First off, one post with this question would have been adequate.

What sort of stuff do you want to record? Do you own anything now (like a microphone or two) - if so, what do you have?

i know. i would like to record everything, no limits. but mainly my band, a metal band (2 guitars, bass, drums, and vocals). but i dont own anything yet, thats what i am concerned about, i dont know what to get.

What's your budget for recording gear? Consider that in addition to your DAW (whether computer-based or standalone) you'll need microphones, cables, mic stands, headphones, DI boxes, as a minimum, and that just getting your stuff recorded. You'll also need a space with fairly neutral acoustics, so you'll likely have to spend some time and money on acoustic treatments. You'll also need to mix once everything's recorded, so you'll need a room with neutral acoustics and decent monitors so you can hear what you're doing. Last, but not least, you'll need time and commitment. It's going to take a while before you're getting decent recordings, and there's a lot to learn in the process. Mixing is another art that takes time to learn.

So through all of this, the little box in the middle, whether it's a computer or a dedicated DAW like the BOSS you've mentioned is not the key factor in making good recordings.

Make sure you have the time and dedication to learn this craft. Define your budget for recording gear. Figure out where you'll be recording and mixing. Then we can start talking about gear.

Karl's being quite polite.

Let me take it up a notch. I'll still be nice, but perhaps a bit blunt.

If you don't know anything about recording (and no offense, it's obvious you don't), rushing out and spending money on recording gear will not allow you to make "pretty damn good sounding recordings."

Pardon my bluntness, but I actually take offense at folks who think they can spend a grand at guitar center and make good recordings. It takes YEARS of work and studying to actually learn how to make quality recordings.

My advice - go to a professional recording studio and have them record your band. Feel free to ask them LOTS of questions while you're there to try to learn as much as possible. (Let them know that you plan on picking their brains. Studio owners don't like feeling as though their being scoped out by their competition.)

If you want "damn good" recordings, plan on spending a bare minimum of $50,000.

This will account for microphones, monitors, recording devices, conversion, preamps, effects (outboard and plugs), DAW software, and MOST importantly - a quality room with quality acoustics.

If you don't have $50K to start your studio, then you have a few choices.

1 - Get someone with some venture capital to invest in your business.

2 - Get a small business loan

3 - Start small - buy a computer and BUY your computer software (a lot of us around here are VERY hostile to those who use cracked software), buy an interface and a couple decent microphones then start practicing. Then, make a little money (or save a little money) and invest more and more. It will take YEARS. But........here's the good news. Chances are, your gear purchases and your learning curve will actually go hand in hand.

Just some thoughts.

J.

Amen, brother Jeremy, AMEN. (he says, while planning on how to build a new room for under $30,000....)

And not to pile-on here (oh what the heck, I'll pile-on), this is NOT a mastering question. Nothing at all to do with mastering. It is more like: "How/where do I START making a recording?"

I really hate rules and heavy-handed moderating, but there are times when I wish we would do more about mis-placed posts. This one definitely goes in the "Home Recording" or "Project Studio" forums.

NO offense to the original poster, and I really do wish him well in getting started. He's in for a great time if he sticks with it. But this is the MASTERING forum, folks.....I come here, specifically, to find out about EQs, plugs, dithering, editing tips, etc.

End of rant. 8-)

Jeremy (Cucco) is playing the bad cop, but you should listen to his advice. For one thing, recording a metal band is one of the more technical tasks you can do. (Takes a ton of gear and a lot of knowledge just to record the drums. Check out the number of threads on that topic.) If your band has some good songs that you can really nail it is worth going into a pro studio and recording them. You can learn a lot and get a "pretty damn good sounding recording" for a lot less than the cost of that Boss unit.

I'll play the good cop. I have a "project studio" in my home. (That doesn't mean that it's not "professional." At least that's what my Schedule C says.) I don't have anything like $50K in yet, and (after a couple of years) I'm starting to get some recordings I'm proud of. These guys would be the first to tell you that the most important part of recording is not the gear, but the gear matters. You can take a beautifully composed picture with a cheap camera, but it's still a snapshot. It may be better than pedestrian, dully posed professional photo, but everyone knows it's a snapshot.

So how to get started. First, I'd forget the Boss unit. It's basically a dead end. Maybe nice for a singer-songwriter who wants a quick, self contained way to get down a few ideas, but not for more serious recording and editing. You want a computer, an interface and digital audio workstation (DAW) software in place of the Boss. Figure on at least a few months doing research. Get some books (no more than a couple of years old - this stuff moves fast) and comb the web. Save your money. You are better off buying good stuff a bit at a time than buying cheap crap. (This is one of the best reasons for going to a pro studio. Makes it harder to fool yourself about buying junk.)

Good Luck.