Mixer vs Interface

[Jerome]

It all depends on your budget. A mixer with a built in audio interface is certainly an option. On the other hand most audio interfaces come with mixing software anyway. It's just a hell of a lot easier to do everything in the DAW. What sort of music are you creating? If you are only going to record a violin I would look at a piezo-electric device which fits on your violin. If you move around a lot when you play a mike might not be consistent with regard to recording levels. And with a mike you have to take the room acoustics into account as well. Of course you can also use a compressor to even out the sound (loud and soft sections) after or even during recording. There's nothing to stop you using a mixer - the choice is yours. Some people prefer the tactile experience of physically moving faders and some engineers swear by 'riding the faders' to capture or mix a performance. Hope this helps. Good luck - you are entering a magical, mysterious world. One where you never stop learning. It's a journey with no destination and plenty of twists and turns on the way. Enjoy.