D-Man wrote
I do, however, want to be able to connect all the mics I would need to one mixer/interface so that I don't have to disconnect and reconnect items between tracks.
You're going to end up doing that anyway - swapping out mics for different tasks. A decent patchbay helps minimise the effort. If you don't need to capture all the instruments at once, you can get away with a four or eight bus desk and a soundcard with four or eight inputs, which is far more manageable and affordable.
I've read that many people prefer running the Bass through a DI and not a mic or using both a DI and a mic and blending them to get a fuller sound.
Yeah - DI-ing is my default and I'll use an amp modelling software (usually IK Multimedia Ampeg SVX or Guitar Rig) to simulate a real amp. If I'm recording a player with a really nice amp then I'll both DI and mic up.
Sorry but could you please explain this to me, my lack of knowledge is killing me.
Most of the better multichannel audio interfaces have a card that plugs into a PCI/PCIe slot into your computer and then connect to an external "box" with all the sockets on via a fat multicore (or ADAT) cable. Faster data throughput (connected directly to your PCs motherboard) and lower latency than any external interface (USB or Firewire). IMO, Firewire is dying anyway...
Would you be able to record each track independently and mix later on?
Yes. As long as you have enough mic and soundcard inputs to cover your most intensive task (usually live drums). Usually you have each soundcard input set up with it's own buss, then you just assign the mic channels you need to the buss and switch them out when you don't need them. I rarely use more than two inputs on the soundcard (out of ten) and as I do all my mixing on the PC, I only use a single stereo pair of outputs for monitoring. If you are using electronic drums (or triggers), you won't even need to record the drum audio, just the MIDI - everything else is done "in the box".
It's quite frightening to know that all your drum mics for instance will be recorded to one track and there's nothing you can do to change your snare sound at a later stage.
In one respect that is good - it teaches you to get things right before you start tracking. You learn mic techniques and about phase relationships. A good engineer can get a good sound from four mics or twelve (and it gets harder the more mics you have). Hell, I started on a four track tape machine, and even training on a 16-track machine, there were times you had to premix some things together or have more than one instrument on a track. Anyway, even if you mix everything else into a stereo pair, you always keep your snare and kick separate.
would it be better to go to one shop, ask them to source out the products they don't have and maybe make some changes if needed in hope of getting a big chunk of discount, or would it be better to go to shops that have the best prices for the individual items you're looking for?
If you have a precise list of exactly what you want, then get quotes listing the price of each item from each store and then pick and choose from each. If they see there is a potential for you to buy a whack of gear, they will work out the best prices (but be warned - margins aren't the same on a lot of recording gear). Don't forget to include cabling - it can add up to a lot of money. So can software.
BTW - If this all sounds like greek, then you should first spend money on a recording engineering course before you spend it on equipment, otherwise you will make many expensive mistakes buying everything at once.
