Jumped in the shallow end of the pool.
 

I just bought my first DAW for home recording, Mixcraft 8. I don't yet know enough about recording to know how little I know. I'll be lurking around here trying to soak up what I can. Any suggestions of some reading material that a layman can use to help build some fundamentals.

My goal is to record for posterity. so when I'm old and in my rocking chair I can look at a photo album of the fish I caught, the mountains I climbed and I can listen to the music that I once made.

Naturally read the user manual carefully (at least the parts that apply to what you want to do).
https://www.acoustica.com/mixcraft/mixcraft_8_help.pdf


Specify what gear you have and what type of music you want to record (e.g. solo guitar, guitar + voice, etc.)
and I'm sure others will be able to reply more appropriately based on those things.

Gear is a PC with Windows 10, Zed 60-14fx mixer, Shure SM 58's, Sennheiser 835's, a Blue Encore 200 condenser mic. The recordings will be just me recording one instrument at a time, Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, harmonica and vocals. To start with, mostly acoustic guitar plugged into the mixer, recording rhythm and then melodies. My studio isn't quiet enough nor can I make it so at this time for recording with mics. As I learn more and as need dictates, I'll improve the gear.

Check out the forums at homerecording.com for a lot of good info and help when needed.

Hopefully you can use the A+H to monitor your input while listening to the already-recorded tracks without noticeable latency, one of the downfalls of using a mixer rather than an audio interface is the monitoring ability.

First welcome to fascinating if sometimes frustrating world of home recording.
A world ( like playing guitar) that presents a lifetime of possibility for learning and improvement . Recording audio is Science, Craft, and Art. With two major areas that are very different but completely interrelated
#1 recording
#2 Mixing

Yes as far as reading material a good place to start is this fairly comprehensive :
" Understanding Audio" by Daniel Thompson
https://www.amazon.com/Understanding...JGDW90ZMB318VR

I am a bit confused, you state you want to record vocals which require a mic but state your studio is not quiet enough to use a mic ? I am guessing you actually mean for recording guitar you feel your room has too much ambient noise to use a mic ?

But all things being equal (if) there is too much ambient noise for recording guitar there is going to be that same noise on the vocals .
Figuring out how to mitigate that room noise (as much as possible given your specific situation) will likely be the single most important element in your quest
to home record. And thus as far as "improving the gear" in the future, some type of room treatment (even if only the moveable absorption panel type) will likely be the best money you can spend on "gear"

Also understand that while you can certainly plug your guitar directly in to your mixer or interface (which is a completely valid method) , However .. It will not sound like your acoustic guitar, it will sound like the pickup system of your guitar .