"I can get software for free from a few people that I know"
If you mean illegal copies from torrents, /r/, or men in dark suits with glasses and briefcases who stand on street corners all night looking shiftily from left to right, then all the angry faces of this forum be on you.

The most important thing for good sound, is a trade secret.
But I'll let you in on it. OK?
Sound good?

Yeah, howto sound good.
OK, here it comes...
The big one...
The single most important thing to end up with a good sound is...

To start with a good performance.

Then all you need to do is get what gear you can and walk around with it, trying to capture it as best as you can.
A cheap microphone and USB interface would do the job nicely.

I like sarcasm best. That helps you make the best recordings. Sort of like George Massenburg telling guys they needed to send their guitars back to the factory to have them tuned.

Now what single piece of equipment do you need to start with? I'd say the manufacturers have made it easy for you now. Get yourself one of those inexpensive, Chinese made, "Large Diaphragm Studio Condenser USB Microphone". Your choice as they are all pretty much the same. Your computers crappy sound card is good enough for playback purposes. But it's microphone input, line input, are quite a compromise and not necessarily appropriate for decent recording. You've already got an assortment of cracked software. Figure out which one seems to make the most sense to you and then purchase that. Really. There are advantages and you'll never look back. And if you need more than a single input? Purchase two microphones.

$150 gets you in the door
Ms. Remy Ann David

BTW, Ludu...the feds monitor these sites for any mention of illegal software. See...just anybody writing "illegal software" or "cracked software" or "pirated software" causes this entire thread to be routed to the authorities, where the info is automatically dissimulated to determine who is suspected of using the illegal software. Once that is determined, they trace your IP address and search your computer while you are online.

If they find evidence of pirated or cracked software, the evidence is automatically forwarded to the copyright owner of that software (Steinberg, etc)., who then my choose to prosecute with a hefty fine, jail time...or both..whatever's according to the licensing agreement.

So, tell your friends "thanks, but no thanks", and download free LEGAL software that will more than get you started.

Kapt.Krunch :lol:

I feel guilty about telling people to not sit on tables when there's no chairs nearby, and would argue if someone told me to put my rubbish in the bin if there was no bin visible.

Hence, [[url=http://[/URL]="http://recording.or…"]this post[/]="http://recording.or…"]this post[/] and the ones following, have links to alternatives.

Ofc, OP could still show up and surprise us all by saying he can get a used copy of something. However I'm not sure if software is non-transferable. It's a dodgy one...