[quesne]

I have a Taylor 816e with the Expression System 2, and I enjoy recording with it. I've got two young kids, so my studio time often falls during play and/or homework time.

On the rare occasion I do have some quiet studio time, I record with two or three of my (decent) condenser mics plus the pickup. I usually capture several concurrent signals (i.e. from 2 or 3 mics plus the pickup) and then mix them.

Many times, however, using a mic is simply not possible. There is so much ambient noise that the tracks are useless. In those instances, I would like to make the most of my ES2 system and get the best signal possible.

I have a Zoom R16 and three ART Dual MP rack mounted boxes. I have the Dual MPs set up with a few different 12AX7 and 5751 tubes for various mics and instrument combos. I find most of the tubes work well with mics, but only certain tubes are good instrument preamps.

I find I get a pretty clean and decent signal going through a non-High Z channel straight into the R16. But the ART Dual MP does not have a 1/4" input which is non-High Z. Each channel has an XLR input, and a High Z 1/4".

I would like to improve the signal quality when I am going direct with the ES2. I am not really particular about whether it is through the R16, or if the ADMPs are in the chain. I'm just looking for some advice or good ideas to try. Or maybe some experience with a similar setup?

Thanks in advance :-)