"Home Recording Handbook" by Ronan Macdonald is as good a starting point as any.
But, sound recording is basically a technical exercise. Of course artistic judgement plays a huge part but if you don't understand and get the technology right you are doomed to failure. You do NOT need to learn matters electrical to the point of fixing things or even making gadgets (tho' learning to make and repair your own cables is extremely useful and many home recordists go down a side alley of building their own guitar pedals)
No, what you need to learn is basic electrical theory, those Volts, Amps, and Ohms that bored you rigid in technology
class!
Buy a modest Digital MultiMeter, $20 should get you something usable. Use it to measure batteries, the resistance of guitar pickups, check some leads and learn how they are wired......Learn the jargon! Not just "frequency" and "MIDI" but terms like "Operating Level" and "input sensitivity" "gain" and "gain staging".
But MOST of all....Get stuck in! Buy an Audio Interface. No point in worrying about which one, if you can go new, Steinberg UR22 (£110 ish here) If that is outside your budget(?) do not go cheaper IMHO, look for a second hand
M-Audio Fast track pro or a Tascam US144, preff Mk2. If you want a microphone a Small Diaphragm Capacitor (aka condenser) mic such as the AKG Perception 170 £70 but there are some ridiculously cheap SDCs about and most seem to get a good rep'. Do you have headphones? If not buy a set of closed back Sennheisers in the £20 area.
And MOST of all...Keep coming back with those questions!
Dave.
