Well, I can't help you with pricing, but I can make a few recommendations, gear-wise.
You can't go wrong with a Shure SM57; it's a greatl all-around mic. In fact, all the guitar tracks on the last Iron Maiden album were tracked using '57s; Kevin Shirley prefers it to many hi end mics for guitar work.
Now, then ...
Since you're looking to cut basic demos (1-4 guitars, drums, and maybe some bass), you can go two ways.
One way is to get an affordable stand-alone unit, like this:
http://www.rolandus.com/products/details.asp?catid=12&subcatid=48&prodid=BR%2D1180%2F1180CDI use a similar unit for recording, and then I export all the tracks onto a CDR and mix on my PC in SONAR.
If you are going to be using your computer for the actual recording, then you might want to use something like this:
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/MAudioBlackBox-main.htmlThe M-Audio BLACK BOX is a very cool thing! M-Audio also makes other intrument/computer interfaces; check 'em out!
Now then, as far as mic stands go, there are a couple of options.
One is to get a combo stand that also has a mic boom attached to it, like this:
http://www.music123.com/Ultimate-AMP150-i24257.music I have one just like it; you just have to add a boom arm and you're set!
Another kind of stand you can use is like this:
http://www.sweetw@ter.com/store/detail/DS7Stand
You can use a table stand and just set it on the floor; I have one of these, as well.
I have found that the
best kind of stand to use, though, is just a full-size boom mic stand; then you can position the mic EXACTLY where you want it.
