Yes, I tend to comment first, and yes that's because I know Duce personally. I started with an M-Audio 2 i/o, 99 dollar interface. like everybody starting out, it took me a few recordings and mixes to figure out how to get clean recordings. I don't know about all base level interfaces, but the M-Audio came bundled with a simple program called ignite, it really gets you only so far, don't over look these beginning programs if your just starting, yes you can jump right into any major daw right out of the box and skip them, but what they do do is get you to the point where you get the basics down, you will quickly find the limitations of these beginner software's, which at that point i feel you are better poised to enter the full spectrum of full Digital Audio Workstation programs. The learning curve is real, but remember... you don't really unlearn any of this stuff if your honestly diving in to learn. You get out, what you put in...but you cant expect to get anything if your not putting in that time.