Run Windows Tools/Disk Clean up 'as Administrator'. Make sure Windows Update Clean-up is selected.

I hope we can assume the microphones we see in the picture are a recording rig, not for pa?

This is all sounding like 'theory for guitarists (or computer-based 'producers') who don't read music'. An obsession with the diatonic chords of a key, and a feeling that doing something non-diatonic is remarkable, requiring special justification. Read music, play music. From simple early Classical ...

The jack is the socket. The jack plug goes into it.

But these definitions have become blurred by widespread incorrect usage. So it's worth checking that everyone's talking about the same thing!

Why do you want to use two piano mics? If you have just one input channel available for piano, use just one mic.

Lose the preamps.

Make sure the talent is using the SM7b mics properly. They're designed to be used pretty close to the mouth. Talk to the mic, not to the room.

'Nearly 4K' is a heck of a lot to be paying for a PC! Have you told us the full spec. yet? The problem you mention isn't going to be solved by 'tweaks' or by disabling un-used hardware. And there's not really much 'setting up for audio' needed these days, particularly for a trivial task like playing...

In the end I wonder whether it might be better to a) get a singer in or b) learn to sing and hold a note, and that would include lots of time doing daily vocal exercises in order to condition the voice, tame it so to speak. Hmm. Learning to play your instrument. A novel idea. I wonder if it could e...

No, you can't fill all that dynamic range. But you can place the 12-or-so bits of that a mic CAN deliver anywhere in that range, i.e. you don't have to get the input levels right!

When I built a passive monitor controller (three stereo in and three out) using a high quality Alps stereo pot and a salvaged/re-purposed aluminum case, it ran to a couple of hundred dollars and hours of work. I'm not surprised by the cost of a commercial product like the Rolls Folcrom. Yes, some A...

The RMS216 FOLCROM. https://rollmusic.com/folcrom.php "Each of the Folcrom's sixteen input channels features a balanced analog connection on standard 8-channel DB25 connectors and a pair of pushbutton switches to assign that channel to the Left or Right output, neither, or both. It uses no acti...

When SSD were new and expensive, computers did get sold with such ridiculously small internal drives. But you can now replace it with a 500GB or even 1TB unit quite cheaply. A much neater solution.