Despite this, though, the Heil is often a good choice in the mix, as these additional frequencies may sound great in isolation, but often crowd the mix. Given its competitive cost, the Spirit stands up well against more costly US-made boutique mics that take a similar approach in teaming third-party capsules with high-quality custom electronics. Underneath is the Aston Microphone Owner’s handbook, and then underneath that is the microphone itself. If anything, the mic sounds a hint more polished than the Origin, which is itself a very nice mic, and if pressed I’d put that down to the transformer output stage (the Origin has an electronically balanced output). After that I move on to acoustic guitars, and usually some percussion instruments too. What is a "hybrid" audio interface anyway? First Look: Pro Tools | Carbon. Tests with percussion instruments also confirmed the mic as being capable of a full yet articulate sound that still comes across as natural. © 2020 MusicTech is a member of the media division of BandLab Technologies. All the features of the Moog Concertmate MG-1 wrapped up in an attractive interface. Slate Digital's new exciter based on the Dolby-A trick is a quick way to add excitement to tracks and mixes. The Spirit LDC is the second mic in Aston's catalogue: following the fixed-cardioid Origin (reviewed by Dowsed here on Gearslutz). The review model was supplied with the new Aston USM cradle, which performs very well and, with screw braces, can accommodate a whole range of mics. With just a hint of flattery to lift the ‘air’ region of the spectrum, the Spirit comes over as smooth and natural-sounding, and passes the acoustic guitar test very nicely, with no phasiness or exaggerated grittiness at the high end. Costs have been cut to keep the price down but, importantly, only in areas that don’t affect the sound: all Aston microphones ship in simple recyclable cardboard boxes lined with rigid polyurethane foam, rather than bulky camera cases; there’s no expensive paint job; and the body design is a simple cylinder. This new contender seemed to have it all. If you’re just looking for something for vocals, the Origin is everything you’ll need, but if you do want a little more flexibility, the Spirit is a great choice. I always start with a simple speech recording test, as the human hearing system very soon recognises anything unnatural in reproduced speech. The Spirit sounds clean, solid and smooth with just a hint of flattery. The frequency response is 20Hz-20kHz (±3dB), and there’s a very gentle presence hump centred at around 10kHz in both cardioid and omni modes to add a little airy detail to the sound. My speech tests in cardioid mode revealed that the mic sounds only slightly different with the low-cut filter in, and the resistance to popping is better than for many studio mics, though I’d still use a pop shield for serious recording. After about a week of noodling around with them, I sent back the Origin and kept the Spirit. Music theory isn’t the be-all and end-all of becoming a great producer, but a little knowledge can help. I had both an Origin and Spirit by Aston Microphones. Being ‘built in Britain’ doesn’t hurt either, and while styling is a subjective matter, I rather like the robust basket design and the textured stainless steel body. Combining these two unassuming features can garner inspiring results. Amazon. The cylindrical body is also made from stainless steel, with a plain ‘tumbled’ finish and laser-engraved legending so it should age gracefully. The Spirit is capable of cardioid, omni and figure-eight patterns, giving it a versatility the Origin didn’t have. One Synth Challenge V - The Filter Strikes Back! The C414, by contrast, seemed almost lifeless. ● -10 / -20dB pad At the bottom end, though, the 47 seemed to give the kick more weight, producing a larger-than-life sound which can be very useful in some mixes. Both require some scooping of the mids to get to a usable kick sound for most modern genres, but the top-end definition of the Spirit seemed more articulate than the 47. Apparently the original spec included WIMA capacitors, but UK manufacturing company Sedgewall decided to use an even higher-spec’ed USA capacitor from COG (NPO) due to its dielectric properties and greater temperature stability. In figure-of-eight mode the presence hump is at around 6kHz, but again, is nicely subtle. Reader Rating 3 Votes. At the same time it renders detail perfectly well, so don’t mistake that smoothness for dullness. To say we were impressed is to put things lightly. In this position, however, the Spirit did require less EQ scooping through the mids to get to a sound we would be likely to use. We provide insight and opinion on the gear, tools, software and services to enhance and expand the minds of music makers and listeners. Mastering Essentials Part 3 - How loud should I master? Here are some fundamentals. On my own voice the playback sounded pretty natural, with none of the obvious phasiness or honkiness you sometimes hear with cardioid-pattern mics. I had a drum-tracking session lined up the same day as the Spirit turned up, so tried it on a kick drum. At this price, there are a good number of alternatives, but we’ve been very impressed with the audio quality as well as the build quality of these Aston mics. We round up some of our favourite sites for fresh, inspiring samples. I tried out the Spirit on voice and acoustic guitar. Neat Spirit Since Aston promises that their “exclusive mesh-knit pop filter...virtually eliminates unwanted plosives”, I tried throwing some nasty p-pops at it (from ≤ 6”), but couldn’t get it to pop—that same test requires an external pop filter from most mics, so h… A discrete Aston logo denotes the hot side of the mic, which features a transformer-balanced output and requires standard 48V phantom power (±4V) to run. This gave the additional low-end to match the 47, but at the cost of some of the articulation in the top end. Aston also manufacture the Halo reflection filter and that review will be published next month. The additional low-end build-up meant we had to place the Spirit a little further back to get a usable sound. Aston Microphones created quite a splash with their fixed-cardioid Origin microphone, and now they’ve followed up with the multi-pattern Spirit. The U87 produced similar harsh brightness, none of which was present on the dynamic Heil mic, which sounded almost comically dark in comparison. You can always unsubscribe (so you won't receive any more e-mails) by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of each e-mail. ● 80Hz high-pass filter It sounded great on guitars, piano, in front of a drum kit… and on vocals, it was winning shoot-outs against some of the most sought-after vocal mics in the world. Price £299 "The Spirit displays the same smooth mid range and high top as the Origin, but there is an additional brightness." However, Aston mics are the only mics in this price range built in the UK. The cymbals now seemed overly bright, bordering on harsh, while the C414 still seemed to present a similarly balanced quality to the cardioid pattern, only with more room tone. Sarah Schachner and Jesper Kyd on how they mixed modern techniques with ancient instruments for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Like the Origin, the Spirit is designed, built and tested here in the UK, and combines selected third-party capsules with very high-quality electronics. Studio Spirit The EIN of 14dB A-weighted is a little quieter than for the Origin, presumably because of the transformer output stage, so the noise floor is comparable with similar microphones and certainly low enough not to be an issue in typical studio applications. Our exploration of LiquidSonics’ oeuvre reaches its celestial summit, as we ascend to seventh heaven. PreSonus StudioLive 32SC Series III Mixing Console. It’s a good vocal mic but also works well on acoustic guitar and percussion. A few months back, we got our hands on the first of Aston Microphones’ new products; the Aston Origin.