I am no pro at recording, even though I have been playing for over 5 decades. I started making some recordings because my wife wanted to have them on her phone. I started by recording directly into the mic on my iPad... it didn't sound great, but it was there. I spent $0 doing that.
She said, "It doesn't sound like the way I hear you," and encouraged me to get a recorder. I bought a Zoom H4n Pro - the sound was remarkably better, but that handheld was a lot of "fussy work" with the small buttons and scroll wheel.
She saw an ad for a Spire Studio and thought that would be easier to use. I wound up buying one (had a good discount from Musicians' Friend) and found the sound was better and it is simple to use. I now make her recordings any time she wants, and add bass, drums, harmony vocals, etc. up to 8 tracks with that. There is a thread on this Recording sub-forum about using the Spire.
It has an onboard condenser mic and two additional inputs. The best feature about it is the ease of use with the wireless connection to your phone or iPad. I don't fuss with controlling the recording space (my guitar room is small with a lot of solid surfaces), but enjoy having a record of the music I'm making. The Spire is usable on its own, but you get the ease of mixing and can graphically see what you are doing, make cuts, record with effects, etc by using it with your device.
The Spire retails for $350, but you can get it for less with the regular 15% (or more) off offerings from MF or GC.
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