BIG question with a lot of answers in varying complexity. You have to decide what you are trying to achieve (quality of your audio), how much you are willing to spend (budget for equipment), and how much time you want to devote to the recording process (not the playing/writing/rehearsing music, but the recording set up/mixing/automation/rendering/burning/whatever...). These are all constraints competing for your available resources: time, money, skill, patience. From there, maybe narrow your options down into three categories: bicycle, Buick,
Cadillac. So on the bicycle end, think of one of those digital four or eight
tracks and a decent mic. Maybe a TASCAM DO-006 and
a Shure SM-57 with a pop screen. On the Buick end you're looking at a decent laptop, DA interface, DAW (like
Studio One), and a few more decent mics. And of course your Cadillac being a full on home recording
studio with a sound treated room, better computer dedicated to recording audio, console interface, a whole cabinet of various mics for all kinds of uses...
So yeah, if you're here you're probably in the bicycle or Buick market. Or pogo stick (tape recorder with a built in speaker/mic).
I guess this is the long way of saying if you explain what you are trying to do you will get a better idea if what you'll need to do it.
