I record most of my tracks in Guitar Rig, via usb. I run a shure 57 mic into that for my vocals and sometimes drums. I then move my tracks into my recording software to mix them.
I've never really done much with recording music digitally. I think it's because I'm too cheap to buy programs and new equipment. I use an old 4-track tape recorder for most things.
I normally use an AI but my buddy uses the icicle with his SM58 and he has gotten some really nice guitar/vocal recordings. Apogee iMic is cool though.
I do all my recording with my Saffire 6 usb. For a mic, I use is an MXL 990/991 and then I run it all through pro tools which came free with the saffire. I have the option of recording straight through the saffire, but I don't know, I've always preferred hearing stuff recorded from a real amp.