Direct Guitar?

WHERE I AM: I have a lot of tunes that I am working on. I write the song. I put a click track on Audacity. Then I put down the chords on one track. And the vocals on another. And maybe a few more guitar tracks to fill it out a little. The only instrument I use for this is an acoustic guitar. I record these tracks using my Vista PC and the mic in the computer.

WHERE I WILL END UP: Eventually, I will be adding many more tracks to each of these tunes. Professional singers will be used. A couple of professional musicians. I will have to do that in a studio. I was so impressed with watching a professional mixer do his thing once upon a time, that I imagine that I will hire a mixer too. By this time, my original tracks will be muted out.

ALONG THE WAY: I want to add some (electric) guitar tracks that will remain in the final mix.

QUESTIONS:

  1. Is it really a good idea to undertake a professional project using Audacity? Will it be easy enough to use it in a random studio when the time comes to bring in the singers?

  2. Are Windows machines good enough for the job? Every once in a while I think I catch a skip. But I can’t reproduce it on the spot, so I may be imagining it.

  3. What is a good guitar interface that works with Audacity? And what is the software for that? You know, all the effects, amp sounds, etc. I have seen real pros go directly into an Apple with ProTools (there was no amp anyway, may have been some kind of box) at a real studio. Can I get the same results with Vista and Audacity?

  4. I may have no clue what I’m talking about, but it seems as though the digital stuff is getting better and better and freer and freer, so that soon enough, the only things that one will have to pay for are microphones, studio space, interfaces, and maybe amps. Is that the way things are heading? Have we got to that point yet?

Thanks in advance.

Things can be done to lower the odds of skips occurring: my suggestions would be disconnect from internet, and give Audacity higher priority … Audacity Manual
bear in mind that you will only hear any skips on playback, not while you are recording.

http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/UCG102.aspx is allegedly compatible with Audacity.

NB: Audacity does not apply effects in real time, but could be used to record amp modelling software which does.