Hey guys
I need a basic set-up to start recording my music at home. Currently I'm (somehow) managing on my desktop PC with Intel DualCore@2.8GHz, 2.5GB RAM, 256MB NVidia graphics running XP. I use Reaper with the onboard sound card which has one Line In and one Mic In. Sometime in the future I plan to upgrade my PC to a good Lappie, no Mac/Win preference. But I like Logic, though if I go with Win I'll buy Cubase or Pro Tools.

I record a stereo/mono digital piano, guitar thru my Voice amp and Shure PG58 mic. I'm mostly a solo guy but I need some room for expansion if I ever form/join/collaborate with a band. Also, I want MIDI I/O because my digital piano supports it and I'd like to use it that way. And the gear must be portable, I'm going to do some travelling with it.

My budget is As Low As Possible. But I'll pay if I get quality.

My guess is that an audio interface with 4 to 6 inputs with at least one preamp over USB/FireWire should be fine, but I'm no expert.

Over the last few days I've checked out some stuff online, and these satisfy my requirements well(though they stretch my budget quite a lot):
[="http://www.motu.com/products/motuaudio/ultralite-mk3"]MOTU.com - UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid Overview[/]="http://www.motu.com…"]MOTU.com - UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid Overview[/]
[url=http://www.m-audio… - ProFire 610 - High-Definition 6-in/10-out FireWire Audio Interface with Octane Preamp Technology

However, this looks pretty decent too:
USB Recording Interface | POD Studio UX2 | Line 6

And the shocking thing is that the Line6 is less than half the price of any of the other two, but the pro guys (eg this forum) don't usually use Line6. I'm confused. Can anybody help?

[P.S. I live in INDIA and $ prices when converted directly to INR (Rupees) become really expensive.]