I’m taking my voiceover hat off for a moment and putting on my audio producer / sound engineer hat on. (Metaphorically of course – I would struggle to get my head phones on if I wore a hat). Anyway there is news from Aston Microphones that I thought I would write about.
British based Aston first came to my notice in 2016 when they launched the Origin large diaphragm condenser studio mic. It was rather unusual in appearance and I think I was rather rude about that at the time. Despite its looks it got rave reviews for its crystal clear performance.
Since then I have changed my tune and become a fan. I have a Aston Stealth and I was one of the people who contributed to the focus group research for the Aston Element (I have one and it’s a mic that I love very much and which has become my go-to mic for tracking vocals – and some final recordings too).
I have a wish list of other Aston mics I would like to buy – and now that list has a new item on it in the form of the Aston Apex.
Not content with shaking up the studio recording microphone market they have now developed new hand held live vocal mics.
As you might expect from Aston they have a very striking appearance.
Hand held live mics tend to be dynamic – so the Apex is dynamic – but this being Aston it can also be Active with phantom power. In addition – using the technology developed for the Aston Stealth – the mic has a choice of 2 voices with an on-board preamp which via phantom power provides an additional 20 dB gain boost.
The unusual head of the mic – no traditional basket here – is aerodynamically tuned to enhance on-axis focus of the sound source. You can also choose from 3 finishes on the body including chrome (Aston call it glass), black (Void) and grey (Storm)
As a musician who provides backing vocals at live gigs I can’t wait to try one of these out – I want one – a Void – but as far as I can tell they are not available for retail yet.
How frustrating!
I hope to review one in the not too distant future.
You can find out more here on the Aston Website
The original article I read is here – on the Audio Technology website
Chris Radley – Voice Over Artist