Beginners recording software
 

I'm not a beginner musician, but I have no experience with Recording software. I was wondering if anyone had some recommendations.

I hear there are some pretty good free programs, like fruity loops. I'm not really looking for Anything that is real complex. Just some pretty basic and easy to use. Something that I can record some rhythm guita with and then add some lead over it, change guitar effects and something with some ore recording drum loops or something like that.

I may sound stupid with some of this but I have no experience with recording/producing programs. Help would be appreciated

What operating system is your computer?

Windows xp

Acoustica - Easy to use Audio and Music Recording software. Mix, Edit, Record, Burn, Convert, Label and create!

Try the public beta of Mixcraft 6. Beginner level interface with some intermediate to professional level features included.

Come on guys, no more suggestions?

If you want decent, basic and free, you can't go wrong with Audacity.
Still, if you're new to any sort of recording/production software, no matter what it is, it's going to seem a bit complex at first glance, as the same processes are involved. It's just a matter of which programs do it better/worse and have more/less options and different work-flows.
Any software of this nature that is new to you will give you trouble at first. I went from using Pro-tools, Sonar, and others to trying out Mixcraft, and as simple as Mixcraft is, I was still lost, simply because I didn't know where everything was, nor what the capabilities were, nor was I used to the interface. When I tried out Audacity for the first time, it took me a good while to figure it all out. But I do know the processes behind recording and what I'm looking for, so it was just a matter of where to find it. Do you know what to look for and do when in a DAW? If not, it's going to be a struggle no matter what you choose.

No matter what you get, you're going to have to spend a good bit of time and effort to learn it, so at least go with the option that will give you the best results, first off.
Check around the net for reviews of the best free DAWs out there and see which one strikes your fancy.

I imagine I'm goin to have some trouble with it. I'll check around and see what I find, like you said. I'm going to have to have a microphone to record, right? I know that sounds stupid, of course I need a microphone. But I guess want I need to know is: will any computer microphone work?

You can use a computer mic, but don't expect great results. If you're not really worried about quality, then that would probably be the easiest route without having to buy an audio interface and a mic, or one of those USB recording mics.
If you are worried about quality, then you're going to have to make some purchases no matter what.

I assumed that a normal mic wouldn't sound too good. And my biggest problem is actually getting some quiet time in this house when I can actually record. I'll have to look into those things you mentioned

Do you have an acoustic or electric guitar?

If you have an electric, you can just get a pedal and directly hook it into your computer.

I used to experiment with this stuff all the time. I still don't own anything hi-tech. I just use my Digitech RP80 pedal and directly record into the computer's microphone port.

It takes a bit of tweaking in order to get a good output, but it might be your cheapest bet.