A couple of weeks ago I installed the code tag for the latest version of Google analytics on my voiceover website and it’s been interesting to look at the data since I did it.
I was intrigued by the analytics data on landing pages. Several blog posts come up ahead of the main web pages and in particular 2 really stand out in terms of number of hits and time spent on the page. One is a post I did on Boom Radio and the other is a review I wrote in 2021 on the Aston Stealth microphone in relation to voice over work.
It was quite interesting to re-visit my review and see if I had changed my mind about the mic in the intervening years. I had said the Stealth was pitched in a similar part of the market as the Shure SM7b inasmuch as it was a dynamic end address mic like the SM7b. Of course the Stealth has much more functionality – with 4 “voicing” settings and an on-board phantom powered pre-amp to give a gain boost of up to 50 dB. So not really a dynamic mic at all then!
Interestingly – as I recently mentioned Shure has incorporated a similar idea in the new SM7dB where they have added an on-board pre-amp to boost the signal to mitigate the problems caused by the orginal SM7bs very low signal. Historically this has always required an additional piece of kit like a Soundlifter.
By the same token Aston have recently announced a new side mount for the Stealth which actually makes the Stealth look much more like an SM7b in operation. It also improves on the “unique” clipping mount that the Stealth originally had which has proven a bit impractical in use in the studio.
In my original review – where I did a comparison with a Neumann U87Ai – I found that the V1 voicing worked best for my voice but did not perform better than the Neumann.
There was a slightly processed quality to the voice that might suit commercial radio or perhaps a podcast rather than speech radio or audio drama.
Back then I found the Stealth to be great on the speaker cabinet when recording electric guitar. That is still the case and I use it for that all the time in my studio.
In summary – no real change to my verdict. It’s a great studio mic with multi functionality which is good for recording studio use but almost certainly over engineered for voice work only. As I previously suggested: if you want an Aston for voice over work maybe an Origin or a Spirit would be more appropriate.
As with all VO mic purchases – it is essential to try before you buy – every voice is different and you need to find the one that works best for you.
The Stealth still is not my choice for my voice but it has worked quite well for female sung vocals and as I said its great on electric guitars.
You can read the original review here
Chris Radley – Voice Over