Stan, looking at the manual for the UA, on page 11, it describes the mic input jack, and that there is a switch for phantom power on the underside of the unit. This should be able to power the AKG mic.

Don't believe posts - look up the details in the manual then experiment. Here's a link to the manual: http://www.roland.com/support/article/?q=manuals&p=UA-4FX&id=10349680

I would stick to using the UA-FX. You can probably put the soundblaster aside. You have PG's RealBand or PowerTracks Pro Audio - correct? If so, you have all of the pieces of the puzzle for doing some home recording.

-Scott