cheap alternatives
i am assuming you have a decent soundcard with a 1/8 " line in
spend $150-$200 on:
get a budget mic pre like an audio buddy or ultragain
and pair that with a standard dynamic mic like a sm57/58 or a condenser like the sp b-1
check eBay might be able to get both for under $100
and download something like protoolsfree, it will give you 8 tracks of audio, alot of midi tracks, and some basic efx plugins which is probably all you need for what your doing--- and it's free