Noob Questions: MIDI vs Recording

[MadPoet]

Noob Questions: MIDI vs Recording
I read through the last few weeks of beginner posts, but didn't see exactly what I'm looking for. Most of what I see is around recording, which I get, but I'm not sure what the requirements for composing on the PC are.

Currently I have in my "studio"
Yamaha 4 channel mixer
Computer w/ Sonar, Acid, and some other crap (bought used, hope it's legit)
MAudio Oxygen49
Some amps, some guitars, a mic
MAudio Monitors that could really use better bass response, but were good for the price
No talent

The computer has the standard crappy Realtek sound, which I knew I'd have to replace. I would like to get something with FireWire (or USB 2.0 if it's comparable) so that I can use it with my laptop as well. Both machines run Vista, and I can't upgrade to XP, sadly. (A dual boot is a remote option on the PC).

What I want to be able to do is:
-Record guitars/vocals (probably not both at once, see lack of talent above)
-Use the computer as a softsynth thingy for teaching myself keys
-Piece together drum tracks (not necessarily loops) from samples (currently do this in sonar, would love a Better Way
-Have some adequate midi out thing for something or other. I think soundfonts are involved, but I barely know what they are.

I'm mostly learning, so I'm not going to invest more than a hundred or two until I know what it actually is that I am interested in learning. I see lots of interfaces discussed, but I'm not sure if that covers my needs for MIDI as well. My Audigy seemed to do everything I needed (poorly) when i was running XP, but doesn't like Vista at all.

In summary:
Inexpensive, Vista, USB/Firewire Preferred, Soundfonts, I suck
What do I need? (besides talent... that I'll fake)

 

[DJWheels]

Hey Madpoet I had a similar question to yours and from my research I would recommend the Echo Audiofire 4 ($299.99) as an Interface. The extra hundred gets you some decent pre amps and phantom power because if you find yourself enjoying recording then you probably will want to buy a condenser mic in the future and most condenser microphones need phantom power. That way I could skip the Yamaha mixer and do everything in the box.

Another Idea is to buy something like the Emu 0404 ($199.99) USB/Midi Interface. It also has phantom power although I am not sure about the quality of the Pre’s but I am sure they would be an improvement over your old Audigy Card and quite a few on here seem to think the emu 0404 works fine for two track recording.

Both of these will work perfect for your needs they will be fine for 1 or two track recording as well as controlling soft synths. Now Im a noob myself so take my advice with a grain of salt.

One more thing These recommendations were made without knowing what your computer is I so assumed it was a laptop since you did not mention PCI only Firewire and USB.