Laptop Studio Setup

[ArtemisPGone]

Hello,

I have had a lot of difficulty finding information on this issue, any help would be much appreciated.

I have a brand new laptop computer that I want to use for audio recording. According to my current understanding, this is what I will need:

(if I want to run protools): digidesign hardware, such as Mbox, a midi interface device.

(without protools): some kind of soundcard and some kind of audio interface, which may or may not be connected as part of the same product.

Am I correct? In either case, I suspect it would be necessary to also get a firewire external hard drive for large audio files. Anything I missed?

I would like to run protools, but I am in no hurry to buy their expensive and cumbersome hardware, though I will if it is really the way to go to record pro quality audio. Protools Free might be adequate to my needs, but it does not run on XP.

I am also interested knowing more about "live" laptop music performance. It's become a very popular thing, yet I can't find any info on how these "performers" configure their audio hardware. Do they use PCMCIA sound cards? Or do they lug around equipment such as Mboxes or rack-mounted interface gear? Also, if a laptop musician wants to work on sequencing tracks in a mobile environment (on a plane for example) is that possible without the connected hardware?

I know that's a lot of questions, but I guess I'm just trying to find out how laptop-based electronic musicians record and perform their music.

thanks