This thread is so timely for me. I am in a project with another ID to recommend new best practices and tools for the instructional Design process for our team. I am really looking forward to what others have to say as well.
I agree with Stephanie about Audacity. It's a quick and dirty audio tool that is easy to use and produces good results.
I will definitely look into FreeMind and Quandry.
Our company has a few licenses for a mind mapping tool called MindJet, and I'm interested in finding a similar free tool.
Cathy Moore had a great blog recently on Action Mapping using Compendium.
blog.cathy-moore.com/.../be-an-elearning-action-hero
I'm currently researching both the concept of Action Mapping and Compendium. Glad to hear from others who have successfully used either.