Earth to smuir, earth to smuir! :)

smuir has good intensions but he's clearly one XLR socket short of an AES/EBU patch bay when he tells someone who's never really recorded anything before to rent a Nagra IV. That's like giving a Ferarri to a 16 year-old non-driver and telling them "knock yourself out and go learn how to drive" - you just wouldn't do it, unless they were under the supervision of a qualified driving instructor.

I don't see how playing with professional/expensive gear for a week prevents you from picking up bad habits. Where's the connection there?

That's not what it takes Wraiyth. All you need is a bit of passion, and you haven't had that kindled yet so don't worry about it. JUST GO RECORD STUFF. It doesn't matter what you use - just go.

Now.

Kenbar makes a good point: the learning method I reccomended may not be for everyone. My own first exposure to pro audio was actually when I was a production assistant on a film shoot. The production mixer flaked out at the last possible minute, and the PAs drew straws to see who would temporarily replace him until a new mixer could be found. At the end of the day, the levels were pretty inconsistant, but it proved to be an excellent learning experience.

Over the years, I've worked with numerous up-and-coming recordists and sound editors. The "bad habits" I refer to generally relate to having no point of reference in evaluating equipment. I've had people rave about the extrordinary quality of $200 back-electret shotgun mics and recordings made using consumer MP3 recorders. The fact is that their point of reference is usually either the mic that came with their computer or their camcorder's on-camera mic. By starting off working with professional equipment, a beginner can avoid the common pitfall of buying the first microphone they see with "pro" and "50% off" on the box. My personal conviction is that $200 is better spent renting excellent gear for a short period than buying cheap gear that may or may not be well suited to your application.

As for the driving analogy, bear in mind that few pedestrians have ever been killed by inexperienced sound recordists. If you carefully follow the instructions on loading the tape and batteries, you're really only risking the rental cost.

However, I have been remiss in not reccomending professional instruction. If you're uninterested in taking a sound engineering course at a local community college, try tracking down weekend workshops in production sound. Many local film production co-ops offer one or two-day courses that dovetail nicely with the skills needed for sound effects recording. For that matter, see if you can find a sound designer or effects editor whom you can job shadow.

Risking the rental cost is the thing - at the moment I'm actually not working (did my knee so I can't work). I've got a fair bit of spare time but no cash which is why I want to try and do it cheaply and now :)