kenm

You should work on moving the mic around before you start to EQ. Moving the mic around will dramatically change the sound being recorded. What are you recording into? Ken

You might be able to get a Firebox for $150 and an Audio Buddy for $50. That would give you 4 channels for $200. Ken

My buddy has the Line 6 toneport, and I was impressed by the tracks I heard on it. I like the M-Audio Mobile Pre for a two channel simple all in one USB box. The Presonus Fiirebox also seems like a good deal. Any one of those will get you started with minimal fuss. Oh, I guess some of those aren't firewire. Ken

Check out Karma mics. Ken

Most pro rock sounds are a 57 jammed up against the grill cloth. I would double track your parts rather than use two mics. Make sure you move the mic to a different speaker or change your tone in some way if you do, then blend the two tracks together for thickness. Are you going to mix this record yourself? Ken

You have an mbox and an sm57? You have everything you need. The mbox has preamps and a/d, the sm57 is a fine amp mic. Pick the best sounding speaker and jam it into the cone. Instant awesome guitar sound. If not, move it around until you get your awesome sound. Ken

You probably need to turn more inputs on in Cubase and then assign each track to a different input. The situtation you describe sounds like when two channels are both assigned to one input. Turning one on turns the second off. Ken