It was kind of gradual but there was no internet when I started. So I read interviews, biographies, autobiographies and watched TV programmes and took note of any little thing that seemed like it might be useful. Alot came in through osmosis. Then I bought a 4 track cassette portastudio {a Fostex X15} and read the manual and followed what I could understand and experimented. My recordings were hopeless because 4 tracks wasn't enough. So I did about 5 months thinking and research and looked around at the music equipment shops, both new and second hand. They had shops in those days {'92}. I talked to condescending shop assisstants and helpful ones too. And I decided to upgrade to an 8 track portastudio that November. I was advised not to but I did anyway and 18 years on I still use it, though I'm phasing it out. I just have a load of not well recorded songs that I love dearly to mix and some to remix then I'll sell it probably. In the meantime, I've moved to a 12 track DAW[that's a digital audio workstation] and I think it's grand and it does the job just fine. One thing that was a constant for at least 13 years before I ever started recording was reading, as I mentioned before. I love reading. I'm aware not everyone does. And since I got active here, my knowledge and capacity to be challenged and challenge myself has grown. It would have anyway, but it so happens that a huge variety of people (probably none that would even be aware of this) on these boards have been a major catalyst for me. That's why tolerating alot of the negative aspects is useful, because among the leopard shit are diamonds of great value.
If you were to jump straight into a more groomed recording book like Modern Recording Techniques by David Miles Huber, you might find some of the termonolgy, well as you said it "like a different language".
I bought that book 10 years ago. It may as well have been in Portuguese because it was so hard to understand. I did learn, however, that decoupling a drumkit on a riser might help with tremors on ceilings below. And don't build a project studio next to train tracks or the underground subway unless you got tons of money........
These forums could be so much more informative if someone just took the good information out from between the useless banter, lol
Would that include all the 'lol's too ?
In England, Lol is short for Lawrence......{as in Lol Creme}
To the OP, another tremendous book when you are starting out is Guerrilla Home Recording by Karl Coryat.
I second the motion !
All the info is here. With a few points of comic relief. Sure makes for a better day of reading and info gathering/spreading.
The Quote of the month for me, if there was a vote.
Yeah, some of us don't know when to draw in the reigns but by and large, the comic relief makes for a much more interesting read. We are after all, hopelessly human....
lots of espresso and sit at the computer? 
