[ibanez_dude]

Originally Posted by Rainer.

I think the most important consideration for "pro studio recording" is what the guy behind the controls knows, whether it be you or someone else. Then mic placement, then a quiet room, then good musicianship, then maybe a set of good mics... maybe somewhere far along the chain is a beastly computer, but it is far from a big factor in getting a professional recording sound.

I think that's a good set of priorities, *high five*

[surferdude9375]

I would argue that musicianship is the first priority, engineer is the second but what do I know.

For Rathe:
The SM57 is an industry standard microphone that covers a ton of instruments well. Vocals, guitars, snare drums, etc.
Shure SM57 | Sweetwater.com
If you want to go further than that you can pick up a large diaphram condenser that will give you a ton more detail in what you record and will sound great on vocals, acoustic instruments and room mics.
Rode NT1-A | Sweetwater.com
Audio-Technica AT2020 | Sweetwater.com

Here are a lot of good interfaces. I use a Focusrite interface but Presonus, Apogee and M-Audio all make good interfaces (in the lower price range we are talking about). Buying a M-Audio interface gives you the ability to work with Pro Tools but unless you really care I wouldn't worry about that. The important thing here is thinking about number of simultaneous inputs you will ever use (if you plan on recording drums, number of microphones on single source, 2 inputs is a good way to go if your not doing drums)
FireWire Audio Interfaces | Sweetwater.com

The reasoning behind needing studio monitors is that any speaker besides them are going to have a really limited range and the response is not going to be even across all frequencies. Check them out for yourself and see what you think:
Active Monitors | Sweetwater.com
You will probably want to look at the Yamaha HS50M, Mackie MR5 and the M-Audio BX5a unless you can afford their 8" counterparts.

[blackkeys]

Mac is the way to go. Garage Band will help you get started on the simple recordings (and the bonus is that it comes with the Mac, so $0 initial investment in software), but since I have mastered that program, I have moved onto Logic. Definitely want to use a firewire interface for your recordings! I am using a Mackie Onyx and it has played a crucial role for all my projects. Happy Recording!