I have been attempting to record my violin and the results haven't been very good so far. I am contemplating buying a dedicated electric violin mainly for recording purposes. I have a small home studio and I believe my room is working against me. I have tried various mic positions and I can't get anywhere near the kind of quality sound needed for a recording. Another option would be for me to record the violin elsewhere.
Has anyone used the NS NXT? 
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/NXTV4SB?adpos=1o2&creative=55392802681&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=Cj0KEQjw0dy4BRCuuL_e5MeqmNABEiQAq8iNI6zlLxVTlxGrDCF-K0w7rN3qosCUxKDg3sKYdxUkVG0aAplz8P8HAQ
 
For a person who doesn't have the large spaces needed for a quality violin recording would this fill that gap better? 

Have you tried miking the violin from above, as close as possible, then using a room impulse? I've been lucky enough to have a decent room to record my violin, but I've tried the method above and had pretty good results, too.

There is also this company: 
 
http://www.electricviolinshop.com/viper-violins.html?limit=all
 
I know 2 people that have Vipers that both love them.
 
Here are 4 links to articles/discuss on setting up mics for recording violin:
 
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun10/articles/qa0610_6.htm
 
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr99/articles/recstrings.htm
 
http://www.dpamicrophones.com/mic-university/how-to-mic-a-violin
 
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/remote-possibilities-acoustic-music-location-recording/327504-recording-violin-small-studio.html
 
In addition, I would add that you can apply reverb after the fact, to help shape the sound to your liking.
 
Bob Bone
 

I've gotten killer fiddle sounds in my OK room.  Oktava 012 smd, which is a good if dark mic.  Over the bridge pointing down, of course.  You have to "fiddle" with it, but I got a nice sound.  two notes - it was a very good violin, which helps.  She said the quality of the violin had saved her many times and it did sound great in the room.  Plus, a nice input channel, the RND Portico (which has saved me more than once).  And it really helps to have a second person - I can't imagine trying to find a sweet spot if you are playing and engineering.
 
Good luck.

Usual way to record a solo violin/fiddle is a mic positioned about 18" off the top, pointed at the spot between the f holes and positioned to keep it clear of the bow. This allows the frequencies coming off different parts of the violin body to have a bit of distance to blend in.

Electric violins, and piezo pickups on acoustic violins, tend to remove a lot of the distinctive harmonics, the effect of differing bow strokes and angles and generally smooth the dynamics out. They easily end up sounding more like a clarinet than bowed string. This is in part because of the nature of piezo pickups and in part because piezos only pick up the vibration of what they directly contact. So in a violin a bridge piezo picks up what you'd hear if you put a stethoscope on the bridge - most of the contribution the body makes is missing and has to be corrected, so far as is possible, by heavy eqing.

Among very good fiddlers I know the piezo system regarded as probably the best is the Headway, which wraps around the entire violin body and picks up a broad range of sounds rather than from just one spot.

Thanks for those links Bob. 
 
I used everything I had at my disposal so far. I've tried micing from many angles including from above. I've used lots of different mics. I was able to make the sound better but not good enough to seriously include in a recording. I have a few decent violins. I used my best one which has a nice warm sound for a violin.
Unlike  many other instruments a violin uses the room space to add personality to the sound. A dead space probably means a dead violin sound. My space is smaller and has no ceiling treatments, so the sound hits the drywall about 5ft above my head. The result is a fairly lame sound with early reflections. A boxy not too cool sound. Mic too close and you hear the string scratches. 
 
My violin sounds  good in an auditorium. Small spaces, not so much.
 
Recording the sound and adding a good reverb to it later doesn't improve it much because it sucked to begin with.
 
I'm  really looking into those electric violins Bob mentioned. Thanks for your ideas and suggestions!
 
 

Ask Scott Campbell how he does it.  String Jammer is the name he uses.
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com/Profile/82422/
 

Hey Starise my wife plays violin so I have been around them a bit.  And recorded them too.  She also has an electric violin similar to the one you linked.  Firstly no matter what is going on, any electric violin will have a slight electric sound to it and it is slightly different to an acoustic sound.  Good though.  Louise has a cracker electric machine and it sounds good in an electric type live band situation too.  I don't record it acoustically though.  Doesn't have a sound as such.  Bit like an acoustic guitar DI sound.
 
She has a normal violin and hers is valued in the area of $40,000.  Most of you would not have invested that sort of money in a violin.  It makes a difference.  It has a big fat well balanced sound and in the hands of the right player produces a silky full range tone.  Mics that have smoother top end response works well.  Ribbon mics are good for this.  Not too close, just two/three feet or more above has always done it for me.  Not to close to the ceiling though if you can.  Higher ceilings are slightly better.  Even in a small room I have got excellent results with a valve pre amp too.  But it is because she gets the most amazing tone out of it and plays it pitch accurate and with perfect vibrato, timing and confidence too.  She had some work done on her instrument recently and they moved the sound post and now her sound is different again!  Violinists get right into the deep aspects of the instrument. 
 
The strings make a huge difference.  Louise was trying different brands and models etc.  Some were shrill and horrible and almost impossible to listen to and record, others were smooth and magnificent and fat and she has settled on some now that are more like that.  Her violin is a little bigger and has a slightly deeper sound to it too.  She also has a viola and because of the nature of that being like a deeper low pitched violin it sounds better and is slightly easier to record.  The lower the strings go down the easier it is to get a good recorded sound. eg Cello is a little nicer to record as well.
 
I have put Louise doing the top lines of orchestra simulations and it makes whole synth string sections sound real and live.  Three tracks is all it takes of violins doing 1st's and 2nd's parts and one viola track doing the lines just below those.
 
Real nice convolution reverbs are a must and things like Reverberate do it super well. The sound in a small room is just a little dead and no reverb as such but we like some form of reverb over violin tracks. They don't have to be elongated halls either.  Just nice smaller stage spaces etc..
 
String quartets are also very cool. I have been lucky enough to have recorded some nice ones for soundtracks I have done.  Two passes of four players can produce a very fat and lush string sound.  Louise is also lucky in that she has studied a Jazz degree and rips out Jazz tunes and solos rather well in fact.  She can improvise and blow over changes which is very cool.  In more country acoustic and folk styles she improvises lines in the genre.  Adding interest and texture to the music.  I am lucky enough to hear it being played at its best which is always nice to hear. 
 

There you go, Tim. You just need a $40,000 violin, high ceiling, fat strings, and play your parts perfectly. Simple.

Sad but true.  Electric seems a cheaper route.  Still, I like a little squeak in my strings.