Learning to mash the piano helped me immeasurably in learning theory, and playing as part of a drum ensemble for a couple of years helped me really nail playing in time.
sometimes.
Look for an old FireWire MOTU unit - I’m still running a mk1 828 and it’s rock solid. MOTU. Still have legacy drivers on their website too, so they’ve got that going for them too.
Funny you should start this thread, I’ve literally just finished assembling a Meatball and am experimenting with fuzz and octave in the effects loop - then I’ll start with the expression pedals…