Tascam DA-P1 and Milab VM44, upgrade advice

[knuttta]

Hi
I'm a pianist recording in a small church with nice acoustics. I have a Bösendorfer 214, but I also record chamber music with piano and choir with a small orchestra. I use a tascam da-p1 and a pair of milab vm44 (sdc cardoids).

The sound is ok, although a bit hard and cold. I tried Neumann 184, but found the sound to be muddy. Actually preferred the Milabs.

Which part of my system should i upgrade? Microphones or recorder? I have been looking at Korg mr1000 and a lot of different microphones. I want an open an "analog" sound. After doing a lot of research, this seems to be best achieved with omni sdc. I really like old piano recordings with Kempf from the sixties.

My budget is 3000$ and I live in Norway.

Any advice would be highly appreciated!

Knutta

[PlugHead]

IMO,

Having used a DA-P1 for quite a few years/sessions, I would suggest that this is the weakest link in your chain. With using it's onboard mic pre's and clock/conversion (16 bit - ugh!) you can only have mid-fi recordings at best.

I would suggest moving up to a better recording device first - maybe the Korg - there is a new one out too (I think it's called the MR-2000), but the MR-1000 should be a very good upgrade for you.

That should only be approx. 1/3rd of your budget - with the rest of your funds I'd suggest auditioning other mics - maybe some Schoeps or DPA's etc., or if the mics are working for you, maybe a nice mic preamp for the front end, tho supposedly the MR-1000's pre's are pretty respectable.

That is, if you feel you need to spend more money!

I hope this helps,

[knuttta]

Thanks a lot PlugHead. I will place an order for the Korg mr1000.

What about omni scd mics? After doing intensive research I have narrowed it down to:

Senn mkh8020
Senn mkh20

They seem to be especially good for piano and even work well as a main stereo pair.

Are there other microphones in this price range to consider?

Is the Korg good enough to justify spending a lot on mics? I will not be interested in changing gear regularly.

Knutta

[PlugHead]

The Senn 80XX series are getting a lot of good praise - some folks are consistently choosing them over their Schoeps/DPA's etc. as their primary SDC's, tho this is hearsay - I've not personally heard them so I have no factual opinion on their sonics/performance.

The ONLY thing of concern is them being manufactured 'cheaper' than the older mics (i.e. surface mount designs, no point to point wiring) - so long as Sennheiser maintains they can repair these should they fail, I wouldn't hesitate to try them.

IMO, I think it's worth an audition before buying any mic(s)...

Good luck!

(edit) As for changing gear - that is one thing I've learned - buy once and be happy! With the MR-1000, and POSSIBLY a couple of high quality SDC's, you should not have to change gear for a very long time - first, upgrade the recording device and verify this SUBSTANTIALLY helps your recordings - if you choose to upgrade from the milab's, that is another step to possibly further better your end results...