Do I need a mixer with 828?, Can I go through the 828 or do I need a mixer? Options

Alright, this may be a dumb and/or obvious question...

I'm setting up a new iMac 800mhz with a MOTU 828 and my question is, do I need to run vocals, miked amps, drums, and such through a mixer first or can I go directly to the 828 and then to the iMac.

If I should not go direct to the 828, will something like a basic Mackie board work (which we use for live performances so it would be a pain to dislodge it from the rest of the PA setup) or would preamps suffice?  

Thanks in advance.

www.theslowtrain.com

[damann]

hi man,
an interesting topic!
if you can afford a mixer, why not buy more than one interface instead?
all mic pre's are not equal and valve/tube is not the holy grail, i've been pro for 20 years and nothing beats a vintage neve!
audiodesk is pretty rudimentary, all of the main sequencing packages will take you further.
when editing multiple audio tracks simultaneously you will need something like pro-tools,nuendo or cubase sx (preferably sx 'cos it's more future-proof).
toast and jam will give you sonic integrity and flexibility that dosen't exist in any other software, i wouldn't leave or go home without it!
for a modern setup the mixer of your sequencer should be considered as your desk, hardware mic-pre's and compressors plugged into your interfaces instead of a desk and outputs 1&2 into a good pre-amp into a good amp into a good pair of speakers is all you need.
digital audio sounds as good as the signal you put into it!