about preamps etc. goodies that give color and character

i have an mpc 2500 to make beats,and i track em out to my pc with an emu 0404 usb (standard 2-input 100 euro or something interface). i ve heard (but dont know much) that people use dedicated equipment, like preamps, exciters or whatever to add color to their beats..things like this for example http://www.aphex.com/204.htm

i would like to have some info about gear like this, that you use after your stereo out in your chain, just to give colour..

and one final question...is it worth to buy a 300 euro exciter/preamp/whatever, when you are going to capture its sound with a 100 euro interface? note, in most of the cases, my beats are supposed to be mixed properly in a studio afterwards..thank you

if you're interested in using external gear like a preamp, eq, compressor, limiter etc
how about a channel strip?
here are few example:
http://www.sweetwater.com/c665--Channel_Strips

they work really well with an mpc. very easy to send a signal out of mpc into channel strip and resample. or simply run a signal through it when sampling.

The Presonus Eureka is very nice stock and can be modded for not too much dough!!

I'll get this one as soon as my finances allow: http://overstayer.squarespace.com/instrument-driver/

A humble Mackie mixer with the Trim knobs turned up will distort the sh*t out of anything bassy.

Have a look at products by Golden Age Project too, they're based on old Neve circuits, so they will colour the sound very nicely.

the two best compliments to my MPC

API A2D
Akai MFC-42

If you're gonna get your beats mixed in a pro studio, then take your MPC to the lab and let them show you how they run tracks thru outboard gear and what different types of outboard gear they use/recommend for different tracks.

And if you're paying them, then it makes sense to let them use their better gear and higher level of expertise and take a minute to learn something before you go out and start buying stuff blind.

One of the privileges that comes along with renting studio time is the opportunity to pick the engineer's brains and learn from them.

your emu is actually a pretty decent interface from what i've heard/read online, and to get better conversion you'd need to step up quite a bit money wise, so i wouldnt fret too much about the interface.

but yes do go to a studio to track out, play with their toys, and try before you buy if you can. otherwise you'll wind up spending silly amounts hunting down the sound you're after.

so i suppose its better to stick with what i already have, digging for samples and building nice rhythms, color my sound a little with a vst maybe and give final colour in the mixing process at the studio with the guys tht are actually know what they 're doing..