Join the Starlight Stereo Elite for just £499

Category : Products

With a new ERP of £499 (UK inc. VAT) the Aston Starlight Matched Stereo Pair SDC microphones used by countless top professional engineers, producers and artists is now within reach of those on the kind of budget which usually limits choice to a number of low-spec, mass-produced mic-shaped objects from the Far East.

With a sonic character raved about by those who rely on microphones for their livelihoods, the UK-manufactured Starlight also features a choice of three switchable voices (imagine being able to try out three different high-quality mics, in situ, at the flick of a switch!) and, of course, the now famous and unique ‘laser-guided’ precision targeting and repositioning.

The mics come supplied with pop shields, mic clips and a stereo mounting bar. We used to include shock mounts in the box but it turned out hardly anyone was using them! So we’ve taken them out and reduced the price accordingly (actually quite a bit more). You can still get them separately as Rycote branded products if you’re planning any recording sessions in bouncy castles, otherwise you’ll find the Starlight’s inherent stability just fine.

A match made in Heaven

Well not quite… Hitchin though, in Hertfordshire UK, where the mics are also manufactured.

While most ‘matched pairs’ on the market are really just two of the same model in the same box which haven’t been properly matched at all, Starlights go through a complex and labour intensive matching process. Our engineers check the performance of every single capsule, with capacitance test, frequency response test, sensitivity test and a host of others. We then pair off capsules to get an exact match. Then, each mic has a 5 position bias switch on the main PCB which allows us to match each capsule pair perfectly to the mic body. It’s time-consuming but our stereo pairs don’t leave the building unless they’re 100% right.

Starlight in detail

Small diaphragm condenser mics are nothing new, but like so many microphone ‘types’ they have all tended towards the same, long unexamined, design principles. The Starlight, like all Aston microphones, breaks the mould.

For example SDC’s have a reputation for harshness. As UK rock band Idles’ sound engineer Jeremy Snyder puts it: “Usually SDCs are super-brittle and suffer this flatness in the lower mids but Starlights are just unreal, they’re my favourite of any small diaphragm condensers. I’ll use them on anything down to 100Hz because I love what they’re grabbing.”

Other SDC’s typically have just the one sound - take it or leave it. Starlgihts have three completely discrete circuit paths, effectively giving you 3 mics in one. No simple EQ tricks here; each voice is a completely different set of components… a ground up design in it’s own right. These ‘Vintage’, ‘Modern’ and ‘Hybrid’ settings allow you to try different sounds in situ, without swapping out mics. Adrian Hall, who has produced and engineered for The Black Eyed Peas, Robbie Williams, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Depeche Mode and Goldfrapp among others explained:

“I used to have a pair of vintage Schoeps, but I actually sold those when I got the Starlights. I love the Vintage mode. With the flatter EQ, they sound really close to the Schoeps, and if I use the Modern mode with the EQ lift, it sounds very close to the pair of AKG 451s that I have, so the Starlights are like having two great pairs of mics in one.”

Another major consideration when choosing your SDCs is, how long will they survive life on the road? Starlights are pretty much indestructible, featuring Aston’s unique stainless steel, tumbled, chassis and proprietary sintered head. Just one more reason you’ll see Starlights on many of the world’s biggest tours; Muse, Kylie, QOTSA, The Wombats, King Crimson, Maximo Park, The The, Idles and many more.

And then there’s that laser… for touring bands, mic positions can be marked off, on drums for example, and subsequent set-ups become a breeze. Geoff Dugmore, a drummer who know all about touring - with the likes of Stevie Nicks, Tina Turner, Debbie Harry, Robbie Williams, Dido and Richard Ashcroft – swears by his:

“This is what I’ve been looking for, FOR YEARS!”

Enough said.

Industry approved

Starlight has scooped a host of awards, including the NAMM Show’s ‘Best in Show’, a nomination for the prestigious NAMM Tec Awards and Musc Tech Magazine’s ‘Gear of the Year Award’ among others. And reviewers were unanimous in their praise:

“Sounds good on just about anything.” Sound On Sound magazine.

“5/5 stars - If someone doesn’t make a hit record with the Starlight I will eat my hat.”
Arthur Stone, Gearslutz.

“Definitely preferable even to the KM 184.” Music Tech magazine (Gear of the Year Award)

“With such pleasing sonic results, I had to remind myself that these mics only sound expensive.” Ask Audio