Home Recording Soundcard Wizard

[NeonKnight5150]

Hey guys, I am new to this site and to recording in general, so I need some advice on my set-up. I am trying to choose an audio interface and have used Brandon's soundcard wizard several times. I want a firewire (1394) interface, preferably with 8 simaltaneous channels. I will only be recording guitar/vocals at the moment, but I want the extra channels so I could record an entire band later when I get the hang of the interface and software.
The soundcard wizard keeps suggesting several of the Presonus products, and I know Brandon uses the Firestudio Project, so Presonus seems like a good choice for me. (Although, I am open to other suggestions) But, how do I choose between the FP10, the Firestudio, the Firestudio Project, and the Firestudio Tube? They all seem like pretty much the same thing to me, but like I said, I'm new to this. Clearly the Tube has those 2 special channels, but I don't really understand how they are better than the regular channels. Pricewise, I was trying to stay under $500, but if one of these is a significantly better choice I have no problem dishing out the extra cash.
Here is a description of the equipment I have so far so you can understand my set-up. I am currently playing an American Strat through a Mesa Boogie half-stack, which is mic'd with an SM57 and I am using an SM58 for vocals. I'd like to run the mic's into the interface and then into my PC via Firewire. Unfortunately, I recently purchased a new PC which has 64-bit Vista, as well as the new Core i7 chips from Intel, so I am a little worried that getting all the drivers to work with my new interface is going to be a pain (or not even possible). Please let me know what you guys think, I appreciate any help I can get!

[NeonKnight5150]

As an update to my last post, I would like to add that I recently found this comparison chart on PreSonus's website, which is the most helpful thing I have seen so far. Also, I found the Firestudio Project (which is what I am leaning towards at the moment) on Amazon for a surprisingly low price ($393). Check it out here I am a little worried that this price is too low, indicating that it is some kind of "factory b-stock" or otherwise refurbished item. Do you guys think this is a legit price for a new Firestudio Project? Musiciansfriend puts the price over $100 higher at $499 and their prices are usually pretty good.

[jagcmos]

Originally Posted by NeonKnight5150

As an update to my last post, I would like to add that I recently found this comparison chart on PreSonus's website, which is the most helpful thing I have seen so far. Also, I found the Firestudio Project (which is what I am leaning towards at the moment) on Amazon for a surprisingly low price ($393). Check it out here I am a little worried that this price is too low, indicating that it is some kind of "factory b-stock" or otherwise refurbished item. Do you guys think this is a legit price for a new Firestudio Project? Musiciansfriend puts the price over $100 higher at $499 and their prices are usually pretty good.

Hell, half my hardware is b-stock and I have never had any problems.
I'm assuming that the factory refurbished equipment goes through the same Q&A process.

If it's a reputable company and they have a good return policy, I'd say go for it.

[NeonKnight5150]

I also found this comparison on musiciansfriend

[demps]

Hi fellas, Im new to the site and I've done a bit of reading here. Im just wondering, I've recorded some vocals on a laptop using a sm58 knock off and the microphone port. The laptop has no dedicated soundcard or line in. Will a proper sound card drastically improve the quality of the vocals I record?

Sorry if I've put this in the wrong section, I'm not entirely sure of the layout just yet.