And the Aston Stealth is a powerful, versatile microphone, rocking some killer specs on paper. Pairing up the Aston Stealth with the Creative AE-9 was pretty special too, though you'd probably be better off with dedicated external hardware. This new microphone sets a very high bar for sound quality, the build quality is excellent, and the form factor sits well with its intended peers. These top rings are partially mirrored with two more 6mm rings at the bottom, which gives a nice visual balance. Can I get a level meter plugin that goes below -60db fo... A well-made and substantial end-fire cardioid dynamic microphone. The general character is quite reminiscent of a vintage ribbon, and I found that worked rather nicely on guitar amps (and the bass rotor of my Leslie cabinet), although it might seem a bit dull to some ears. Unlike many dynamic mics in this class, the Stealth mic doesn't feature a conventional humbucking coil to minimise audible hum picked up from strong magnetic fields, but Aston's Managing Director James Young tells me there is a form of anti-hum circuitry built into the mic's internal circuit board. Web site designed & maintained by PB Associates & SOS. USB hubs increase the number of devices you can connect to your PC, so you can escape the anxiety of having to decide what to unplug next. I like the purple LEDs in active mode too. Class-A gain stage, which is activated automatically when phantom power is detected. When you plan on streaming or starting up a podcast, you need a microphone that'll record your voice with clarity. I get the idea behind the plastic mounting mechanism Aston went for with the Stealth, especially for stage performances, but it feels a little cheap compared to the rest of the microphone, and I would much rather have this expensive piece of tech secured in an external shock mount when hooked up to a boom arm to negate the wobble experienced when lightly pushing against the microphone. The latter two voice settings are G for guitar, and D for dark, which essentially attempts to mimic classic ribbon microphones from older generations. Without phantom power the Stealth works just like any other dynamic microphone — albeit with the selectable voicing options as described above — and has the typically low sensitivity of an ordinary passive moving‑coil microphone. It’s a solid-feeling mic, and the design offers a number of bonuses, some common to other Aston mics, others unique to this model. When the Aston Stealth detects the supply of 48V, the pre-amp will activate, and discrete purple LEDs will turn on just below the voice settings wheel. Pretty much all of their products have some interestingly quirky and individual features, such as the waveform-style spring head of the Origin and Spirit mics, or the laser pointer and sintered windshield on the Starlight. The ability to select four different voicings will be attractive to many potential customers, I'm sure, but what may appeal even more is the Stealth's secret weapon: a built-in Class-A gain stage. The views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the publishers. And it was as a direct result of industry feedback that the company decided that their fourth microphone was to be something completely different from previous models: a dynamic microphone — and a great big one at that! I've not corrected for the Genelec's own frequency response, and the Sennheiser MKH20 response should be a flat line. And to pack all this technology into the microphone, Aston made a hefty product, and by hefty I'm talking 692g (1.52lbs) with a length and width of 196mm (7.72 inches) and 58mm (2.28 inches), respectively. Aston quote the nominal sensitivity in the active mode as 150mV/Pa, which is a lot, but again there is a variation of 8dB or so depending on the tone setting. Modern headsets have come a long way in terms of microphone quality, but you can never beat a dedicated studio microphone. And when powered, the purple LEDs add a distinctive and elegant charm that marks the Stealth out as something special. I'm less enamoured of the standmount arrangements, but perhaps a more traditional cradle mount will be forthcoming. This forerunner of the famous RE20 had a complex 'programming panel' that offered comprehensive control over the frequency response. What is a "hybrid" audio interface anyway? The Stealth is a pretty chunky microphone that looks serious and professional, and sits confidently alongside the established end-fire dynamics like the SM7B, RE20 and Procaster. USB microphones like the Blue Yeti or HyperX QuadCast have their advantages over studio condenser microphones like the Aston Stealth. The Stealth's most obvious competition comes in the form of the Shure SM7B, the Procaster and the RE20, but none of these alternatives can match the versatility of the Aston microphone. We discover whether or not the Stealth has the power and versatility to be all things for all voices… The G position is apparently tuned for acoustic guitars, and it has a crisp quality for percussive clarity with a diminished bass end to minimise muddiness, and the overall balance does work very well in that context. Amazing Cyber Monday deals from Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon & more are already here. Why Are Some A-B Stereo Arrays Angled Outwards? Consequently, if the mount isn't fitted the right way up it tends to slip and droop regardless of how it is tightened, and when fitted the right way up it self-tightens and can become difficult to adjust, even though the thumb-nut is fairly large. Despite its appearance in photos, Stealth is a large, fairly-heavy, front-address dynamic mic—the look and feel will immediately remind experienced recordists of the Shure SM7B, a classic broadcast mic, and that is one of its target applications, though the Stealth is far more versatile. In this active mode, purple LEDs illuminate in the slot below the rotary switch, although these can be disabled by that button in the base of the mic, if preferred. No spam, we promise. It would be worth playing between V1 and V2 alongside in-line manipulation and software to get it sounding just right, but the out-the-box quality is amazing. This sleek-looking slab of metal is a dynamic microphone with four switchable voice settings, each tailored to deliver performance across a wide range of applications. Using a laptop to power your VR system makes it easy to take it with you wherever you go. As for actual sound quality, however, it's a whole different ballpark compared to other more budget-orientated microphones. Figure of Eight Microphones in Near Co-incident Stereo ... One Synth Challenge V - The Filter Strikes Back! It should be noted that these measurements are unsmoothed, and were achieved using a small Genelec speaker with a limited low end response. These profiles aren't merely altering EQ, but are messing around with the signal at an advanced level, developed with the help of engineers, producers, and artists. Painted in a silky black, the plain metal body carries the Aston logo and the mic's name, but is topped by five black plastic rings, which create an attractive milled effect while also providing sound access to the rear ports of the capsule to enable its cardioid polar pattern. The moving-coil capsule inside this cage is supported in an integral shockmount that connects to the mic body via three Sorbothane mounts, while a 200g ballast attached to the capsule provides mass-loading to optimise the performance of the suspension. I would like to receive mail from Future partners. Usable as either a conventional passive dynamic mic, or as an active high-output mic. All rights reserved. The Shure SM7B has become the popular choice for many who are podcasting and streaming, but I reckon the Aston Stealth is the better choice for these two applications thanks to some of the clever tricks the company installed like the pre-amp and voice settings. If you're in the market for a new Xbox One console, you'll want to check these deals out first. The resulting data amounted to something like 9000 test points that revealed some very strong and consistent preferences, which shaped the production microphone. Nevertheless, the relative differences in frequency response between the different tonalities are quite evident. Again, other manufacturers offer dynamic mics with integral phantom-powered buffers and gain stages, but what makes Aston's offering genuinely unique is some clever circuitry that bypasses the gain stage if phantom power is not detected, allowing it to be used as a conventional passive mic.