'Sparkle"? Your mixes sound fine to me. Do you have any mastering software (Ozone, etc.)? That will get you some sparkle.
Also, what mic are you using? I believe that the mic is more important than the mic pre.

And when you said:

"It's possible I just want to sound like I have a world-class studio full of vintage analog hardware and that is unrealistic."

There are a ton of plugins out there that can simulate just about every piece of vintage gear you can imagine.

BTW, what brand of chromatic are you playing? It sounds very sweet.

I hope I didn't insult you by telling you anything that you already know. Just trying to help.



Regards,

Bob