Thanks Insider,

It appears you have had exposure to many types of configurations.and gravitated to something that works good for you after seeing a lot. I was actually pretty well adjusted to a setup involving the Yamaha 2416DSP factory and Cakewalk. The AX44 head made things easier. In case you are not familiar this is the Yamaha board with onboard DSP meaning I can use a pretty minimal computer with it
I only cut one CD with this setup which in my opinion was very mediocre at best, plus I had an old Korg and a yamaha XG unit. I used headphones to mix this because I didn't have monitors.
I still have the Yamaha 2416 card and I was contemplating keeping it around as it is still supported by Sonar.Would you recommend this as it is only 20 bit ,however it has 32 bit internal processing? It has digital inputs and I hate to part with it even though it is becoming obsolete. I have questioned the validity of an upgrade to 24 bit because the MP3 codec just diminishes the sound anyhow,and 16 bit is still the norm on CD audio.
If I obtained a respectable computer I am thinking the Yamaha 2416 could still serve as the hub of a new studio setup.I could probably use the evolution UC33e controller I already have in addition to a dedicated midi controller with my existing software synths and do most of my midi switching funtions in software. I have an AKG C3000 B and a few respectable dynamics I could press into service and I still have the Roland VS880EX and a Mackie mixing console. I have a laptop that could be used to record however I like it too much as a synth,so I am looking at a big bulky desktop unit for recording.
The way things are coming about I still need the following:
-a good set of recording monitors
-some good monster type cables
-some sort of initial sound isolation for vocals
-I'll need to build a respectable desktop computer
-a legitimate copy of Sonar
-a nice monitor
-a nice corner computer desk with plenty of room for the controller and monitors.
I am still in the dark about how I want to sync everything. In the past I synced the Roland to cakewalk with MMC for track transferes,but nothing for midi hardware units. I think I am making things more difficult by recording direct audio verses laying midi tracks.
Do you Insider or any others regularly use the midi route leaving the tweaking for later?
Thanks for your input and it is always interesting to see how others are doing it and who knows I might be helping someone else sometime. I know there are many ways and I am sure some systems are more hassle free and music oriented. I am not a computer nerd,my eyes usually glass over after more than a half hour of tech talk,some of it sinks in,some of it doesn't.
I am past the porta studio but well behing the guy working surround mixes on the latest blockbuster.