Hi all!

I've just crossed over to computer recording. I purchased a cheap software program (Sony acid studio) and am actually happy with it. I write my own melodies and create my own samples so I'm more reliant on it for just recording. I bounce back and forth between my laptop (Compaq) and my home computer (dell) and now want to get into midi/recording analog directly (I'm using a poor man's method right now). I saw that there are external soundcards that can be connected with USB ports. Can anyone give any recommendations to help enhance my experience or recommend any good external soundcards? Sorry if I seem really clueless. I don't know where to start to educate myself. Can anyone recommend a step by step website for computer recording newbies like myself. Thanks so much. :)