Recording with interface, editing without?
 

Hey just wondering about this. I recently recorded some tracks with a friend and now I'm in the mixing process. I record on my laptop via a Tascam US-800 audio interface and Cubase 5. When I record, I usually set the driver to record at 24/96 instead of the default 16/44. Anyways, I have about 10 tracks in total that I intend to mix into a song and I was wondering if editing them without plugging in my interface/driver is a viable way to edit them?

As far as the kinds of tracks I plan on mixing, it's :
2 Vocals
2 Acoustic Guitars
1 Bass Guitar
1 Piano/Keyboard (Midi)
1 Violin/Orchestral (Midi)
1 Synth (Midi)
1 Percussion - Drum and Snare (Midi)
1 Percussion - Hihat/Cymbals (Midi)

You don't have to keep it plugged in but I recommend leaving it plugged in and hooking up a good set of speakers/studio monitors to it. Theres no way you're going to get a good mix with laptop speakers.

I've actually got a pretty decent pair of studio headphones that I use since I don't have any monitors. Besides that, it would still be ok to edit without having to plug in my interface/change drivers?

If your DAW allows for it you don't have to have the interface on, but the monitoring is WAY better through it than your soundcard

You can mix how the hell or wherever the hell you like. There's no requirement to mix through the same signal chain you recorded with.