MOTM

Folks,

Now that I have finally finished the second (and final!) Synth of 
Doom case, I'm rearranging my music room to fit it all in. In the 
process, I'm reconsidering my audio recording options.

I have an almost unused Roland VS-840EX w/ SCSI. I find it non-
intuitive enough that it just sets there. I also have a brand new 
Dell with 2Ghz CPU, 512Meg RAM, and 80Gb hard drive. I'm considering 
selling the Roland and just doing everything on the computer. That 
leads to many questions, and I'd appreciate your feedback!

Intended use - recording digital audio of analog synths, and midi 
sequencing. Don't need more than 4 channels of input, probably 
wouldn't use more than 2 anyway. My budget is under $2K for audio 
interface, sequencer/recorder, and mixer.

Questions:

1. Is USB OK to use as an interface for digital audio in, or is a 
dedicated inboard sound card better. Why?

2. What's a good audio interface to use? Is the M-Audio stuff good?
3. What are your recommendations for a good 12 channel recording 
mixer?
4. How about the digital audio / sequencing software?

Please reply directly to avoid clogging up the list. Thanks!

Moe