Hello. I'm recording a Steinway B piano. I'm using a Dad AX32 with the converter's built-in preamps and two Sonodore LDM54 microphones.

The result in a poorly treated small room acoustics is thin and low in volume, but it saturates quickly... close miking. I'm exploring ways to improve the result. If I use a separate mic preamp, could I improve on the Dad AX32's? Or using the Sonodore preamp? Or exploring another alternative path with more color and more volume? Does anyone have ideas for improvements? I'm looking to find the best possible sound. Thick with big bass for solo piano. Thanks.

your preamps/ad-converters are fine...

...but maybe you wanna talk to your piano tech?

(i wouldn't use omnis in a smallish room but a yamahiko for lf capture)

To add to what ddy rightly said above, if the mics are not somewhat mulfunctioning, and the piano tech did a good job, the issue is not the quality of your interface/preamps/converters.. (which are actually excellent).

the bad acoustics are probably the main culprit..

howdy

Cheu

Yes, you have all the ingredients but if the kitchen is broken...

Room is so important here.

Where are you micing? I always start with a Decca tail but if room not playing then I try a nearer spread in the piano well, just poking above the lid into the body.

Artificial reverb is a dirty secret in classical, but used a hell of lot even in great rooms.

How old is the Steinway? I have two and the newer one sounds a bit blander to me (just as an aside.)

Shhhh!

Here is the chapter on “The Piano” from Deccas guide to Classical Recording. Might be useful. (You need to scroll past the first few pages).

https://www.routledge.com/rsc/downlo...qA1ezXVRji0o4I

"saturates quickly" - what is saturating? can't really be the preamp...so must be in the mic? the mic's electronics, or overloading the capsule?

Does the piano itself sound good? We'll assume so -- if not then you've found the issue.

Though I have favorite locations for mics I still move around the room as someone is playing to get am idea of where the best sound is, and perhaps where to avoid.

As others have mentioned it's unlikely to be an issue with the pres or converters. I'd guess piano or mic locations.

The mics/preamps "document" the sound they capture. Some put a little spin on the story (like the high frequency rise in most or all LDCs). But they essentially report the story they are being told to the recorder.

The problem is that you have a bad story being told (due to the room, not the piano), and your mics/preamps are faithfully reporting the story.

Rather than spend thousands of dollars hiring "better reporters" (i.e. better mics/preamps), you should improve the story itself and keep the reporters you already have.

You can improve the story itself with an abundance of portable sound absorbers. There are stand-mounted solutions: like this:
https://www.gikacoustics.com/product...ic-panel-gobo/

Twelve of those is a far better $2400 spend in your particular context than whatever you would be trying to buy in new mic/preamp electronics. Yes you will need a van to cart them. But you will also have a mobile sound correction solution you can bring anywhere in the future.

If you want to elevate them off the floor, you can easily create low-cost, low-weight risers with plastic crates and common board from home depot.

There are also these stackable gobo solutions:
https://www.atsacoustics.com/studio-stacker.html

Your room is contributing awful dialogue to the story being told. So you want to try to take the room out of the story as best as you can. Bringing in an army of portable sound absorbers is your best chance at that. Directional mics alone will not be nearly enough. The bad story is being told from all angles in the room. There is no way and nowhere to sufficiently hide from this (unless you are willing to close lid/moving blanket the piano and put the mics inside). Improve the story itself with an abundance of portable sound absorbers.

Thank you very much for your help and ideas for improvement. The piano needs a retuning. That's right. The room requires improved acoustic conditioning. That will undoubtedly improve the result. However, even if the acoustics and tuning improve, I think the fact that the recordings sound flat and very low in volume, and when you turn up a little, they saturate, I think there's also something going on with the microphone. To clear up any doubts, it would be good to test with another microphone. While I'm still considering installing sound-absorbing panels and hiring a good piano technician to improve intonation and tuning. It's the sum of all. That's right. Thank you all.