Originally Posted by: chucklivesoninmyheartThanks for the advice.I would be building my own computer though.It comes in under a grand(without soundcard).

At the price point of the mesa,I would find it hard to ignore the pod xt pro.
The only thing i'm really not sure about are the drums.Does SX3 have drum sounds for use in the sequencer,or do I need to buy a plug-in(like DFKH superior)?I'm not good enough to lay down tracks physically on a set(at least for what I play).

The mesa gear is expensive but it is good quality, real tube sound. I have a PODxt and I hate it, in fact, if you live in Europe I'll sell you mine! Re SX3, it comes with a basic drums synth which will do the job but you can download free vst's and plug-ins too, I used DFH (regular not superior) on the track in my sig file below (that track was also done before I got all of my gear so excuse the overall sound!). You can download free midi patterns anywhere and once you have a good plug-in you probably won't have to get another. I recently got a really cool one though that could interest you called Stormdrum by EastWest Samples. It all depends on what sound you are going for. DFH is great for metal though;-) However, you will need to run it through Battery, Halion or GigaStudio as a patch into Cubase (just so you know before you rush out and buy it).