Audio & Video Equipment in Minneapolis, MN

Final Cut is the easiest and carries the biggest punch of all the video editing software. If you are a Mac person and don't want the learning curve, stick with iMovie - for basic video compilation it's easy to use and creates a nice package. I personally find most of the Adobe software to be clunky and bug-ridden, though I gave up on it long enough ago that I'm sure some of the worst has been smoothed out. That being said, PC video software is never going to be very good - stick with Mac software if you can. The Mac processor is just light years more efficient. Likewise, if you're on Mac no need to go beyond GarageBand. If you're on PC, go with the free stuff - Audacity is just fine. If you're looking at professional gear, though, I stick with Final Cut (there are others that are good but they will generally stick you for add-on expenses that are simply not worth it) and you can't beat ProTools. In terms of gear, get yourself a good mic. It'll cover most of the rest of your needs. You might want to experiment with the spaces you'll be recording in to decide where you want an omni mic or something less acoustic (more of a directional mic) - I strongly recommend you check out TapeOp Magazine (it's free): http://tapeop.com/ for pointers and guidance. I got turned on to this Indie/DIY industry mag by the recording engineers I've worked with. Hope this helps and sorry it's so long!

just looked up the reviews - sounds like a reasonable middle-of-the-road option that can do a good deal: http://download.cnet.com/Vegas-Movie-Studio-Platinum-12-32-bit/3000-13631_4-10497128.html

Actually---I was recommeding the high end solution: http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/vegaspro

Just take the cover off and inspect the fuses. They usually look like this: http://audiolabga.com/images/FUSE.jpg