greatdecayx

Midi Keyboards?

Hello,
I'm new to the whole keyboard thing, and I've been searching around for a while.. After doing some research, I was planning to go out and buy the EMU xboard 49.

But I recentley found out about MIDI keyboards/interfaces? I'm also a drummer and have started recording. I have an analog mixer that has an RCA cable going into my computer's soundcard. (ibook onboard soundcard) And the quality is not so great. I've been told I needed a USB or firewire audio interface.

Would I be able to use one of the keyboards as an interface? If so, any midi keyboards/interaces you guys recommend? This would save some money for me, if I could get both in one.. if that's possible?

I'd like to keep my budget around $250. Under $250 would be great.
I'm also unsure of how many keys I'll need? I found many great reviews on the Oxygen 8, but 2 octaves doesn't seem to great.. If this helps, I'm mostly going to be doing "ambient" type music, over my drum recordings.

John