@ABitRusty, Nice to meet you!

I don't claim to be a one stop expert but I have done a fair amount of recording, so please take my answers as subjective to my experiences. I believe the Royer R10 is a figure 8 polar pattern and was a good answer to the higher priced models, although at 499.00 they aren't giving them away like candy. I was seriously looking that model over. I was undecided because they always show it against a guitar amp. I wanted to see demos with violins but I digress.

If I had an R10 with a figure 8 polar pattern I would probably somehow block the sound from the rear and try to keep it a fair distance from the violin at maybe 6' or more in a larger space. In a smaller space you don't have that option.My lower priced ribbon didn't fare so well in my bedroom studio on violin no matter where I put it. The MXL SDC was a better answer for that small space because the small diaphram doesn't pick up as much of the boomy room noise reflections. I have one of those CAD vocal surrounds that goes around the back of a mic for vocalists. Something like that might help you out.

The main advantage to a condenser mic is adjustable polar patterns. In most rooms you will need a cardoid pattern. Ribbons don't traditionally offer that option since they pick up from both front and back.If you decide to go that route the SDC seems to be working better for me in smaller spaces.

You're workin' in DAWs too huh? We definitely have this in common! I have SO4 Pro and several others. In terms of bang for the buck I opted for Kontakt Komplete for instruments because it has so much in one compatible package, then I purchase side libraries as they go on sale.You get Kontakt when you buy Komplete. As you know Kontakt runs lots of other 3rd party stuff. I like a lot of the stuff Soundiron offers. Not long ago I bought the Joshua Bell violin by Embertone. In that world you are limited only by your keyboard and imagination    It is much easier to simply play a violin part in software....but that makes us lazy

bocaholly said

starise said
I have seen people make pretty good recordings using laptop mics/cameras and smart phones. It really is more about the space, the distance, the violin and the player. If you have a bad combination there no mic will clear it up.

I have a pretty decent camera mic and space to record. It's truly the player, in my case, who has a lot of catching up to do.

I was just fooling around with tailgut length, bridge and sound post placement today and recorded some scales to have a comparison. The stereo setting on this combi mic (Azden SMX-30) from 8-10 feet away gave a much kinder result than the mono shotgun at 10 inches from the f-holes. 

That may be obvious to most of you but I'd seen recordings with cigar shaped mics up real close to the violin so I thought I'd give it a try. Not a flattering sound result!  

Yes, that's what frustrated me. I have expensive mics and people were making better recordings than I was using minimal setups and this was how I eventually figured out the issue was the placement, the space and me. I am able to only make mediocre recordings of myself so far. Most experienced players are at least able to capture something usable on a decent violin. I have heard decent recordings made either outside or in a larger space using large condenser mics closer if the player is good.I hope you get a setup that works well for you. I am still looking at mics though. The fathead II mics with the Lundenhal modification look like a winner in the right space!

MoonShadows said
The Zoom Q2N I ordered arrived on Saturday. I finally got a chance to open it this morning and take a look. I wanted to start playing around with it when I found out it records to an SD card, so I have to order one. It will be a few more days until I can test the camera out. It also does not come with a lens cap, and the only way to get one is to order the accessories package for $29...which has the lens cap, lens hood (to block unwanted glare), a padded case to store the camera, a "hairy" windscreen, a tripod to mic stand adapter that can double as a hand grip, a tripod to three-prong action camera mount adapter, and a USB cord. All that, and all I wanted was a lens cap that doesn't come with the camera. Oh well, I guess I'll use most of the other pieces too.  

I did a further search on these units. For a portable unit,  they are the closest game in town for a musician.You could get something like a gopro but the quality isn't there. Reviews have them going through batteries fairly quickly. If you are only making a video of a song or two though, it shouldn't matter. I have an older Zoom handheld unit that's an audio only recorder. It's ok but not up to par with higher end mics. It's like 10 years old, so I doubt there can be any comparison to the Q2N. It eats though batteries too. In one video I seen a user tape cardboard over the top of a zoom Q2N to keep out the room light as an option to the expensive lens cover. 

If I got a long mic cord I could pull my setup out into a larger space and record the video on my handheld video recorder. I don't really want to do that though because it involves combining and lining up audio/video. A time consuming venture.Might be my only option presently. I am still undecided on the zoom. I'll wait and see how you like yours