As this is my first post here (I'm one of those dreaded 'VS Planet refugees'), I'd like to say hello to everyone and I'm looking forward to help out people and get helped out... (pardon my English, I'm Euro-trash, see...)
OK, to the topic:
Your input chain is the most important link in your recording chain.
As your budget is obviously fairly limited, you'll be looking for a 'bang for the buck' thing. So I will not bore you with the expensive stuff.
My suggestions:
- Mic: get the best you can afford. Good entry level choices are: Rode NT1 or 3, JoeMeek mic. The NT1 is a bit brittle to me, but this is subjective. If you can spend about 500 bucks,
the Shure KSM32 is wonderful. I would definitely go for a large dia condenser when recording mainly vocals or acoustic instruments.
- Preamp: the ART will do for now. If your budget allows, get another soundcard first (Soundblaster A/D converters are not that good). Other good choices are:
* Clean sound: Focusrite Platinum Voicemaster,
Drawmer MX60
* 'Character' sound: JoeMeek VC3, Envoice MindPrint
- Compressor: get one, really. You'll find this is one of the main tools the recording engineer uses. IMHO the best budget compressor (pro sound for budget money) is the RNC or Real Nice Compressor from FMR (www.fmr.com if I'm not mistaken) It's about 180 bucks so it won't break the bank. But it has a nice, smooth sound. You'll want to use the compressor to even out signal peaks and to give the recording a smoother, more 'pro' sound. The Behringer Composer is not bad, but the FMR beats it hands down soundwise.
If choices are really limited and you must choose one thing first, go for the mic and the preamp, then the compressor. Next look for a sound card upgrade, you won't believe the difference it makes.
Hope I could help you out a bit. Don't hesitate to ask if you need to know anything else.
Cheers
Arthur