I've said this a thousand times over the years... the most important part of recording is "you", it's not about the gear. First thing first, take care of business with the individual, educate yourself. Next learn the hardware, then the software, next record as much as you can. Recreate a track you like, study the EQ and compression techniques of the masters.
There was an individual in town who had a lot of money, he bought the best gear and hired the worst people, had no idea what he was doing... not one good track came out of that studio... along comes a talented kid with a 4-track cassette recorder and plays me one of the most impressive songs I've ever heard. Yes, this was 10-12 years ago but the point is always going to ring true, it starts with the individual.