The aspect of "touch" is huge. I wrote an article that should be helpful - pay particular attention to the sections on tuning and pickup height. Tuning is ultra-important with bass because the frequencies are so low. Any detuned sympathetic vibrations are like kryptonite to your notes.

I don't know what kind of music you're doing or what results u r looking for, but some free options (I do like my Ampeg tho) include maybe double tracking the bassline, using compression, eq, tube and saturation  or whatever on the automated copy.  I've even used an automated synth overdub track to thicken and give a unique sound to the bassline.

If you want an Ampeg B15 type sound from a DI and you can afford it, get the REDDI DI.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/REDDI/
For a clean transparent tone get a Countryman DI.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DT85/
If you want a preamp that oozes vintage goodness try a custom made CAPI VP28
http://www.customanalogservices.com/vp28
 
There's a ton of great compressors out there. Pete's Audio BAC500 is one of my fav's for bass.
http://petesplaceaudio.com/bac-500.html
 

I use the Behringer V-amp Pro quite often for direct input recording of my basses.  If you don't enable the effects or modify the tone or turn on the amp modeling, the V-amp Pro is silent and works quite well.  I also direct in to my M-audio FireWire 410.  I really can't tell any difference in quality of sound from either interface although using the Behringer gives you an option of creating stereo tracks.
 
Good luck in your quest,
 
Dan

Warm Audio TB12.  You can add as much distortion as you please, all analog.  But just a little hair usually does it.
 
@
 

#1 Tip: Use new strings when recording. No amp/cab emulation is going to wow you if you are recording mud from the instrument.   Of course a better instrument will usually give a better tone. My Fender with active EMGs, or my PRS custom, sound much better than my cheap ibanez with passive pickups.
 
Make sure the instrument's intonation is correct prior to recording
 
Here are some mixing tips off of the top of my head.
#2 Autotune, yes indeed..autotune will help to even out the notes and make the bass sound tighter.
#3 Apply some form of distortion to the track to make it stand out in the mix (Sans amp, VST dist.) The helps even on a country song or a ballad (SoftTube saturation knob is wonderful for this).
Treat the bass with the same thoughts as you would any other instrument: Compression, EQ, Distortion, Automation.  etc...
#4 Make an EQ spot in the mix for the bass to sit: EQ the bass drum, and the kick so they don't fight each other, Sidechain the bass and the kick, Roll off the lows on guitars, vocals, and others to keep the bass frequencies open for the bass. 
#5 Try parallel compression on the bass
#6 Try a tube preamp instead of the DI to dirty the signal up a little.
#7 proper monitoring is essential. Try arc room correction if you don't have a bunch or bass traps.
#8 Load up a song with a bass tone that you really like and try to dial in a tone that is similiar with EQ and the amp sims (If it's the right genre)
 
I used a bass pod for years, and yes they can give a good start for a better bass sound, but as the others have mentioned the new amp/cab emulations are fantastic to dial in a good tone.
 
Please do not forget step #1: Use New Strings!
Hope this helps!

Oh yeah for free option any kind of (parallel) distortion can work really well on bass!
Some people prefer a mild distortion on the entire signal (i.e. not parallel) but many distortions have some low and high roll off that you probably don't want.

A quick mention that Audiffex has just updated their Gallien Krueger bass amp sim to 64 bit! This plug in is amazing! I have used all of them and it always wins out. It contains 3 GK bass heads, every cab that GK builds, and a wide variety of mics. It is also stereo so you can run a woofer cab with one mic and a midrange cab with another mic. Both mic setups are completely adjustable. I have used this as my main goto bass plug for years! Highly recommended!
Sit tight and I will post the link.
As for the DI, I never used one. I plug my basses direct into my interfaces making sure the inputs are set for high impedance. I usually monitor thru my plugin as I track. Any compression or eqing gets done in Sonar as I track. You just have to make sure yoyur input at the interface stays out of clipping territory.

http://www.audiffex.com/EN/gallien.html
Here is the link. They are really reasonably priced and worth every penny. I waited for years for them to upgrade to 64 bit and finally got it. The 32 bit has held it's own for a long time.

@Sidroe
I've been eyeing those GK emulations for quite some time. I've used GK amps live for years and just love the sound. The GK attempt in the Line 6 toneport, was in the ball park, but sub par (Not a bad sound, just not quite a GK). The one in Amplitude is better, but just doesn't quite nail it. The sound clips on the Audiffex website really suprised me on how much they sound like my live rig. They really have that GK "glug" sound that I love. These are going to be my next software purchase.