[JCBigler]

Also, do you guys use compression while tracking?

No, I don't use compression while tracking. I gain m inputs properly so as not to get any distortion on the way onto disk.

I use compression lightly in post if needed.

 

[JCBigler]

Thank you all for your responses. My main issue is getting that warm, fat sound to translate onto the recording. When I play back my recording, the sound I hear is different from what I hear (or at least think I hear) as I'm playing. There's a bit more of a "honky" tone to the recorded sound. The sound is also thinner. It may be the room as well. I do use a portable vocal filter that's set up at the back of the mic, but maybe that's not enough? The room is carpeted, has plaster walls and is pretty small (maybe around 100-150 sq. ft.). One side of it has a make-shift open "closet" where I hang a lot of my clothes (the girlfriend has pretty much commandeered all the regular closets in the condo unit).

On the other hand, it also may be that I just don't know how to use my current Daking equipment properly as I've only had them for about 4 months now. I used to have an ISA Two and no compressor.

If this is your first time recording and hearing yourself, that's how it's going to be. The recordings always sound different than what you hear as a player. I'm not sure how or when, but at some point my ear got used to the difference and now the recordings sound normal to me.

You don't want to use your vocal processor while recording. You want to recorded signal to be as pure and untreated as possible. You can do all of that stuff in post (EQ, compression, reverb, whatever).

In general, even cheap preamps today will sound very good. Probably better than the room or mics that you are using. The thing that will affect your recorded sound the most, is the room itself. That's also what will cost the most, as a well designed and well built recording room can cost many tens of thousands of dollars to build and treat right.

I do classical concert recording and use the stock preamps in my Yamaha RIO i/o units, or sometimes my Focusrite Scarlett or Clarett interfaces, and they sound fine. The room itself (a 2,400 seat concert hall) and it's associated HVAC noise, is the biggest artifact when it comes to the quality of the sound in the recording.

 

[JCBigler]

I find that my voice translates accurately (if not a bit enhanced) to the track when I record. However, my sax recordings do not. As I indicated, the sound on track sounds thinner and a bit honky compared to the actual sound I hear when I play. I guess they're just different and require different approaches.

The saxophone has many more harmonics and a much richer sound over all compared to the human voice. It's also louder. So when you play, the the room will accentuate all of the bad modes of the room for your saxophone more than it will voice.

You really can't "treat" a bad room. Just putting up some foam panels or off the shelf bass traps isn't going to do much other than lighten your bank account. The room itself has to be built a certain way, with specific building techniques and angles, materials and insulation specifically meant for sound absorption, isolation, and reflection.

On the other hand, maybe you still need some work on your tone too. Set a mic up maybe 8 to 10 feet away and see what it sounds like, rather than close micing.