.0 and drag-n-drop them into your host edit and go.  just forget EZplayer--at least for now.  the one thing that EZplayer will do is give you a place to compose layered performances (i.e. kick drum from this groove, hats from that groove and toms from a third groove--compile them and then drag them into your host) where the S2.0 GROOVES function is simply a preview and drag-n-drop site.  i guess that EZplayer could be useful--there is a little trick that i just figured out that allows you to audition grooves from EZplayer>S2.0 and still play MIDI clips (from your host) through S2.0 as well (we can cover that later.)  interesting stuff.  let me know if you have any questions.

how are you like the sound of the Tascam compared to your Korg(?)?

congratulations!  i haven't used Cubase since 3.71(?) so i can't help with with external syncing other than to say that it's possible and should be covered in the manual--look for MMC (midi machine control) and MTC (midi time code)--i also recall that the Cubase forum was a pretty helpful community as well. 

$150 for Superior?!  great deal--another early adopter gets screwed--i paid full gotta-have-it msrp! 

i haven't really experienced any noticeable phase issues--i will certainly give it a close listen and let you know.  Have you tried isolating the different ambient mics to see if one of the room mics might be out of phase with the others?--Toontrack swears that everything is perfectly phase aligned but marketing is marketing.  There is a choice of 16 & 24 bit depths--it's available in the lower right of the interface and, i believe, defaults to 24bit.  i actually run 16 bit just to keep the RAM and CPU usage down--it seems to allow me to do more with lower latency which i need because i'm triggering--i figure i can always flip back to 24 bit for rendering.  I don't believe you have a choice of the sample rate and i also don't know if your DAW up/down samples to play at the session rate or if all DAWs are capable of multi-rate playback.  i suppose you could look into the native sample rate of S2.0 samples (i don't think it's published though--it may even be variable depending on the instrument) and match that in your DAW to see if it's a dithering-type issue.  this could also be related to the quality of your converters and/or clock source--i would refer you to BlackLionAudio if you want to learn of the horrors of bad clocks.  a good test would be to burn a sample to a CD and play it on some other gear--all internal processing on the DAW end would eliminate your Tascam as the source of the problem.

i was only able to give this a quick test at moderate levels and i don't claim to have the best ears but, again, i wasn't able to pick up on any phasing issues--i have to say that every time i listen to S2.0 samples i'm comparing them to the $hit sounds eminating from my Yamaha Dtxpress module.  i first soloed the primary overhead mic channel and everything sounded nice and clear, crisp, nothing unnatural.  then i switched back to the full mix (i believe that i'm using all but one of the ambient mic channels but i can verify that tomorrow.)  again, everything sounded really good to my ear.  i'm using a Motu Ultralite MkII which isn't the most high-end interface but it has a decent reputation for audio quality--i know that i've been pretty impressed.  try isolating the mics and, if that doesn't appear to be the source, you could try using the built-in audio output just for comparison and, as i said, printing a cd to test on another system. 

you could definately have the same multi-source phasing issues when you use virtual mic bleed--ultimately you are still playing back a wave file of the actual instrument.  I guess i just trust that Neil Dorffman and Pat Thrall are better at setting all of this up than i would be.

Cubase should have a decent collection of effects and instruments ready to use.  again, i don't speak current Cubase but i know that each channel/track used to have it's own channel strip--standard stuff; gate, comp, eq,--ready to go, plus you could add vst Inserts per channel as well as sends to an Aux rack for common reverb & delay effects.  pretty much anything you can think of is available--it's just a matter of getting to know the system.

i hear you on the hardware vs software knobs and faders.  I have tried out a Behringer control surface and i just didn't end up using it--a DAW has soo many things to control that you'll never get access to everything so, for me, it ended up being easier to mouse it.  for me the automation features in Tracktion (or any DAW) are much more effective than doing a one-shot mixdown--so many things to control and most of them can be automated.  you might look into using your recorder as a midi control surface--i believe that it sends mixer control via midi--i don't know if it also sends track arm, knob settings etc. over midi or not.  it would be sweet if it used Mackie HUI but most DAWs allow for Learning of MIDI control messages--assigning them to control any parameter you like.