depends on your input and monitoring situation.
if you are only recording guitar/bass/vocals and mainly overdubs then you would benefit from an interface like the new mbox3 mini or mbox3 (like seth recommended).
but if you intend to record in a large format situation ie. a full band, i would recommend on the digi003
rack+ ...it has 8 full xlr inputs with 8 preamps for under $600 (used) - $1200 (new) and is quite good in terms of quality for even
professional recording standards (whatever those might be).
i recently purchased an apogee
duet 2 for more
portable recording situations (mostly vocals) with a macbook air into pro tools and it's wicked fast and more importantly doesn't interrupt my workflow in-
and outside the box.
also, i just recently bought my little brother an mbox3 mini and a pair of tannoy reveals and he said that he can really
feel the difference in his ability to compensate for room disparities due to his lack of acoustic treatment. i think i paid $500 out the door for both, monitors and mbox. pretty cheap solution for modern day recording if i do say so.
