Better to change mic or amp?

Blakegi

New member
hi!
i have a hobbyst home studio and i sometimes record different kind of acoustic instruments. All by and for myself, no "external" users...

My main mic is a neumann tlm 102 enetering in a focusrite ISA ONE preamp, digitally connectd to the soundcard

But I also have a couple of samson c02 microphones (cardioid), enetering in a SM PRO AUDIO TB202 2 channel preamp (analog). I use these mic often to get a more "wide" take of instruments such as guitars or similar. I always couple the stereo take with the mono one obtained with the neumann mic.
I usually put my pair of samson c02 above the instrument, in a XY configuration.
my room is acoustically treated and the sound is quite "dry", without too much room reverb.

While the neumann+isa one have an excellent quality, sometimes i think about changing the stereo mics+pre to get a better sound. I bought them at the begining of my "career" when budget constrains were a thing!

My search ended up with:

Rode NT5 MP microphones
ART Digital MPA II (i will connect it digitally to my soundcard, a plus)

but this would mean to spend about 1000€...

I wonder if the quality will be SO MUCH better than what I have (I suppose so...) but I also wonder if I should change first the amp or first the mics, trying to understand which is the weakest point of my chain... and to spread the money over a longer timespan.

any help would be appreciated!

useful links for leisure time:
 
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I have a matched pair of NT5s. Also have some cheaper Samson pencil mics, from drum mic kits. I thnk they are C02s.
Both of these types seem pretty good to me.
 
You keep saying 'digitally connected to my soundcard' but the ISA and the ART only have analog outputs as far as I can see. What exactly is your 'soundcard'?
 
It will be ......... just different. Better for some things, worse for others. The fancy pre-amp might give a little 'something' to a really nice mic, but the Rodes are £150 mics, going into a £500 preamp? If you want stereo - how about another Neumanm, and something else? More options that way?
 
It generally goes:

Performance, then instruments/amps, the room, mic, and preamp in order of how much it affects sound.

This is why I’d much rather track through a $1500 amp with a $200 mic and preamp combo than track through a $200 amp with a $1500 mic and preamp combo.
 
Could have swore I read he was tracking electric guitar but I guess it’s acoustic. What acoustic are you running? Lol
 
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