We sell a lot of studio condenser mics, so when I first heard that the Aston Spirit was getting a lot of attention, I knew I had to investigate. Designed to look and sound as perfect as their ’00’ English heritage, Aston have included several innovative features that have until now, been left out of other condenser mics.
Condenser microphones are very sensitive, ensuring you can capture every nuance. This means that when using one, you really benefit from a decent pop filter and cradle isolator. Aston have ingeniously built a pop filter and cradle right into both the Spirit and Origin mics so they can screw straight onto a mic stand: no need for a cradle or mic clip. This may sound like a small feature, but to build it directly into a microphone of this quality is a feature that deserves recognition.
Describing a studio mic’s sound is similar to describing wine notes. The Aston mic is a hearty red - A new vintage. There is a nice organic woodiness in the mid range, that will capture voice, percussion, acoustic guitar or any instrument where that smooth midrange is really important. Compared to the other mics in my home studio I found that the Spirit had a quality that you don't find at this price point. It has a very non-hyped frequency response, which is rare for a condenser mic and gives you that sense that this mic has been beautifully decanted!
The real proof is in the mix. So I recorded a voiceover and some vocals. As I predicted it gave a very pure 'starting point' recording. Without too drastic a tweak I could get to any style of vocal tone out of this mic. Go warm and rich or tune for clarity and sparkle. Most importantly the recording sat in the mix naturally. Some mic recordings need to be moulded to fit into the mix. This one seemed to be at home.
The Aston Spirit features 3 polar patterns (Omni, Cardioid or Figure-of-Eight) that can be selected by a switch on the body of the mic.
I can see some people testing this mic and saying initially "so what", because it doesn’t hype-out the sound. I think anyone with a bit of experience with studio mics will hear that this mic gives you exactly what you need. A solid natural tone.
If you want a mic that is neutral and fits easily in the mix then you need to come in and test out the Aston Spirit or click here to buy now.