I want to transfer tracks from records and tapes to my hard drive. Using a software program such as Audio Cleaning Lab would I be able to get good sound quality or do I need a high-quality soundcard?

I have never used Audio Cleaning Lab so I cannot offer an opinion on the quality of this software although I have read some reviews of the software when researching the answer to your question. An attribute of the software appears to be the elimination of hisses when audio is transferred from a tape. A higher quality soundcard will also probably give you better clarity, etc… when transferring audio signals. However, for your purposes I don’t think that it would make a great difference. I personally wouldn’t purchase a new soundcard just for this. Please let me know how it turns out. Also, be aware of the copyright laws with regard to making copies of tapes and records.