User Manual

21
Using Your Aston Microphone
If you are an experienced audio practitioner, then you’ll need
little instruction in using Aston microphones - just apply standard
48 Volt Phantom power to our capacitor models and you’re in
business. For the Spirit and Origin models, the Aston badge
denotes the front of the microphone when using cardioid
pattern for main vocals, guitars and so on. When using the Spirit
in gure-of-eight mode, the logo denotes the ‘positive’ side of
the microphone. The Starlight is end-re, meaning that it needs
to be aimed directly at the sound source where the laser helps
with exact placement. If you’re still ghting your way up the
learning curve, the following section will help get you up to speed.
Recording Vocals
Vocals are most often recorded using a side-address, large
diaphragm, cardioid-pattern capacitor microphone though
the Starlight is also capable of capturing high quality vocals.
Whichever microphone you choose, it is important that the
space in which vocals are recorded is free from unwanted room
reections, something best achieved by using an Aston Halo or
Halo Shadow reection lter behind the microphone.
Using adequate absorption is particularly important for all
microphone patterns as even cardioid models are very sensitive
at the sides. Controlling the acoustics is particularly important
for any sound source that will be subjected to dynamic compression
at a later stage as compression tends to exaggerate room ambience.
In the event that a reective wall is located behind the performer,
then further absorption behind the performer may be helpful in
preventing wall reections reaching the ‘hot’ side of the micro-
phone. See Using Your Halo for more details.
A vocal mic is typically placed at a distance of 200 to 300mm
from the mouth. The built in knitted mesh pop lter will mini-
mise plosives (those pesky P, B and M sounds), and switching in
the low-cut lter can also help. However, many singers benet
from an additional pop screen placed around 25 to 50mm in
front of the microphone where the metal mesh and reticulated
foam types are the most transparent sounding. If the vocal
Reflection Filter
Vocalist
Microphone
200-300mm