Warren, If you already got some equipment that can raise the line level of you guitar sound then you already have a great recording studio (your mac). You could of course try to plug the guitar straight into the powerbook and see if you get a decent signal without a preamp. I advice you to at least try Garageband before you buy a standalone recording unit. You have some rather good sounding amp models built into GB as well.
I can't say that I've given up on a flanger cause I've never liked the effect either. I also can't say the same about Tremolo. I hate them both equally. - Tone2TheBone 2009