Newbie: How to get started - recommendations

[ohjim]

I just found this site and am hoping you all could provide a little direction for me. Please forgive me if this is not the forum to ask this (and if so could you point me in the right direction?).

I have a Roland A-33 midi keyboard controller connected to an Alesis NanoPiano (quite a few years old, yes). I want to hook up to my Dell GX300 (which has USB1.1 and the standard audio). At a minimum, I want to record while I am playing. It would be nice to have software to edit (i.e. correct) my mistakes. I assume there's much more that I could do, but I want to ge my feet wet starting out small (and inexpensively). I'm not sure what I can do with this setup, so I don't know what to ask for. A guy at Sam Ash recommended a Uno 1x1 midi to usb and Sonar Home Studio. Is this a good chouce? Any suggestions? Plug and play without having to have great mastery over software would be nice.

Thanks, Jim

[itsplayed]

You will be disappointed sticking with your on-board soundcard and trying to run Sonar with it. Forget USB, and get a PCI soundcard that's sports a midi interface(unless you are short on PCI slots). These cards also come with lite versions of software for recording/editing/mixing to 'get your feet wet'. The best included bundle and bang for your buck card is the E-MU 1212M(IMHO).
Here are a few to look over....

http://www.sweetwater.com/c703--PCI_Audio_Interfaces/low2high

[guernicaaa]

I'd highly suggest the M-Audio Audiophile 2496. Just installed one for my brother. He was recording with Sonar using an Audigy 2ZS and now he's got one of those. For only 100$, the quality was IMMENSELY imporved.

[ohjim]

Thanks for the responses. It looks like the 1212M comes with two cards when I look online. Is that the case? So I would need two slots to run? Can just one run without the other?

[itsplayed]

You don't need two slots, but it does take up two spaces. If you don't have the space or you don't need or want the extras that the 1212M provides, either the E-MU 0404 or the M-audio 2496 will work for you.

[ecc83]

The 2496 is a very good choice, I have no experience of the E-MU but it always gets good press. HOWEVER, before you install any card or software, disable the onboard sound. Best done in BIOS but in Device Manager if that is beyond you at the moment.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with usb 1.1. It just limits the channels/sample rate you can use.
Dave.