Aston Spirit
Using your Aston Spirit
Spirit is a professional-grade, side-address, large diaphragm condenser microphone. It is many people’s go-to for vocals and acoustic instruments but can be used to capture just about any sound source. As a condenser mic Spirit requires 48v phantom power to operate.
Spirit offers a choice of three polar patterns:
Cardioid (heart shaped pick-up pattern) picks up mainly from in front of the mic, usually the best choice for vocals and solo instruments
Figure of eight picks up sound from the front and rear of the mic. This can be used for recording two people (singing or speaking) and for mid/side stereo techniques when using two mics. Also experiment using figure of eight on instruments, drums or as part of a multi-mic set-up.
Omni picks up sound from all round the mic, great for a group of backing vocalists or for capturing room ambience.
For extremely loud sound sources (drums etc.) use the pad switch to reduce the amount of signal reaching the capsule. There’s a choice of 10dB or 20dB reduction.
Use the bass roll-off switch to remove unwanted low frequencies. (You could also do this post-recording using the EQ in your DAW).
Spirit features direct-to-stand mounting and built-in shock absorption which may be sufficient in some vibration-fee environments however we recommend using a shock mount for total protection from unwanted noise.
For any further information please contact Aston support
Why buy an Aston Spirit?
Spirit might look like a longer Origin but inside it’s a completely different mic (Spirit has a transformer, Origin does not).
Spirit is a professional-grade large diaphragm condenser which often gets favourably compared to mics costing far more. With sparkling, detailed highs and fantastic detail throughout the frequency range, it’s many a top engineer’s choice for vocals and acoustic instruments. It’s also popular for drums and percussion.
Spirit is multi-pattern, offering a choice of cardiod, figure-of-eight and omni polar patterns, so if you need to record people surrounding the mic, or capture sound sources coming from different directiions it’s a great choice.
What do the switches do?
In addition to the polar pattern selctor switch, Spirit features a 10dB/20dB pad to cope with louder sound sources and a bass roll-off to remove unwanted low frequencies.
What else is cool?
Like Origin, Spirit is virtually indestructible and will give you a lifetime’s trouble-free service.
Even if you drop it, Aston’s signature waveform spring head can be pushed back into shape in seconds – good as new.
Spirit features direct-to-stand mounting and Aston’s unique, beautiful tumbled finish.
Origin vs Spirit – which is the right LDC for you?