A mic pre is a amp for one of your mics, each mic pre has a output. a output goes to a input of your sound card. you need to read up about both interfaces now.

Thanks for the info, what is the name of the mic pre out, and the cound card in. Like guitars use a 1/4inch jack, headphones usually use and 1/8inch jack. The firepod uses a firewire out. I understand the function of the preamp, its the connectors I need info about.

Well i think if you have the firepod you dont need that sound card. the firewire routes the signals into your computer. you just need the software to run the firepod. that diagram on the firepod sums it up. you need a firewire port on your cpu. just like my 002R. mics or direct into the pod and all 8 channels go out through the firewire to your software.

i believe that to be true...al your inputs coming into your pod are transferred via the firewire into your recording software..you obviously coinfigure the corresponding inpouts thru the software window...btw..the little red and white things are called RCA jacks...they are unbalanced wires...and unless you have a 1/4 ' to rca male...i dunno how you'd go thru your card...in any case..the shortest path is the cleanest..so try sticking to the 8 I/O of yopur pod directly into the cpu thru the firewire...btw way..jst wantd to knw if the firewire is quick enuff foryour 24 bit 96 ki hz sampling...for all 8 I/Ossimultaneosly..

thanks
Gucci

sorry to mislead you there gucci but I'm just kind of shopping around and getting a little knowledge base, I dont actually own any of the things I posted, well not yet at least. The firepod seems like it would work pretty well for what I need. I'll put up a review if I do decide to get it.