If you have a computer (hopefully the one your using for this forum is yours ) i would look into a tone port by line 6 the two input model ux2 is very handy and great for beginners it has a great way of educating you on all aspects of recording the software live 6 is great for starters it can pop up on line for you to access hundreds of presets created by some of the greatest artists and you can send and receive data from other users now monitors are yet a personal choice but run down to guitar center and listen to all the powered monitors they carry quite a few notice the powered mackies if you will then youll need two mics akg and audio technia are two good companies were youll not lose a lot of money if you need to re-sale there hundreds of forums on the best cheap mics

pokerpunk43

I also am new to recording but i have had some experiences that helped me get started and I am now far beyond what I thought was possible for me. I did some work in san antonio and a few of my buddies and me took some time and went to a recording studio and spent the day recording one of my songs, this is when i was introduced to the world of pro-tools. Pro-tools is a digital recording platform by digidesign. Pro-tools is the most widely used software based recording system in the industry and the best part is that digi design has pro-tools systems for beginners (2 to 3 hundred dollars) or for the seriouse pros up to the tens of thousands of dollars. It comes with a great educational dvd and can really kickstart your learning curve. I am amazed at both, what I have done and what I will be able to do in the future. By the way, pro-tools can also sync audio and video. I havn't played with the video yet but i have the capabilities for future projects. I suggest at least looking into and learning a bit about pro-tools before you purchase anyother software based system. With that being said, please don't just take my word for it as I have only been into recording for about a year. I am extremely pleased with pro-tools so far. I hope i have atleast given you something to research. Good Luck my friend.

Freedom

You need to decide how many tracks you want to record at once, first.
Vocals, piano, guitar, bass...usually a two-track interface will do...if you are just adding tracks (mono or stereo) one at a time.

Drums? You'll either need a 4 or more channel interface, or a multichannel mixer to submix down to a 2 or 4 track interface. Once they are mixed together in the same tracks, though, they can't get un-mixed. And you'll need some relatively decent mics for all this. Figure at least 4 for drums...kick, snare/hi-hat and 2 overheads. Some of those can be used for other things.

Recording a bunch of people all playing at once, or just you adding a track at a time? More things, more channels needed. So, determine that, and look for a 2, 4 or 8 channel FireWire or USB digital audio interface that fits your needs and budget.

Some of those come with software already. Some software is full-featured and some lite versions. You can learn on lite versions. If no software, to get you started immediately, just download a free program called Audacity. Actually does a lot, you can learn, and then decide what to upgrade to later, if you wish. It even does plug-ins now, so you can download free effects and learn how those work. I think you may have to download several files to get all the functionality, but that's OK for free.

You'll need something respectable to listen on. Computer speakers just won't do. No, that plastic Logitech or Creative Labs surround system w/subwoofer will not do for monitors. Look into either powered monitors, which have built-in amps designed and tuned for them, or passive monitors and a decent reference amp, 100 watts/ch minimum.

So, decide your work needs, get a audio interface, recording software, mics, and a monitor system. Oh, and a bunch of cables...more of each type than you need...because cables can go bad. Oh..and mic stands. With booms. Oh..and if your computer doesn't have two hard drives, add an extra for your audio drive. And if it lacks sufficient RAM, more RAM.
And tweak it for recording. Oh, and a few good mic preamps, if your interface doesn't have good lo-z mic inputs. And don't forget the power conditioner to keep spikes from blowing up your stuff. A good set of headphones will help you balance your mix and monitor while recording. (Usually, it's preferable to monitor previuosly recorded tracks through headphones while recording new tracks with mics involved. You normally don't want speakers blasting already-recorded tracks back into the mics...it causes all sorts of problems). They'll also help you detect low-level noises that may need to be dealt with before or after recording.

Oh...and a big bottle of aspirin for the headaches you are about to subject yourself to set up and learn all this. :?

I think that about covers it. Tell us what you got already, your budget, and how you plan to do things. Nobody can seriously recommend anything specific until they know all that.

Good luck.

Kapt.Krunch

A good on-line introduction to recording and music making can be found at: http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm. I think you will find that Pro Tools will not be the most cost-effective way to proceed, at least in the beginning. You can get free audio software from on-line sources. Plus, most entry level audio interfaces (e.g. the Presonus Firebox) come with versions of excellent software (e.g. Cubase, Sonar, Tracktion).

budget range is around 500 to 600 dollars