I'm starting a thread for links to outside resources for the complete newbie. We've encountered a few true beginners to the craft lately, and it seems apparent that some folks that end up here need to start at Square One. This is the place to point them there.
We've all been there before - but sometimes, as we get further down the road, we forget how complicated it seems from the outside. Let's help the new people to take advantage of the vast resources of the WWW! Post your favorite tutorials here!
To get things started:
Here is a link to a getting-started tutorial that starts with general instructions, then goes on to list specific ones with Audacity, Krystal, and (wha?!?) Reaper.