1. you need at least four simultaneous recording tracks at a time. you can use at least 4 mics for your drums -- kick, snare, floor, toms. im not sure about behringer products but they say they have a firewire interface coming out. Price: roughly 5K.
note that you shouldn't plug in the mics directly in your interface unless your interface comes with mic preamps. dedicated mic pre's can be expensive, so it's either you purchase behringer pre's (7k, the cheapest) or purchase a small mixer with four built-in mic preamps.
if you are recording with your band, you can either dedicate the four interface inputs to the four mics (kik, snare, toms, floor) so that you are able to mix each part separately (this can make a world of difference), or plug in the four mics in a mixer, mix the drums down to a stereo track, and then record that stereo mix thru 2 of your interface's line inputs. you can record bass and guitar amp using the other two inputs.
if you intend to use all four interface inputs on all four drum mics (which i highly recommend), you can directly plug in the guitars into your mixer to create a monitor mix (just a guide for the drummer and not to be recorded). this monitor mix should not leak into the four interface inputs at any time. proceed to record other parts when you're done with the drum tracks.
2. if budget is limited, get an sm 57 for the snare, a large diaphragm condenser for toms/overhead (there are some that sell under 10K), a large diaphragm dynamic for the floor tom, and another large diaphragm dynamic for the kick (akg d112 or a shure beta 52). this is how i've done my drums for years, panning floor hard left, and condenser hard right to create a pseudo stereo mix. for the budget, it works quite effectively.
3. a mixer with four mic pre's, four inserts, and aux sends would be a very convenient addition. the controller is a luxury if budget is limited.
4. i have used my old aiwa speakers for the longest. the thing is i know how they sound. i think that's what's most important, to familiarize yourself with your monitor speakers and know how theybehave in your room. i also use different headfones to check for abnormalities in the mix. but if budget permits, get a pair of studio grade monitors as these will reveal your errors better than home speakers, and some say they're less tiring on the ears. i'm getting professional monitors as well now that i am upgrading. there are M-audio bx5, bx8, then the KRK monitors, then the mackie too. contact crystal audio for m-audio stuff. contact mark lacay for mackie and and KRK monitors.
5. my favorite headfones to date are a pair of chinese made computer headfones (i have several brands). the bass is rich and the mids are quite hyped. they're not really very honest but they are not muddy like my other headphones. what's important is you know how these headphones sound on most music more or less. i used to have an AudioTechnica ATH FS (professional studio grade headphones) that conked out on me a few years ago. they cost around 5k. now i'd rather keep the 5k, use chinese-made earphones and still get good results
(just make sure they are not muddy like a lot of other cheap cans).
6. um...
hope this helps!
