Just DO it....
I'm not a professional (but I play one on TV
), however I've learned a mountain of stuff by f***ing up. I bought a VS-880 5 years ago, hit record and started learning. I didn't even have internet access then (which has added substantially to my knowledge base because I put into practice what I pick up here.)
After about a year with my HD recorder, I called a friend who runs a full-time working Pro-tools studio. I asked him to come to my house and listen to my stuff. I said I would pay his studio rate if he'd give me a critique. When he came over I apologized for my primitive setup, to which he replied "hey, it's more than what I started out with." That's how I got my "one-on-one."
At that point I knew I could squeeze a lot more quality out of my rig. So much of this stuff is your ears and what's between them. I ended up mixing down my whole project at his studio to get a professional touch. What I learned in the 60 hours there was well worth it - and it showed. The stuff I brought in at the end was far better than the earlier tracks because of trial & error and listening.
So, if you're just starting out, then you're an amateur like me (which doesn't have to mean poor quality) and you need to start somewhere.
Start out with simple inexpensive equipment and learn the basics. A hard disk recorder will allow you to concentrate more on recording (less on fighting with a PC), hear what different effects, eq's, etc. will do to your mix. It will also allow you to familiarize yourself with some mixer paradigms.
If you have a decent computer, software can be had cheap (n-track, home studio, etc.). A decent soundcard (m-audio Audiophile), mic pre, microphone (Shure SM-57 is very versitile, and not really expensive) should get you started.
Don't worry about the big boys right now. Get something to start on and make your mistakes.
