What learning curve? Open laptop, click on Garageband and GO! OK, it helps if you plug in a couple of microphones (via a Griffin iMic for full CD-quality digital sound).

The main part of the learning curve seems to be having to abandon all the things you seem to have to remember to get a Microsoft-based machine working and keep it working.

In the course of about 25 years working in the mainframe computer industry, I had to forget all my hard-won learning about half-a-dozen times. When personal computers started to be available, I was very reluctant to go through another possibly temporary process (especially if I wasn't getting paid for it!) The gift of my brother's old Apple IIsc got me going again. Simplicity itself. Everything just worked. Graduated to later models since, but you don't need a state-of-the-art machine to do basic recording. A 1Ghz G4 machine will do - plenty of these five- or six-year-old computers available now reasonably cheaply as people upgrade. Laptops still the dearest, but options include the Mac Mini, the iconic dome-shaped iMac and several versions of tower type. And the recording bit is fairly intuitive - but always worth investing in one of those encyclopaedia-sized manuals that you never get with anything these days.

Having said all that, I am currently looking at a couple of gadgets designed to use an iPod as the recording device - and even pc-addicts can use those. Both made by Belkin, the GoStudio allows stereo recording from built-in mics, also has 2xXLR inputs, while the TuneStudio allows four inputs, mixing down to stereo recording via a small mixing pad. Recordings can be transferred to pc/Mac via iTunes and further processed/edited in Garageband (Mac) or Audacity (PC/Mac).Both battery-powered and allegedly fast-draining, Belkin may not yet have provided the power-supply blocks (not included) to match the fitted power-in sockets.

Belkin GoStudio

http://www.belkin.com/tunestudio/

Ross