what is your goal? What kind of material, where, how many instruments, etc.
You can go anywhere from 2-track to as many-as-your-computer-can-handle. Used to be that ProTools was the gold standard but things have changed and "native" apps like Logic, Live, Sonor, etc I think are the way to go. Just depends on your budget, needs, etc.
Mics is a whole other discussion. I am a huge fan of Oktava MC012 mics. Cheap and sound great.
And to answer your question, no, nobody does DAT anymore
