FourthQuarter wrote: Basically, what do I need to get good quality with a dynamic mic?

the simple quick answer is
you need a good quality Mic-pre

Phantom power doesn't cost that much to construct so the fact that you don't need it has little effect on the outcome to bang for buck

It is true that the line level input on some interfaces might give a usable recording from some very loud sources
but
this must not influence you here
it is just a special set of cases

you need a quality Mic (you have that)
and a Quality Mic-pre and a Quality ADC
to get a to get good quality recording

It is possible to get a Quality Mic-pre and a Quality ADC in a single Computer Interface.
Unless you want to be ultra portable ... I tend to like keeping things seperate.

...Just happy that Kev is back and posting answers to you folks:

+1

!!!

so Kev, in your opinion would the Protools Mbox 2 with Protools LE be a good choice for me?

Thanks.

I am biased

I've been using Pro Tools (Alsihad) since it was called Sound Tools and there was a spit that saw the birth of Deck

anyway
ProTools or even PT LE (lite) with the associated Reason or Ableton Live has enough bang to get you started

The Mbox 2 is good enough to make some decent recordings if you have the skills

If you construct your sessions well and the recorded material has headroom and correct mic techniques
then a mix specialist will be able to take your songs to the next level

meanwhile it will give you enough to develop skills and chops

some additions that will help are
good headphones (tracking and mix)
good monitors/amps
good sensible cables

some non electrical things like
pop shield
acoustic panels
good mic stand

some of this stuff doesn't have to cost much

as far as I can remember
Mbox2 with PT LE gives you access to both platforms Mac and PC
is neat and portable so if you do go laptop you can have a small set-up on the run

The biggest choice here
is do you go TOOLS or NOT

people have argued this since day one

yes I use ProTools

so the full PT doesn't come with any Mbox? Because I thought thought LE was the full version and M-Powered was just able to be used with an M-Audio interface.

PS - is the Mbox all I would need as far as pre-amp AND interface with my Macbook Pro?

PT full
there isn't just one PT full and I don't want to get into a discussion about PT HD or the various Film and TV and Post Production add ons and variants with expansion chassis etc

not worth it
and it's not where you are now

but
no PT HD doesn't come with an Mbox2

PT LE is fine for an entry level DAW software and I am still using an old PT LE 6.4 for my mobile recording
The Mbox2 is an OK interface for an entry level ... personal ... interface

It is not the interface to provide multiple I/O and extra facilites for a more complex set-up

As to whether your Macbook Pro is the right model for a current Mbox and current PT LE ... I can say
we would need to know model and operating system and perhaps some other factors
nor
am I up to date with current combinations ... added to that is that I have never owned a laptop

others here should be able to help if you give us some details

FourthQuarter wrote: is the Mbox all I would need as far as pre-amp AND interface with my Macbook Pro?

That and an external drive. Save yourself the headaches now and get a firewire hard drive when you purchase your M-box. Another $150.00 now that will save you hours of headaches later.

For the record Leopard is not officially supported with PTLE v.7.xx yet as far as I know. If you have Tiger, you're laughing. There have been some questions regarding the firewire chipset in the MacBook Pros though. You might want to look into it.

As much as people like to slag PTLE, I like it. The latest version is way better than the 6.9 that I was using. Better midi better plugin package. As far as plugin's are concerned I personally think PTLE has the best sounding plugins out there for free at least.