Thanks for the replies everyone, especially Leon, I think you got the idea of what i was asking.. i really just want to do recording simply and basically first so I have an idea what its all about before getting involved with more complex equipment. I just bought a tascam 414 second hand so now I am set. I'm borrowing a mic of a friend that I have a feeling is pretty dodgy, so next step is upgrading to a decent one.

thanks again!