First Recording Setup

[achuvi]

Hey all,

I've been playing music (guitar/singing/rapping) for a number of years now and am ready to finally start recording some of it.
So (like everyone else) I am looking for a good quality recording set up that will last me without breaking the bank.

Here is what I already have:
Guitar
M-Audio Axiom 25 Key advanced semi-weighted keyboard
Hewlett Packard G62 Laptop
-4 GB RAM
-Windows 7

What I am looking for advice on:
My research up unto this point has repeatedly led me to either the M Audio Fast Track or the Fast Track Pro. Does upgrading to the pro make a noticeable difference?
Also, it seems that the non-pro version comes with pro tools, which would be great (because I wouldnt have to buy the software separately), but I don't want to get stuck with an inferior piece of hardware for the software.
Thoughts?

Lastly,
I'd appreciate anyone that can point me to a good-quality microphone. I'm looking for any kind of industry standard (not the cheapest price, rather good sound quality).


Cheers!

Edit: I had links to all the respective hardware originally, but the forum said I couldn't use links until I had 5 posts or more.

 

[mjbphotos]

First, read all the "I'm a newbie" threads here - your questions have been asked many times.

Consider sing Reaper software - it is free to try out, pay when you can. When choosing an interface, decide now the maximum number of tracks you will ever want to be recording at one time.
For mics, you can never go wrong with a Shure SM57 dynamic mic, but there are tons of choices.