So for those of you kind enough to be following this and helping me in my search... good news!
In all likelihood I am inheriting my wife's MacBook Pro. She's had it for a year and absolutely hates using the Mac! It's got a 2.4Ghz processor & 2GB RAM.
That ought to be plenty to get me off and running, and it is a game changer in terms of my budget for other stuff.
It also means I can download Mac DAW's like Logic and DP and give them a whirl!
Chris, no offense and I do very much appreciate all the advice and thoughtfulness you've put into your recommendations, but I'm leaning heavily towards that MOTU896mk3. I have now heard a project done with it and it offers some features not available with the Ensemble. But I haven't ruled anything out yet. (I'm also leaning towards the MOTU because I just sold a guitar that pretty much covers the cost of it, meaning that all of a sudden I've gone from spending 3K in new dollars to having my gear fund balanced. That'll make my wife happy & it will make it a lot easier for me to spend some cash on that Hardy pre... maybe a mic as well!
)
Best,