M Box With What Midi Interface? Options

[booinec]

I'm close to ordering an M Box as an introduction to Pro Tools and recording in general. I see that the M Box does not come with a midi interface. Is it still possible to hook a keyboard/ controller up to it and play a soft-synth sampler? Is this what the interface is for? What kind of connections? How do you go from keyboard USB to the interface, or maybe it's the keyboard directly to the computer? And some keyboards have midi out too? So many questions and no dealer within a hundred miles.

With the M Box, can you use studio monitors, or just earphones?

What brand of interface would anyone recommend (assuming that's what is needed)?

What controller? I'm a guitar guy, so will be doing the hunt and peek method of playing. The Edirol PCR 50 has caught my eye, but as I say, I don't know what I'm looking at.

Help and advice will be greatly appreciated.

Equipment so far:
G5 dual 2.0
Rode NTK
TC Helicon preamp

Thanks,

Boo

[Presto]

Recon, the pcr-30 is a midi keyboard controller. MIDI is not audio so your keyboard gives instructions on how to play sampled sounds. However, you haven't got any sounds. You can only record midi instructions from your keyboard. You'll have to take your keyboard back or get some sampled sounds on your hard disk. I've not used protools for midi instructions but it is possible - do a search.

Boo, the Mbox is an audio interface (mic, guitar ...). It will only deal with audio signals, and not midi instructions

You should really say what it is you want to do with your set-up before anybody can advise you seriously. The problem is that before trying things out, you don't know what can be done, so you don't know what questions to ask. Catch 22 We also never know what the technical words mean at first so we don't understand most advice anyway