I'm binning my pc and getting a laptop. I'll be using it to record bands etc and I'm going to need a decent soundcard and I'm looking for recommendations.

- Obviously its going to need decent SNR, converters and decent bitrate/sample rates, etc
- At least separate 4 simultaneous inputs. More would be better.
- Phantom power on at least some inputs would be beneficial

You get the picture. I'll be recording audio and some midi. If it'll do the above I'm happy, If I spent thousands on kit, my skills wouldn't do it justice, and price is an issue.

I'm not sure if I should go firewire or usb. Also if I get a usb hard drive would the bus speed be enough to record onto it?

Any recommendations?

there's loads of good gear on the market - Presonus do a good range as do MOTU........ Personally, I recommend the firewire option - If you do choose a firewire interface it's probably best to get a firewire adapter for your laptop as the in-built firewire cards in laptops can be problematic (personal experience). Belkin and others make these adapters for about £50GBP...........

www.presonus.com