A computer with a big memory, lots of processing power, some inputs and some good mics - you can even just rent the mics

Cool Edit does has its drawbacks though - but wav form editing software is everywhere and you should try and find one to suit yourself. Pro Tools was quite popular, but I have friends who have a blast with Reason or even Buzz

i've been building up gear, i brought i computer recently.
2.8Ghz Intel
1 Gig Memory
200 Gigs hard disk
17" LCD screen
8 USB 2 inputs

i feel most comfortable with pro tools, but from experience everyone has a different prefrence, do you have any friends who can get you burns of software? thats the best way to find what you like/feel comfortable with.
mic wise, again trying lots of mic's is the the key, shure 58's and 57's are worth getting a few, trademe is worth a gander, there are some good deals there.
pretty much what you need (are you just recording the band?), is an 8 channel mixer and a computer (or just the computer), 8 mics or so and you should be good
a good thing to do is actually figure out what it would cost. is it going to cost you a fair bit?
do you want to just demo?
would 3 well placed mics or a dictaphone be enough?
how much do local studio's cost?
in the end is it cheaper to demo till you have everything shit hot then get it recorded good at a studio?
there are reasons you go to engineers, it's their job, thats what they do. it's the same with plumbers, you can do some of the job yourself, but sometimes it's too big, or you're not confident enough to do the job.
just remember though there are bad engineers and good ones, reputation is quite important. ask around, if the engineer is any good, then people will have opinions and experience

sound on sound is a good mag, get it from your local library... i know wellington have them going back to 1998
http://www.soundonsound.com/

tapeop has lots of good recording topics
http://messageboard.tapeop.com/

and here are some good NZM links
http://www.nzmusic.com/topic.cfm?i=7022&start=1&1=1&#post120860
http://www.nzmusic.com/topic.cfm?i=8900&start=1&1=1&#post156528
http://www.nzmusic.com/topic.cfm?i=8681&start=1&1=1&#post154299
http://www.nzmusic.com/topic.cfm?i=8076&start=1&1=1&#post143962

open reel decks are in a bit of a jam with Quantegy (the last remaining mass tape manufacturer) closing down. Though I hear they're slowly resuming production now, and (rumour) ATR services in the states are trialing their own formulas as we speak. With tape (as opposed to DAW) you're dealing with a way different recording dynamic in terms of punch-ins and edits and you've got the ongoing costs of tape itself.

4-tracks are really hit & miss. tascam 424's are pretty damn good, you get XLR mic pre's. stay away from fostex stuff. If you're looking at a terribly four-track like the porta-one or something, you're better off getting a nice 2in/out card like an m-audio audiophile or something and then saving for a good mic pre or a desk.

if you're moving from "hardware" the computer has to be well spec'ed in terms of its digital converters if you want to (example) retain all that character from your open reel tape machine. Depends on how you want to mix too. ie, you could run the main 2-out bus of a 4-track into a 2-track input on a soundcard, or you could mix each track out through a mixing desk out of its main 2-track bus into a 2-track input, or you could record each track into a 4-input soundcard and mix in the computer.

it's such a toughie figuring out what's best, but if you can get an idea of:
1. total budget
2. total number of tracks
3. any gear you have at the moment (that could be used in recording / mix)
4. what sort of sound you're after (ie, lots of manipulation? straight-up? lo-fiey? stadium rock?)
then we could figure out what'd be best a little better.

my recomendation for a good digital setup would be something like the Emu 1820M with a mixing desk with direct outs per channel (behringer and mackie might be a start). that'd give you up to eight mic preamped channels at once (enough to do a drum kit) and you have the option of getting an ADAT converter for an extra 8 ins & outs. the only caveat is in order to buy this stuff you have to deal with the rockshop.

also...how much would i be looking at paying for a decent 4 track?

and...wot are the specs neccessary to do recording on a home computer?

any soundcard reccomended?

those mackie onyxes looked good until I saw the price of the firewire expansion card, sheesh.

disciple, you might also have some luck checking out the TapeOp messageboards too (and hell, their "Guide To Creative Music Recording" is just about the best book I ever read (from Feral press iirc))

[ http://messageboard.tapeop.com ]

the delta 66 is a low-latency line level only (right?) 6-in, 6-out card. You might be able to find these used. Digidesign recently bought out m-audio which is a bit of a worry in terms of support or updates, but it seems ok for now.

I've mixed a number of albums and softsynthed four of my own on a computer that's almost that spec, though you will need a second hard drive at least.

So you reckon with the specs i have on the computer i listed further up the thread...BUT with 512mb ram a decent soundcard (can someone please give me a few options of "decent" soundcards?) and an 8 channel mixer i'll be sweet? + recording software which i can score for free of mates.

Would it be worth buying own mixer?...i might get my own SM58 i've been planning to for a while but hiring quality mics would be a good move too.

thanks