vas wrote:

If you can live with 20 (solid) mic pres, RME Fireface800 + 2x RME
Octamic D get you 36 inputs for under $4K. RME Cardbus+Digiface + 3x
Octamic D = 24 mic pres/26 inputs @ about $4300-$4500.

I realize it's a long way from the top of the thread, but the original
poster was after a "simple and cheap" system with a Powerbook. But it's
going to be hard to get out for much less than $3K. A couple of Mackie
Onyx mixers with Firewire cards would give him the inputs as well as a
way to monitor (more important than most people realize when getting
started in remote work) but that can be a pretty big armful to carry.

I'd leave the Powerbook at home, buy a 24-track hard disk recorder (a
used Mackie MDR24/96 for $800 or less, or a brand new Alesis HD24 for
$1500) and whatever mic preamps he can afford, from the Behringer on
up. Transfer the files from the recorder to the Powerbook for mixing.
Pray that it's working since you don't have a way to monitor. High
reliability and minimum amount of haywire.