My obligatory standard reply that I keep in Wordpad:
First off, immediately get a good beginner recording book (spend $20 before spending hundred$/thousand$) that shows you what you need to get started and how to hook everything up in your studio:
Home Recording for Musicians by Jeff Strong - $15 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/07...ce&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance
(Wish I'd had that when I started; would have saved me lots of money and time and grief)
Computer Music Magazine (any Barnes&Noble or Borders) has a full suite of demo and FREE audio programs, giveaways and tons of sampled sounds every month.
It's very easy in my opinion, compared to a lot of other software.
You may want to start out with Audacity, which is free. It's a very, very simple program to use and once you learn how to use it, you can move on to Reaper if you need to.
once you dig into any recording application, the learning curve is pretty similar for most of them. reaper is a strong app at any price. it's pretty new on the scene so it's not as well known as the big $ recording applications. it's named reaper for a reason.
do plenty of research before dropping a dollar on any gear. there's quite a bit to digest for a beginner. i'd suggest finding a good book to get started with also.
The easiest software I think is Acoustica Mixcraft. Do a google search and try the free trial. Its only 50 bucks, has the same features as reaper, lots of tutorials on their website and has many pre-set EQ's if you dont know what your doing or want a specific sound (like low-fi, 60's etc.) right of the bat.
I use it and absolutely love it.