Aston mics - Used by the stars, priced for everyone.

A quick guide to Aston microphones pricing

Because they’re used in world’s top studios and live venues, in the hands of many of the world’s biggest stars, you could be forgiven for assuming Aston mics cost a small fortune. And yet the very same mics can be found in countless home studios, budget rehearsal studios and local gig venues. How come?

Well it turns out that making a beautiful, near-indestructible, microphone that sounds INCREDIBLE – and making it in the UK - doesn’t necessarily have to cost the earth.

Take our first mic, the Origin, for example...

Aston Origin

Origin is a smooth-sounding condenser mic providing stunning professional results across a wide range of sound sources. It costs around £249/275€/$299, not much more than many of those mass-produced, harsh-sounding ‘me-too’ condenser mics flooding the market.

But here’s a mic which regularly get compared favourably to ‘standards’ like Neumann’s U87, which costs many times as much. In fact Gearslutz called it “The U87 for the new millennium.”

Music Tech magazine put it up against an AKG C12 VR (around £2000 second hand if you can find one): “Blind testing showed a clear preference for the Origin.” was their summary. Enough said.

Aston Origin users include:

Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit)
Jayce Lewis (Brian May, Gary Numan, Dave Prowse, Roger Taylor)
Tony Platt (AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Bob Marley, Gary Moore, Motorhead).
Glenn Rosenstein (Madonna, U2, Tears For Fears, Ziggy Marley, James Brown, Miles Davis)
Steve Levine (Culture Club, The Clash, The Beach Boys, China Crisis, Gary Moore)
Dave Catching (QOTSA, Eagles of the Death Metal, Earthlings?)

And many, many more.

Aston Spirit

Our other large diaphragm condenser, the transformer-based Spirit, features selectable polar patterns and produces a beautifully open sound with sparkling harmonics. This is the mic that has got the likes of Noel Gallagher turning the air blue with enthusiasm: “I f****** LOVE these mics!” was the Oasis and Flying Birds main man’s verdict.

Audio Media International called the Spirit: “a phenomenal product that will stand up against microphones ten times the price,” and Sound On Sound continued the ‘more is less’ theme: “The Spirit stands up well against more costly US‑made boutique mics.”

At £349/385€/$449 the Spirit is the truly attainable professional option.

Aston Spirit users include:

Gary Barlow, Noel Gallagher, Jamie Cullum,
Chris Porter (George Michael, David Bowie, Simple Minds, Thin Lizzy, Take That)
Troy Antues (Anastacia, NSYNC, Justin Timberlake, Backstreet Boys, Blue)
Austen Jux-Chandler (Plan B, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Paul Weller, Adele)
Emre Ramazanoglu (Lily Allen, Sia, Noel Gallagher, Richard Ashcroft, The Prodigy, Tricky, Mark Ronson, Shakira)
Ged Grimes (SImple Minds)

Aston Stealth

Fast-forward to our latest release, the Stealth, perhaps the most innovative, versatile and talked about mic to hit the market in many years. It’s got more rave reviews and awards than you can shake a mic stand at and top artists are queueing up to get their hand on one. The price? Just £299/339€/$379 – and don’t forget Stealth gives you FOUR professional quality mics in one, PLUS a built-in Class A Preamp!

Tape Op magazine’s reviewer was pretty taken with Stealth: “If I was stuck on a desert island with one microphone, this might be it.”

Comparisons with Shure’s SM7B were inevitable. Resolution magazine’s verdict? “As a £299 alternative to the SM7B, it would be more than up to the task with just a single voicing. The other three are bonuses.”

Stealth users include:

Gerry Leonard (David Bowie, Suzanne Vega, Rufus Wainwright, Roger Waters)
Seton Daunt (Gabrielle Aplin, Kylie Minogue, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Natalie Imruglia)
Sylvia Massy (Prince, Tom Petty, Red Hot Chili Peppers, System of a Down)
Damien Quintard (Sony Music, Teodor Currentzis, MusicAeterna, Olivier Baumont)
Jayce Lewis (Brian May, Gary Numan, Dave Prowse, Roger Taylor)
Romesh Dodangoda (Motorhead, Bring Me The Horizon, Funeral For A Friend, Lower Than Atlantis, Twin Atlantic)

Aston Starlight

Completing the current Aston line-up is our small diaphragm ‘pencil’ mic, the Starlight. The most eye-catching thing about Starlight (literally if you’re not careful) is the built-in Class 2 laser, which allows for easy targeting and positional recall, night after night. However it’s the sound that has the world’s top professional sound engineers and producers hooked.

Starlight offer three professional voices, each without the high-end harshness often associated with pencil mics, even very expensive ones.

Recently repriced to an amazing £249/279€/$399 each, Starlight is also available as a matched stereo pair (and properly matched, not just two bunged in the same box!).

Starlight is used by countless live engineers, studio producers and musicians including:

King Crimson, QOTSA, The Misfits, Idles, Gorgon City, Wombats,
Emily Dolan Davies (The Darkness, Bryan Ferry, Kim Wilde, Thompson Twins)
Kevin ‘Thrasher’ Gruft (Escape The Fate)
Dan Scott (Walt Disney Entertainment, Lucas Films, Cartoon Network, ABC, Fox Network, Ubisoft, MTV, ESPN)
John Cornfield (Robert Plant, Oasis, Verve, Supergrass, The Stone Roses, Muse, Ben Howard)
Russ Russell (Napalm Death, At The Gates, The Haunted)

and many more.

Here are the links to find out more on each Aston mic...

Origin

Spirit

Stealth

Starlight