Suggest A Good Usb/fw Interface, Help beginners find affordable quality Options

[OneDerBoy]

One and all: Give your suggestions for a good quality, affordable interface for the beginners of the world.

I'm new to comuter based music production and I plan to run Logic Express 7 on a new iBook w/ 768mb of Ram. I need recommendations on audio interfaces with at least two input channels, including a good mic input as vocals will be a priority, hopefully under $500. This set up is to be used for demo song/sellable cd production; the focus however is to produce usable tracks for later studio additions. All suggestions are apreciated. Thank you.

This post has been edited by OneDerBoy: Fri 15 Jul 2005, 22:06

[muzza]

Hi. I'm new here and this is my first posting. I have scoured the internet for reviews of appropriate audio/midi interfaces and have come to the conclusion that the Tascam US-122 and any m-audio products should be avoided at all costs.

I have come down to a choice between the Firebox and an Edirol FA-66. I know there are other choices out there, but these ones seem to get the most positive comments, though it's nearly impossible to find reviews of the FA-66.

My question? I'm getting to it. I have just bought a 933MHz G4 which will handle either interface, but I also have a 550MHz PowerBook with 768Mb ram, which falls below the minimum requirement for both units.

Could I use the Powerbook for editing the tracks after capturing the audio on the 933?

Also, would I be able to use the PowerBook as my 'backing band' to play back the recordings if I got to the gigging stage?

I make the assumption that the audio capture phase would be the most CPU intensive.

Also, am I correct to understand that the Firebox can only record 2 inputs at the same time? I've read that the FA-66 can record 6 if your settings aren't too high.

Sorry about the long post.