Best Home Studio Setup?

It depends what you're gonna be using it for. I have a Mac that's several years old and I have done some soundtrack work for mate's indie films and hope to develop this a bit further, so I'm currently getting my head around Nuendo 4 (I'll give a review once I'm comfortable with it, lol), and I have had experience of using Cubase and Nuendo in the past, so the interface is the most intuitive to me (I honestly believe that's a much bigger part of it than people often acknowledge). But unless you're planning on spending a lot of time doing audio for visual, or post-production work, you'd be better serves price-wise by Cubase 4 (same thing, fraction of the price, but less end-work bells and whistles).

Logic is awesome value for the price, and there's a wealth of tutorial and other info to get you going out there - another downside to Nuendo, no one ever does tute's for it like they do with more popular DAWs. Actually, the latest Logic 8 full bundle is particularly brilliant, and one I'd consider adding to my rig down the line, if I can ever scrape the cash together for it.

I generally find that Macs are more stable, especially if the computer is going to be accessing the internet, as there are less broken-computer issues than with pc (unless you're a tech-head, in which case pc may well be eminently managable). But the new macs, I'd have to get back to ya on.

Sorry, I've only just got up, I'll try to post more later on.

Preamps - I love my recently acquired FMR RNP (props to hueseph, kingpatzer and others for helping me choose it!). Interface is a cheap-but-good Tascam US-224 Control Surface, though again I'd like to upgrade over the next 12-18 months as I hope to record more tracks simultaneously by then.

I am running a USB hook up.
Windows PC with lots of RAM.
Lexicon Lambda digital interface
Cubase Essential 4 recording software
pair of Berhringer passive 2031 monitors
old peavy amp to power them
two DI's (whirlwind IMP2)
M audio Oxygen 8x2 midi keyboard
Shure SM57 dynamic mike
CAD GXL2200 wide condenser mike

this site helped me get informed

http://www.tweakheadz.com

I run a PC dual monitor with Nuendo 4 Love IT!!!

Use a firewire MOTU 8PRE as as my interface
Linked to that is an Alesis ADAT with lightpipe trasnfer

So I get 16CH Simulatenously.

I use a Mackie 1602 as a mixer and to send my headphone signal through. An Audio Technica and MXL Wide Condensor Mic, several other various mics Aduix, Shure, Rode. I have a pair of Edirol Actice Monitors. Also use a Compaq Laptop with the same setup for portable or low space recording.

For a PC to compete with a MAC on recording, it needs RAM I currently run 2GB in all my computers (laptop too) and 4GB in my recording pC this way all the RAM sucked up by Windows is counter acted by my extra. I also have a good dual monitor graphics card. Never glitches or freezes up.

I am running a USB hook up.
Windows PC with lots of RAM.
Lexicon Lambda digital interface

Hi dogbite, I am looking for USB digital interface.
How does the Lexicon Lamba work for you ? I like the design of it , but the limited USB 1.1 interface is a questionmark.
Do you use 24 bit / 48 MHz sampling during recording ?
Any problems with pops and cracks during recording +
Any problems with latency during track to track recording ?
Any problems with sound (ASIO) drivers disturbing/locking up the PC ?
/Kalle

the only problems I have had with my Lexicon setup was with the free Cubase LE recording software that came with it.
I ran into minor latency but have not experienced pops, crackles, or freezes ever. Cubase LE could not run ezdrummer. so I upgraded the recording software. now I am sorting out how to use the more sophisticated program. CubaseLE was simple. Cubase Essential 4 is probably as easy, but I am slow on the uptakes.
the USB digital interfaces get a bad rap I think. Firewire is said to be superior. maybe so. my computer had no firewire port and could not support a firewire card. so I went USB. it works fine.
the Lexicon Alpha is the basic version. Lambda has two inputs for evreything. I like that.
although, I am still recording one input at a time.

For a short time, I was using a Cretive Live 24 external sound card with USB 1.1 connection for my sound interface and was using Sonar6. I ran into all kinds of latency issues where I would lay a track down and lay a second track down based on the first but the second track would slip during playback. Totally unsusable. I don't know if that was the cruddy sound device or the USB 1.1 port or what. I switched to a firewire interface becuase of it and have had not problems since. :D

The only problem with USB is that for a long time, the technology could only support 2 channel i/o. Apparently Tascam has solved this problem but Firewire is the standard and still has significantly higher continuous throughput.

i would get a digi002 and digital performer, that way any limitations can be solved using both, also you get the interface for both programs. As far as mics go you need a great condesor and a sm57 and your pretty well good in my mind