So on a trip to Guitar Center this afternoon, I finally found what I was looking for: a beginner's guide to building a digital audio studio. Desktop Digital Studio by Paul White is a smart, easy-to-read guide to building a musicmaking studio in your bedroom. It goes into what all the different programs do (like Logic, Cubase, etc.) and what role they each play in the production process, explains what terms like MIDI and VST actually mean, and even has diagrams to show what kind of stuff you're going to need. It's a little out-of-date – it was written in 2000, and technology is going to outstrip any book like this in a matter of months – but I think it's going to be insanely useful nevertheless. I'm really looking forward to this.