Do I need a Mixer?

[Alanfc]

Hello-
I am very early in learning all this but all this time I've been seeing everyone talking about their Mixers. I have been doing my first few projects without one. Just going from instrument/mic/amp into soundcard then into PC.
Am I missing something?. My stuff sounds fine to me, but then of course I just came off using a 4-track cassette setup so digital is all still a dream-come-true for me.
I have Cakewalk HS XL with an Edirol UA-5/USB sound card.
Could I do better with a little 4-channel mixer? I never record more than one track at a time so 4 channels would be enough? I mean, what positive and what negative would it give me. And where would I place it, before-after sound card?
Any advice would be appreciated
thanks

 

[Gunther]

Lots of guys here have soundcards with 4, 6, 8, 10 or more inputs and outputs... so in their case a mixer makes things nice. But even still, some guys plug everything straight into their multi channel soundcards and use the mixer in the software...
I like to work analog with a real mixer but to each their own.

Sounds like you do not need a mixer right now. If I were you would get a nice soundcard and wory about the mixer when you start to record more than one or 2 tracks or sources at a time.