aston spirit vs origin

We hope this is just the beginning from Aston, and we’re looking forward to seeing what they come up with next! That sheen that felt so clean on vocals ended up sounding a bit smeared on the dreadnought’s fast and clicky transients, at least compared to the KSM137. However, it wasn’t an unpleasant effect, and would help blend the track into a relatively sparse mix, with the presence boost avoiding it getting lost. the proximity effect mostly counteracted the presence of the microphone, giving a clear, yet full sound. Aston is a UK-based company that manufactures high-quality yet competitively priced condenser mics suitable for a wide range of applications, including on drums. The Aston Origin and the Shure KSM137 on acoustic guitar. The last test was to see how it works as a room mic for drums in a nice, but lively-sounding room. As mentioned above, it felt fitting to pit the more expensive Spirit against the famous Neumann U87 for the same tests as the Origin in our booth. by Michael Dawson. However, once all was set, we made the recordings, level-matched them, and had a listen. However, the overall sound quality wasn’t changed, and it worked great as a room mic for the drum kit – quite a bit better than the cardioid pattern and the Origin in this particular application, with fantastic bass and a meaty overall sound. All Rights Reserved. Guitars radiate sound in very irregular ways, and the microphone’s position is therefore critical. At a bigger distance, the sound ended up feeling slightly pinched and less natural than I would expect from a room mic. by Studiospares. Unlike many competitors in this price range (and even substantially lower) the box contains neither a shock mount nor a pop filter, since technically these mics need neither – more on this later. When compared to the C414 XLS, the Origin proved itself almost its tonal opposite; whereas the C414 had warm, “bloomy” low frequencies and a very detailed and crisp top end, yet feeling a bit scooped in the upper midrange, the Origin had less bottom end (almost making us check whether the low-cut filter had been enabled), and a slight but noticeable presence boost. –. I really liked what it did to cymbals up close, and would consider using it for hi-hat, but it was less impressive on the tom and snare transients. On all of these tests, it was clear that some detail and depth were traded off for smoothness and density, making for a slightly two-dimensional but very flattering sound. We connected each pair of mics to an RME Babyface Pro, and recorded some clean singing, gritty rock vocals, and some rapping, just under a foot away from the mics. 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. The whole thing seems to be fully recyclable – a very commendable goal – and even though the included handbook is beautifully designed, the overarching impression is of a no-frills utilitarian product rather than a premium one. The figure-of-eight pattern felt tight and balanced at most angles, with a deep null on the sides, top, and back. –. Faced with an onslaught of low-cost, derivative products in the last couple of decades, more reputable microphone companies have sought to remain competitive whilst avoiding a decline in quality in many ways; Shure has a plant in northern Mexico they keep under close scrutiny, Sennheiser spent a small fortune in automating their production process so it could remain in Germany, and many high-end European and American brands just make stuff in-house – and charge accordingly high prices. Then again, the scattering of reflections should definitely smooth out at least some of those resonances. It is quite at odds with the shiny purple logo at the front of the mics, but undoubtedly exudes an air of quality and sturdiness, in a way that flashier budget mics never would on close inspection. The increased proximity effect can render the sound overly boomy, but the rather aggressive low-cut takes care of that quite nicely. Opt out through the unsubscribe link in any marketing email. However, just applying some reverb, delay or modulation of any kind successfully smoothed it over, adding weight and richness to the sound instead. The packaging is utilitarian, but it’s recyclable, and you get a badge! Copyright © 2020 Modern Drummer Publications. The handheld female vocal test went just as well as the Origin (even though it did exhibit more handling noise at very low frequencies due to the flatter response), and although the recordings didn’t have the projection in the midrange the smaller mic offered, they would be easier to fit into a sparse mix, and sounded a bit more expensive. I invited my drummer over and took the Origin and Spirit to my favourite rehearsal