Digi 001 PT LE: Help with synth/sample/loops??????

[Guest]

I am a guitar/bass player who has been out of the recording studio for 15 years now getting back to recording and anticipating purchase of Digi001 PT LE run on a Mac for my serious but amateur home studio. I don't play drums or keyboard but will need to incorporate those sounds into my original songs (funk-jazz/rock/metal and mostly instrumental). And to put the icing on the idiot's cake I'm not a computer whiz, not familiar with sampling, sequencing, looping,or MIDI...yet. My budget allows me to afford any or several of the products listed below. Which are the most user friendly tools and methods to accomplish these tasks and what do you recommend to buy/not buy to avoid unnecessary overlap in functions?

 

1. PT LE can be used as a sequencer, correct? This may be moot since almost every synth or sampler has some sequencing capability.

 

2. Does Digidesign Sample Cell work well and preclude the need for an outboard sampler like Akai or Emu? Does Sample Cell allow me be to buy a synth without the need for a built-in sampler?

 

3. Would you recommend Sample Cell over Sonic Foundry Acid and Sound Forge for creating drum tracks/loops? Is it overkill to get both?

 

4. I am I better off using Sample Cell and/or a synth keyboard (Korg Triton/Trinity/Karma, Roland XP-60, Emu sound modules like Mo Phatt & Proteus 2000) to generate drum tracks than a dedicated drum machine like the Roland DR-770?

 

5. Any advice on the above synthesizers? Is it easier or better to use a synth with on-board sound cards or the rackmount modules and a MIDImaster keyboard? I tried the Korg, Roland, and Emu products above. The Emu sounded maybe a bit better but each module is around $700 whereas the soundcard upgrades for the Roland or Korg are about 1/3 that price? After a couple of modules that adds up to serious savings. Korg also has the Triton rack module.

 

6. Regarding the Mac, I know UltraATA IDE cards are fine but do I need a SCSI for CD-ROM samples and having the Mac communicate with the above instruments/tools?

 

I know this newbie has asked a lot but ANY advice is tremendously appreciated