I am working on recording a CD of myself playing trombone and I have some questions about room acoustics and recording techniques. Here is my present setup:

Mic – Aphex 210 Ribbon Mic
Mic Preamp – ART TPSII tube preamp
Adobe Audidion 1.5 recorder on Laptop 1.3 Gb Ram
Audio Card – 24 bit Audigy Sound Blaster
Recording Trombone Solo (will use open ear headphones to hear accompaniment and myself playing)
Accompaniment – Digital Piano recording direct input (not mic)

I have an unused bedroom for the recording location. Not many options here. I tried making some test recording and was not pleased with the sound. Then I took apart the bed and stood the mattress up against the wall, added a few blankets over widows and the sound was totally different. Much better but not great yet.

Here are my questions:

1) What about the location of the mic to the trombone? One pro from the Boston Symphony told me that have had good results with a mic 4’ above and 10’ in front of the instrument.

2) What about room acoustics? Do I go for a “neutral” room and then add reverb in later?

3) Should I cover all the walls and ceiling with a blanket to dampen the sound?

4) How can I determine what the room resonances are?

5) One person suggested building a tent baffle out of PVC and then draping blankets over and around this fixture. Then record inside this tent.

6) I can record at 44.1 or 88.2, 96 or higher. 16 bit or 32 bit floating. What gives the best sound? Advantages and disadvantages?

If anyone can give me any input on how to achieve a great sound recording in a home room I would appreciate your ideas.

Thanks

Dennis