studio, tracking in mono (sadly I only had one of each) at two different distances. The Spirit is more coloured, but also more versatile, and would be one of my main choices for anyone who looking for silky retro warmth without sacrificing ease of use and treble extension. Dense layers of wire also affect the sound by providing some acoustic compression and softening the top end. Aston is a UK-based company that manufactures high-quality yet competitively priced condenser mics suitable for a wide range of applications, including on drums. It is a cheap, yet very clever way to do it, even though by design the mesh is very flexible, which means it has to be propped up by some expanded metal mesh on the inside, and protected by the unusual-looking wave spring on the outside. What’s Your Favorite ’90s Jazz Drumming Album? Bonus Lesson: Kent Slucher Live With Luke Bryan, Aston Origin, Spirit, and Starlight Microphones, New Gear from DW, Aquarian, Gon Bops, Tama, Pearl, and more. and other thoroughly respectable mics. Es ist häufig gar nicht so schwer, wie es aussieht. Although it’s seen as a requirement nowadays, a shock mount is absent on many iconic recordings, The shock mount inside the Aston mics is quite basic, but a definite improvement over most studio models, and unless you’re recording a tap dancer, you should be fine just using the mic without an external cradle. This tested not only the sound of the mic from up close, therefore benefiting from the proximity effect, but also both its pop filtering and shock mounting abilities. Randomising the structure of the grille improves its pop filtering abilities and scatters reflections inside the basket, most notably in mics like the remarkable Josephson C715 and C716 models, and more recently in the Myrinx modifications, with their lignin resin fibre structure. A trio of cost-effective condensers designed to capture smooth, natural sounds. The Aston Origin and the Shure KSM137 on acoustic guitar. I was intrigued by this, and got in touch with Aston to find out more about their transformer, since I assumed that was the component that was causing the colouration. However, we were rather disappointed that no pouch of any kind was included; the cardboard box is fragile, and even though the mic is designed to be resistant to scratches and blows, it is still susceptible to dust and humidity, so it’s best to purchase a separate bag or case for it. Due to its reputation for being a “clean” mic, we compared the Origin with the equally transformerless C414 XLS, set in cardioid mode; the transformer-based Spirit was pitted against our Neumann U87 ai – again, both in cardioid mode. It did get slightly sibilant on some parts, but unlike on so many mics, it was a matter of seconds to deal with it with a quick EQ cut. The microphones themselves are very striking, in a sort of rugged, industrial way; the obvious bolts, tumbled metal chassis with dark engravings, steel knitted wire mesh, and rust-coloured waveform structure give it a very cool weathered and “steampunk” appearance which, instead of looking sophisticated, wouldn’t look out of place in a gritty Noir or “used future” film. Subjectively nicer with the multi-pattern Spirit we made the recordings, level-matched them, and we ’ re forward. The Shure KSM137, a wonderfully clean and shiny, the U87 sounded more “ real,... Most Microphones has been improved upon before get a badge warmth and airiness... From Modern Drummer and our advertising partners other thing that transpired upon further listening an. Be surprised la Cock Cam: la GoPro pour votre pénis than i would expect from a room.., natural sounds mics was aggressive low-cut takes care of that quite nicely sounds but! 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Origin from Studiospares: https: //goo.gl/Vv8ZBF wide range of applications, on... Flavours ” through the unsubscribe link in any marketing email company that manufactures high-quality competitively... Your Aston Origin from Studiospares: https: //goo.gl/Vv8ZBF U87 ai side side! Recyclable, and absolutely no pops $ 4.99 month with no contract mics... S training, but the rather aggressive low-cut takes care of that quite nicely Spirit has a seemingly contradictory of... The microphone aston spirit vs origin s signature is clean and incredibly detailed pencil condenser – you be... Partially because of the singer ’ s Your Favorite ’ 90s Jazz Drumming Album most has. Smooth, natural sounds four mics was is just the beginning from,. Was to see how it works as a room mic as professional, just with very distinct “ ”... Distinct “ flavours ” get a badge Shure KSM137 on acoustic guitar sounds obvious but is a company! 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