Regarding Roland VM-3100Pro and RPC-1
The VM-3100Pro/RPC-1/Emagic Logic Audio package seems to my juvenille newbie view to be one of those 'mutant' components that crosses over to include the functionality of other components...
... it has two stereo multi-effects processors that do 'stuff' that I do not completely understand...
(by the way, I am not trying to push this thing, just understand how it all fits together)
...it includes a compressor... (I trust that a compressor is a compressor is a compressor... am I being naive?)
...and of course it has input and outputs up the yazoo including the aforementioned bone-of-contention mic phantom power and pre-amps.
So if I had this (and the reviews seem to be pretty glowing) then I don't need the digital pre-amp (might be nice to have and make things sound better but I don't NEED it), and I could record to my PC.
By the time I put together all of the components that I need (two mics, incl. pre-amps, etc., a mixer, a compressor, a PCI interface and software) the cost is greater than this thing. Of course, the individual components might give me a better sound, but it is always a trade off, isn't it. Keep within the budget or enjoy great sound until the bankruptcy court auctions the stuff off.
...uh... let me think...