Video Production - Live or Post Production Editing

Hello,

I need assistance on getting the right live video production set-up. Currently we are running two Canon XL cameras on tripods (covering two angles.) They are used to film a speaker on stage. I would like to run the two cameras into a video switcher and feed that onto a hard drive. Once the recording is complete I would import the saved data into Final Cut Pro fromthe external hard drive. The computer being used is a Mac Pro laptop.

With limited resources, maximizing my time, and getting a quality product am I going to be doing this the right way? Ideally I want to keep everything digital and would like to use Firewire connections.

Another alternative that has been discussed is hook individual hard drives to each camera. Once recording is complete I would import the data from both drives into Final Cut Pro and sync up the clips and proceed with editing the two into one.

Also what type of video mixer is recommended? I am looking for a quality unit at a fair price. I know the prices range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. I am thinking a 4 channel would be fine, but would also consider an 8 channel if the budget allows.

Thanks,

vdubbintx