Clint,
My budget priorities, in order, would be:
The best quality microphone that you can afford for the kind of
recording that you intend to do. Maybe there is a particular reason
why you want a shotgun mic, but if not you are better off getting an
omnidirectional or cardiod mic, depending on what you want to record.
If you intend to record outdoors in anything except the lightest of
breezes, you are going to need a hand grip, mount, zeppelin and fur
covering. Don't underestimate the importance or cost of these units.
I use Rycote, but the K-Tek units that I have seen also look good.
And if you do not want to record hand-held, you are going to need a
tripod or other stand.
Good headphones to monitor your recordings. I think that getting used
to the headphones that you choose, in terms of how what you hear
through them is rendered in the recording, is more important than the
brand. I happen to use Sony MDR-7506 headphones, but there are
others. The key point is, the cost of monitoring headphones is not
negligible.
Recording medium. Calculate how much memory you need, and how much it
will cost.
The recorder. Except for pre-amps, digital is digital. The recorder
can be a computer with sound recording/editing software, which you
have to have anyway, plus an interface, or a dedicated recorder. In
my view, the choice depends on how much your budget is and how much
mobility you need. Do you already have, or intend to buy, a laptop
computer? If so, do you need a field recorder?
One other comment about recorders. I use a Sound Devices 702T, and
I'm not familiar with these other machines. However, as I understand
it, some of them will record two tracks, but not one. If that is
true, it is something to consider when you are calculating how much
memory you need, because it will double your memory requirements.
Sound recording/editing software. I put this second-last only
because, if one is on a budget, the obvious choice is Audacity, which
is free.
Unless your objective is to record birds or frogs or whatever quite a
distance away, I would put a parabolic setup dead last. Unless you
are going to build one yourself, they are expensive, and there is a
lot of other stuff to pay for first.
Hope that helps.
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