Improve one of them a lot and start to wonder whether the other parts of the chain are up to standard. I've had vague feelings of unease on the recording chain which have been heightened with the arrival of the Lowden.
One thing I have been aware of is that I have been having to have the recording levels on my interface turned up to a point that was on the verge of creating background noise when using my Audio Spectrum OSM800 Condenser Mic. Now - that is not one of the higher quality microphones ans is very much low budget territory.
I knew possibly that was down to the preamps quality in the interface, and the effectiveness of the phantom power in the interface. Which being an Alesis iO2 also sits in low budget territory. I tried an ART phantom power unit and plugged it into the Alesis without using the Alesis Phantom Power and that improved levels a bit, but only a little.
So I've managed to sell things, release funds, rearrange things, buy things.
Step 1 - Microphone. Managed a swift test recording tonight with an AKG C3000 Condenser Mic. Certainly higher quality than the OSM800.
First obvious thing to notice, even using the phantom power in the Alesis was how much lower I could set the recording level. Not being on the edge of a noisy setting was of benefit to sound quality straight away.
Second thing I noticed was I could stand further from the microphone.
Third thing I noticed was there seemed to be an extra dynamic range.
Fourth thing I noticed was an extra depth and richness to the sound.
https://app.box.com/s/0zj0crdka4gmn8mjtlnsiewfpgqlnl1lPlease excuse the rattling sound at one point - careless movement by me caused the headphone cable to catch on the back of the guitar. Also didn't intend there should be a voice off just near the end - I should have told people I was recording.
There are settings on the microphone I've yet to look at. There's also a piece of gear on the way that might help further.
But I feel I've made a step forward. The only positive step on anything this week!