Recording a Whole Band Just to Hear Yourself

[bmxerguy88]

Me and my friends play all the time and write some stuff too, but we really want to just record like some basic tracks as to hear ourselves and what we need to change. What would be the best way to do this, we would want to invest in something decent enough that we could eventually use it to record seriously as well though. We need 2 vocal tracks, a bass, a guitar, 4 drum mics, and then maybe a few horn tracks as well. What would be best to get all this to hear it. Also, how do the stages progress when recording, like positioning the mixer, the actual recorder, and how we should record the bass and guitar, with a mic or a line out from the amp. Thanks a lot, and i apologize if these questions have been asked before.

[Govithoy]

Do a line in for the bass, and mic the guitar amp. Never do DI on a guitar, especially if it's a Fender. They sound cold and sharp. You could do a line-in from the amp, but make sure it goes through either an amp, or an amp modeler like a POD.