Aston

104
Reviews | Aston Halo
T
he Halo took me straight back
to a ’70s armchair I loved as
a kid: a purple egg-shaped
swivel chair which semi-
blocked out the sights and sounds
around you. Luckily Aston Microphones’
Halo refl ection fi lter is smaller and
lighter, so it provides little extra
challenge to a mic stand. The ridged
moulded acoustic absorber material,
covered with a coarse felt, is not only
light, but remarkably rigid; this makes a
change from the regular foam affairs
that just collect dust and a variety of
vocalists’ oral ejectamenta!
The metal mounting attaches to the
mic stand via a 5/8-inch threaded
socket. The slotted mount rail allows
the Halo to slide back and forth as well
as swivel, while the mic mounting bar,
which is effectively static with regard to
the mic stand, can be raised/lowered
~125mm. The ~100mm travel of the
Halo along the slotted rail, in
conjunction with rotation of the mic
mount means a mic can sit well proud
of the refl ection fi lter as well as be
buried right at the back, depending on
how much you need to protect the mic.
For mic mount positions heading
further into the Halo the available
distance from the bottom of the mic to
the slotted rail can be an issue for the
mic cable and XLR plug, though I
found moving the mount to one side
alleviated this problem for larger mics.
Though refl ection fi lters such as this
favour side address mics (large
diaphragm condensers and ribbons),
there is enough depth and rail room to
use end address mics (ie dynamics),
though they tend to poke further out of
the Halo and reap less of the side-spill
protection benefi ts.
The most impressive quality of the
Halo is its sonic neutrality. Placing any
(semi) solid object close to a
microphone, especially those with
cardioid and fi gure-eight polar patterns,
tends to seriously affect tonality,
whether the intended source is close or
at a distance. While working with the
Halo I found that it had little effect on
the sound of distant sources, just their
amplitude when off axis (ie blocked by
the Halo). This bodes well for usage in
multi-source recordings where tonal
(phase) shifts in bleed can really make
it hard to balance a mix. Of course the
raison d’etre of the Halo is close
sources, in particular the human voice.
Its effect is two-fold. Firstly the source
is absorbed, or not refl ected back into
the rear/sides of the mic, in a way that
appears to limit proximity effect, which
allows for an up close address to the
mic with less marked LF rise: this was
both surprising and pleasing. A closer
address of the mic increases the ratio
of source to background level, further
‘drying up’ the sound. The second part
of the effect is more obvious in that the
Halo protects the rear and sides of the
mic from the room, further increasing
the ratio of direct source sound to the
mic. In a bright room the noticeable
loss of sibilant refl ections is clear,
making mix adjustments a lot easier. In
the days of heavy compression, a subtle
room sound can quickly rear up as a
monster problem.
Though the Halo is most suited to
vocal usage, I fi nd it works well with
acoustic guitar, especially considering
the proximity effect behaviour. It is well
worth playing with the mic depth into
the refl ection fi lter as this can have a
‘drying out’ effect – a little room helps
acoustic instruments live in a mix.
The Halo is more expensive than
many similar products, so it does need
to trade on quality over value for money.
The combination of off axis neutrality,
seemingly reduced proximity effect and
lightweight construction means it does
achieve this. If you regularly record in a
reverberant space which you can’t/don’t
want to alter, or you operate a mobile
recording set-up, the Halo will serve
you well.
Aston Halo | £199
The Halo wouldn’t look out of place in Prince’s
Paisley Park studio, but can it help isolate the funk?
Robbie Stamp fi nds out
WHAT IS IT?
Refl ection fi lter
CONTACT
Who: Sonic Distribution)
Tel: [phone]
Web: www. astonmics.com
HIGHLIGHTS
1 Reduced proximity effect
2 Depth of isolation
3 Light enough for most
mic stands
SPECS
Key features: PET felt
construction. 360 degree
fi ltering design. ‘Easy-
mount’ hardware.
VERDICT
BUILD
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VALUE
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EASE OF USE
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VERSATILITY
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RESULTS
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It fi lters refl ections effortlessly,
allowing vocals and instruments to
get right up on the mic.
FMU304.rev_aston.indd 104 22/03/2016 11:06