[linux-audio-user] community studio gear

Hi, everyone. This is my first time posting, so here's a quick introduction... I've been using Linux since about 1998, but I only really started using it on a regular basis in 2000. Since then I've been a sysadmin and a user to varying degrees using Red Hat, then Mandrake, with a brief (happy) stop in SUSE-land. I'm currently using Mandrake (10.1) and I've started playing around with the friendlier Debian-derived distros (Kubuntu, Kanotix, etc.). Audio has never really been super-important for me, but I was always annoyed when whatever distribution I was using failed to configure sound properly. That hardly happens anymore, so I have very little experience actually tweaking sound in any way. Anyhow, now not only do I need to know Linux sound really well, but I need to be able to construct a "pro sound" environment. It needs to be easy to use, too, so the people running the studio don't have to think about the OS. They just use their tools (Ardour, etc.) and get the job done. Fear not. I'm not looking for hand-holding through the entire ordeal. I can RTFM. Here's the situation: I've been with the Toledo Area Linux Users Group (http://talug.org) for several years now and some of us have become involved with a local community effort called ToledoHipHop.org (http://toledohiphop.org). They've already released one CD (CC licensed, proprietary produced), but they want to put together their own studio before starting to record the second and they want to do it with Linux (they're philosophically down with the movement and the freedom and all that). They've chosen a small room and there is a team working on getting it ready. I'm on the team that is working on the software-hardware components. We have three knowledgeable guys on the studio recording side and a couple on the Linux side. We recently had a visit from a nearby Linux audio guru who helped translate between the two technical vocabularies and we're excited about getting the project rolling. We're somewhat on our own, though. We have a small budget (I don't know how much). The guys with studio knowledge have looked at the linux-sound website and done some searching and are asking whether they can use one of the following two devices with Linux: Tascam DM-300 (FireWire; new model) Yamaha 01V96 So, for now all I'm looking for is advice about which device to acquire that will give us a "pro sound" and relatively little trouble on Linux for a meager budget. Thanks in advance, Jason