can mbox handle an external mixer??

First off, i'm new at recording--actually, i haven't started yet, but i'm in the process of putting a system together. so, what is the best way to get 4-6 tracks into the computer at one time. My band has recorded with a guy that's running 001 and he's got an external mixer hooked up to it so he can run 5-6 mics on a drum kit. I love the 001 set up but (being a college student) i can't afford to drop $900 on that rig. Then the mbox came out and i was pleased, but i don't know if it can handle that many tracks at once, or it even has the capability to handle an external mixer. any help, beginners advice would be awesome. I haven't began purchasing yet, so i'm open for anything!! thanx, matt

The mbox can only hadle two tracks going in at a time. SPDIF or Analog (they can not record at the same time) However if you are going through a mixer than it is just a matter of how many tracks you have going into the mixer. The mixer would have to out put a stereo mix to the mbox. So in other words, yes and no. citi You do know that there is not a PC MBOX as of yet?

Actually, i just learned that there's not a pc version. so scratch the mbox thing. what's the next best thing to do i told you guyz, i'm new so bear with me!!

The M-Box experts are over in the 001 for MAC forum. (M-Box, she's a-no runnin' on-a the Win-dows yet.) Some folks are using Apogee Rosetta converters for ultra-clean inputs via the S/PDIF. There are probably lots of other combinations of varying cost. I personally get very acceptable sound quality going from a 1402 into the 001; but the final destination of my stuff is just Radio or TV standards, which are below what this machine will produce. My mini-studio/workstation here with a 1402, Rode NTK and DBX compression, combined with the 001 is surpassing every radio production room I ever used, (which doesn't say much for radio production equipment, probably!) so I'm not needing any $2,600 PSX-100 input gear. If you were doing work on a major film or big-time CD, the M-Box would have the capability for you to produce TDM-equal quality audio if you use some very good outboard converters (like the Apogee Trak2).

I've got to learn to type faster. The whole conversation's over in 5 minutes! Geez, next best thing??? 1. Wait for W-Box, in the meantime, 2. Get a really inexpensive Soundblaster PCI128 card and use P.T. Free, (if it runs on your machine...) combined with a good mini-mixer (You'll probably always find a use for it as a sub-mixer later)