M-audio Firewire Audiophile, for a near beginner, better options ? Options

[mockfrog]

Hi all - looking for some advice (what else). Will soon take delivery of a G4 1Ghz 17" Powerbook; am a complete bedroom hack who has not used Macs for music since my old Quadra 660 running MicroLogic and an Alesis QS6 synth. Keep getting steered towards Logic Express 7 & the M-Audio Firewire Audiophile as an audio input. Would be interested if anyone has a strong opinion either way about this set-up ? For someone who just wants to do mostly midi and possibly add in some guitar and vocals, is there a better (or cheaper equivalent) option ?
Cheers

[kaboombahchuck]

Better, yes
Cheeper, sorta...
It all depends on what you are up to, and what you are planing to use to do it with.
Personally, for midi/audio sequencing I like Metro 6.2 (the full version). at about 1/3 the cost of Logic pro (your kidding yourself if you think you can get by with less), you will save some money there..
For audio/midi interfaces I prefer MOTU.. more specifically the MOTU 828 mkII. This interface will run quite a bit more than a M-Audio interface, but will be much more reliable. Plus the MOTU will come with some pretty good mastering programs.