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As far as phantom power, my mic will not without them. So, yes to that question. As far as the patterns, I am not sure if my mic have a switch (but they may). I know that I often use the Lo pass filter so I don't pickup street noises or rumble from the mic stand. Maybe that is part of the problem. However, I read that low pass filters don't effect most vocal ranges. So, that is why I use it often.

Excellent tips and observations. Answers to your questions: I always stand when singing. I have improved my diaphragm usage in the past several months. But I think that is the area that needs the most work. I never have 'pop issues'. So I actually have not used the pop-screen only a few times. The times I didn't, I was trying to get closer to the mic. Mic orientation is not that dumb, I have made this mistake a few times. But now I always watch for that. I have used the 2488 onboard compression on mixdown, but almost never on input. I worry that I will over-process and cannot undo that effects on a great take. All these suggestions/questions are good insight. It also reassures me of things to remember or I am doing correctly. I will try to work with compression a little more. It is just a mysterious artform to my ears. It is often either over-baked or under-cooked to my ears. Thanks for your help!

Also, on stage, I get a lot of feedback that I am not loud enough on the mic. I know that is directly a voice control issue. Perhaps I should take some good vocal lessons. I have always felt too cheap to spend money on something that is supposed to come naturally. I also get concerned that the wrong teacher will cause me to loose what little soul I have in my voice. I watched that happen to a friend. He spent so much time working on his 'improved voice', that he completely fell flat in the soul department. It was difficult to watch him have perfect projection, pitch, breath, but not enjoy it because it was seriously lacking soul. It sounded just plain nerdy.

I have tried using a Bellari RP503 preamp. It makes it warmer, but is tricky to keep from crossing the threshold of distorted. I have also used dbx 266XL on the input. But I am not skillful at compression at all. More often, I feed direct into my TASCAM 2488. I then try to EQ everything in the POST FADE in the mix down. I use a pop screen sometimes. I also think it is my small studio acoustics contributing. But I have recorded in a closet full of clothes and got slightly better results, but still not where I want my voice to be. It is probable that 80% of my issues are voice control related. I just can't seem to find the punch with soul in my voice.

I really dislike my own voice. I think a few would agree. While others think it is unique with character. So, I keep trying. I have so much trouble with my voice in recordings. I know a lot of it is bad vocal habits. On the other hand, I feel that I just don't know how to capture the essence of my unique voice, yet sound full and near. I have tried sound isolation (literally building a blanket tent around me & mic), lips on the mic, compressors, EQ after EQ attempts, multi-tracking and different singing voices. Everything comes out sounding thin and far away from the mic. I am using a Russian made Oktava diaphragm mic. I have also used my AT4033 several times. On stage, I simply use a SM58. None of these seem to help. I was reading some insight on recording mics. There is no 'right' way or 'right' mic to use. I thought about this a lot. I have concluded that even a $3000 Neumann U87 will not address the problem. I am beginning to think my voice is simply not a good tool in the woodshed. Should I be spending more effort on fixing the technology or fixing the vox? I don't know what the REAL problem is, so I don't know what to fix. Any thoughts?