Thanks for all the replies. Brilliantly informative stuff. I appreciate the weakest link
argument (that it is very dependent an montiors, mics,etc) but as far as I can gather,
it's better to have it than not but not to expect a revelation in sound. The machines I'm
looking at are compact mutitracks like the Tascam 2488 mk2 and the Korg D3200. I have
often toyed with the idea of completely changing the studio to run something like Logic on
my iBook or going with a digital desk and something like the HD24 but I just really enjoy
the dynamic of using the compact multitrack. Workflow is everything to me and I can't see
me ever being happy p*ssing about with plugins and a mouse. Anyway, thanks again people.