What do i need to record my own music at home?

theres a "home recording for dummies" book which would defo help you out alot hope this has helped you :)

A tape recorder and microphone. Plug in microphone put in tape (rewound) press Record and Play. make a noise near microphone. When finnished rewind tape and play. You will hear noise back from tape

It really depends on what you want to record. A DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) would give you the most possibilities for your money. I assume you're going to want to share your music with friends too, and doing it on the computer would be the easiest way to do that as well. You should have a fairly capable computer, if it's 4-5 years old it's probably not going to cut it. Aside from your computer, you're going to need recording software. I recommend Reason/Record for beginners. Reason is awesome and Record is simple enough for beginners to learn the basics of digital recording, plus it won't break the bank. Next, you're going to need an audio interface. You plug this into your computer and plug microphones and stuff into it. There are several available, the PreSonus Fireboxes are pretty nice (and relatively inexpensive). Next you need microphones. The number and type you need will depend on what you want to record, but two mics that everyone always has several of are the Shure SM57 and SM58. The 57 is great for recording practically any instrument, and the 58 is the standard live vocal mic. There are better mics for recording, but the 57 and 58 are inexpensive, extremely durable, and they sound great. A really bare bones setup like this will probably cost you about $500-$600 I found this package on MusiciansFriend.com. It comes with everything you need, including Pro Tools software, which is the industry standard... it's not really beginner software though (but it comes with great tutorials) http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Digidesign-Mbox-2-Mini-Recording-Bundle?sku=702525