new MacBookPro user, interface questions

[jimiclones]

Hello Gearslutz, I'm new at computer work so I hope you'll bear with me. I have been transfering old tapes to digital, using a Nakamichi CR-7a cassette and a Revox A77 reel to reel into an HHB CD recorder. I'd record onto CD-Rw discs, extract the audio in my old eMac, edit & reburn. Now I have a Macbook pro, two different firewire devices (Edirol FA66 & MAudio 410), and about five Firewire 400 hard drives.

I found that the Macbook has only one bus for its two firewire drives. So I thought, how about using the computer's digital audio input to record, and use the firewire output for the recording destination?

I also thought, what if I use the HHB 850 for the A/D converter, get a SP-DIF to Toslink converter & use the Mac's digital input. I always liked the converters in the HHB. I wonder if they are better than these new firewire devices.

thanks for any suggestions, advice, or letting me know if I have no idea what I am doing.

Mike Parker