The Joyful Noise of Chris Cracknell

Aston caught up with DJ, producer and Aston 33 panel tester Chris Cracknell to talk about how he got into engineering and using Aston mics for everything from podcasts to Nativities.

Like many great adventures it all started one Friday night, when Chris’ friend taught him how to beat match on two turntables. Chris was enraptured and threw everything into his new obsession, collecting records, editing mixtapes, making DJ samples as well as creating original compositions.

Chris continued to learn under the tutorship of former James trumpeter Andy Diagram. Then by chance he met Nick Franglen of cult electronica duo Lemon Jelly, who invited Chris into the studio one day and ended up working with him for two years. “He taught me to make noise, lots of joyful noise, and how to get busy editing.”

Chris was eventually able to build his own studio in Brighton, Gold Tone, kitted out with various plugins, synths and a full range of Aston mics.

"I’m interested in products that follow strict design rules, that don’t compromise for cost or looks…Aston have done just that."

"I’ve been using a stereo pair of Starlights to mic up my guitar amp and the results are great, capturing every detail and I swap voicing quite often, or have them on different settings at the same time. My Origins and Spirit I use for vocal work and for acoustic instruments, depending on what sound I’m trying to capture, but they are my go-to mics for most applications."

In addition to producing, Chris DJs for 1BTN radio as well as running his own podcast, The State of Music, which he records with Origin. He finds constant inspiration from being exposed to a diverse range of music and from working with young people at Audio Active workshops.

Read our exclusive interview with Chris here