Halos seen floating in Paddington

Leading London studios develop bespoke suspension system for Aston Halo reflection filter

We always enjoy seeing new and ingenious ways of using the award-winning Aston Halo portable reflection filter. One state-of-the-art London studio complex has figured a way of having theirs floating in mid-air, not only making height adjustment a breeze but allowing instant extra room space between sessions.

Paddington Works is a hi-tech, COVID-safe co-working centre in the heart of London’s Paddington Basin. Among the meeting spaces and work areas the centre houses a suite of four recording and production facilities, ingeniously designed to provide modular flexibility. Production Manager Henry Dymott told us: “We’ve been described as the ‘Ikea wardrobe’ of studios because you can connect different suites to build your own studio.”

Two of the spaces utilise Aston Halo reflection filters to control their room acoustics, suspended from above using counterweights: “The ‘floating vocal booth’ works on a bespoke pull system, you simply pull the Halo down and let go at your desired height and it just floats in front of you and creates a pop down vocal booth on demand when you need it. When you’re done just push it up and it frees up more space in the studio.” Henry explained.

"It just floats in front of you and creates a pop down vocal booth on demand when you need it."

The Halos feature in the ‘LIVE’ recording room and the ‘RHODES’ writing and production suite, the latter also home to a floating Aston Spirit condenser mic, alongside the 1983 MK II stage piano which gives the room its name. The counterweight for the Halo is housed in a metal cylinder which doubles as a headphone stand, in keeping with the aesthetic of the centre.

The Paddington Works team offer tracking mixing and mastering services and are building a community of ‘Production Members’ to collaborate on creative projects, with a focus on Podcast series (they have just partnered with The Podcast Show for their 2022 festival).

More and more professional studios and A-list artists – Drake, Gary Barlow, Bring Me The Horizon ad Don Broco are among the recent adopters – are turning to the Aston Halo to ensure a consistent, pristine vocal sound in even the most difficult acoustic environments. Its 360° filtering tames floor and ceiling reflections (unlike most filters on the market which only work horizontally), while its unique ribbed design also provides front and rear diffusion, arguably even more important than absorption in dealing with unruly early reflections. Halo is made from a patented PET felt which is not only lightweight and extremely efficient but also eco-friendly.

And Halos, in either Aston purple or sleek black (Halo Shadow) are just stunning aesthetically, making them a perfect fit for the funky and forward-thinking environment of Paddington Works!

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