getting a mixing desk isn't going to really improve your sound, improving your mixing skills would actually do more for you than a peice of equipment. as for the cracklin sound, if you still have access to the record, clean it and re-record the sample, thats ur best bet. after that, look for a "crackle remover" in whateva software you have, most have some sort of plugin that handles that, but it's not 100% and it's gonna change (read: possibly ruin) the sound of the sample. so your best bet is to physically wash the record with some record cleaner (i use mild soap and water with a baby toothbrush), clean it up and re-record the sample, that will go alot farther than using a plugin, cause all the one's i've used always alter the sound of the sample. granted i've only used the noise joints in Audition and the Waves one, but i prefer to clean my record, trust me, there'll still be plenty crackle left, this is just the best method i've found for "removing" crackle. i like a lil crackle, but i don't want it to sound like i'm fryin chicken on a hot plate in my studio.
LevLove