Listen to your co-worker. Your computer will do an excellent job, you really don't need to spend lots of money and there is a lot of great software available. If you're thinking about doing multi-track, you can pick up a copy of Cakewalk's Music Creator for about $30 at Best Buy. It does both midi and WAV recordings and it's user friendly. Why spend $300 or more bucks on something that this time next year will be drawing dust in the corner of your office? Just my humble opinion!

Cheers,

Gary