Industry approved – the Aston Starlight
How come so many top audio engineers, producers and artists love how the Aston Starlight microphone sounds? The answer is easy; they helped us develop it.
The Aston 33 is a panel of top producers, engineers and artists who participate in a series of listening tests during the development of each new Aston microphone. So named after the original members, the panel now comprises over 90 members.
Photo: Aston 33 member Chris Porter (George Michael/Wham!, David Bowie, Simple Minds, Thin Lizzy, Take That, Chris de Burgh) with Aston Starlight, Spirit and Halo.
The tests compare a number of possible voicings of the new product and also include a couple of ‘industry standard’ mics from other manufacturers. The tests are conducted blind; the panel do not know which they are listening to. They then vote on which voicing they consider the best for a range of sources (vocals, guitars and so on) resulting in a comprehensive data set which then informs the development of the new microphone.
This process is unprecedented in the industry. Typically a mic is sent out to a select few for cursory ‘industry approval’ when the design and specification is pretty much already signed off. But the Starlight, like the Origin and Spirit before it, underwent professional scrutiny throughout its development.
The Starlight is the third Aston microphone to have been subjected to such stringent pre-production testing and the resulting microphone is, perhaps unsurprisingly, finding its way onto the equipment lists of some of the world’s leading studios, venues and live tours, and this despite it costing considerably less than some of the standard ‘go-to’ pencil condenser mics on the market.
Aston 33 member John Cornfield, engineer ad producer with Robert Plant, Oasis, Verve, Supergrass, The Stone Roses, Muse, Ben Howard and others, has been touring with the Astons:
“The Starlights sounded great and took the beating of a tour without any issues.”
Romesh Dodangoda (Motorhead, Bring Me The Horizon, Funeral For A Friend, Lower Than Atlantis, Twin Atlantic) commented:
“To me, Aston is a brand built by people who truly understand the quality of sound that producers and engineers are after, and that’s why so many of us are using their microphones.”
The testing process on this occasion actually had to be conducted three times, as the Starlight features three entirely distinct voicings (separate signal paths, not destructive preset EQs) - three mics for the price of one.
When Starlight launched in 2017, Aston Microphones won a ‘Best in Show’ award at the NAMM show, and the mic was also nominated for the prestigious NAMM Tech Award. The world’s media also poured plaudits and accolades on the Starlight; MusicTech magazine awarded it their Gear of the Year award, Gearslutz awarded 5 out of 5 and reviews of themic were unanimous in praise:
“Starlight sounds good on just about anything.” SoundOnSound,
“With such pleasing sonic results, I had to remind myself that these mics only sound expensive.” Ask Audio
“The Starlights are great mics, and they are now my primary pair of small-diaphragm condensers.” Tape Op
Thank you to all for the recognition and for spreading the word, and especially to all our friends who make up the Aston 33 and who help us ensure each microphone we release is not only best in class, but also outperforms far more costly rival products.
Read more on the Aston 33 here:
https://www.astonmics.com/EN/aston-sound
Read the reviews of the Starlight here:
https://www.astonmics.com/EN/product/Mics/Starlight#tab1