Viewing Audio Meter while Inputing Video

I was just wondering if it is possible to view the real time audio VU meter while capturing video. Currently the second that I start capturing footage the meter in the background freezes and the capture pane is all that is active. Maybe it's not possible, just thought I would ask.

Also I was looking at getting a control surface for the audio. Can anyone tell me if I can keyframe the audio live in FCP, currently I do this manually but it would really make the process faster if I could use the slider and treat it like a mixer. Maybe this is a newbie question. Any thoughts, advice for working with audio in FCP. I have been looking at the alpha track control surface, anyone have experience with this device or have suggestions for an affordable control surface for my FCP system?

Thanks for any help.

Thanks