Tascam Us 122/ Cubase Vst Oem Problem Options

[jebbels]

I'm trying to record my band, mostly for a demo but if it turns out OK we'll also press some cds. I recently bought the Tascam US 122 hoping that I could use the version of Cubase that came with it. I expected a paired down version, but it said on the add that it could record 64 tracks. After reading the manual it appears that most of those tracks are midi related (which I have no use for.) It only records 7 mono audio tracks. Does any one know if it is possable to upgrade this version, or to bounce tracks like you would on a 4 track tape recorder? Or can you have more than 1 track on an audio channel in Cubase? I messed around with Audacity which is a free shareware program and it seemed ok. It has unlimited tracks and you can use vst effects. Is there an advantage to using Cubase(even with it's limited tracks) over Audacity? We don't have much money, so I'm looking for the best option. Could a Cubase expert out there clue me in. I also keep seeing adds for Cubase 5.0 for $89.00 at musicsoftwaresuperstore.com. Is that the same version that I have, or does that have more tracks? My mac runs both OS9.2 and OSX jag so if there's a cheap option, and I mean cheap, I'm open to suggestions.

[xingu]

I've heard people claim differences between the audio quality of programs relating to audio engines and algorithms and other things I don't understand, but I think in general, there shouldn't be any huge variance. Your primary consideration should be the quality of gear you're using to get the audio into the computer - namely your microphones, audio interface and its A/D converters, preamps, etc. From my understanding, the main difference in output between programs comes after any processing - so what plug-ins you use can effect quality. But now I'm getting into areas that are over my head, so I'll just bow out from here....