Nevertheless, the Stealth's four selectable tonal options make this mic unusually versatile, and the active mode could prove very useful in some situations. And the Stealth has some handy features to get you started like auto-detection for 48V power, which can enable or bypass the built-in Class A preamp located within the unit itself. Reviews Studio & Recording Gear Review: Aston Microphones Stealth Aston’s latest microphone is a versatile dynamic. I'm less enamoured of the standmount arrangements, but perhaps a more traditional cradle mount will be forthcoming. And when powered, the purple LEDs add a distinctive and elegant charm that marks the Stealth out as something special. All rights reserved. But if 48V phantom power is present on the connecting cable, the microphone automatically activates its internal gain stage, boosting both the effective sensitivity and the output level massively. The Stealth's four different voicing modes are accessed using a rotary switch at the base of the mic.The rotary voicing switch is simple to use but feels solid and secure, and is unlikely to change position accidentally during normal mic handling. The contents of this article are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, whether mechanical or electronic, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. This seems an odd feature to me: Aston believe that some people would want to disable the lights to avoid drawing attention to the mic. Usable as either a conventional passive dynamic mic, or as an active high-output mic. Bottom line: This is one killer studio microphone. At the business end of the microphone, a 6mm-thick black acoustic foam pop screen is removable for cleaning, and sits across the top of the capsule on a three-spoked plastic web. Lastly, the D option has a distinctly mellow tonality with a strong bass end (sitting halfway between the two V modes) and a gently recessed mid‑range with a rounded high end. Aston recruited a panel of 92 engineers and artists, who started by shortlisting potential dynamic capsules, before moving on to compare and optimise different mic 'voicings' using 14 different voices and seven other referencee sound sources, all in a double-blind test format to ensure objectivity. It’s a solid-feeling mic, and the design offers a number of bonuses, some common to other Aston mics, others unique to this model. Aston quote the nominal sensitivity in the active mode as 150mV/Pa, which is a lot, but again there is a variation of 8dB or so depending on the tone setting. I've not corrected for the Genelec's own frequency response, and the Sennheiser MKH20 response should be a flat line. Shop all the best Cyber Monday deals NOW. Figure of Eight Microphones in Near Co-incident Stereo ... One Synth Challenge V - The Filter Strikes Back! What is a "hybrid" audio interface anyway? After playing around with the microphone for a week, communicating with friends online and running through various tests, it's easy to record your voice with crystal clear results. Without phantom power the Stealth works just like any other dynamic microphone — albeit with the selectable voicing options as described above — and has the typically low sensitivity of an ordinary passive moving‑coil microphone. Again, other manufacturers offer dynamic mics with integral phantom-powered buffers and gain stages, but what makes Aston's offering genuinely unique is some clever circuitry that bypasses the gain stage if phantom power is not detected, allowing it to be used as a conventional passive mic. When working with quiet sources, though, like gentle acoustic guitar or spoken word, the Stealth has the ability to boost the output considerably simply by turning on phantom power — and that's really handy, particularly when partnered with interfaces or preamps with only a modest gain range. Like other Aston microphones, the Stealth introduces some useful twists with four selectable voicings and a built-in gain stage to boost the output automatically whenever phantom power is present. This thing is clearly beyond the level of your headset or USB microphone in terms of versatility and performance. Despite its appearance in photos, Stealth is a large, fairly-heavy, front-address dynamic mic—the look and feel will immediately remind experienced recordists of the Shure SM7B, a classic broadcast mic, and that is one of its target applications, though the Stealth is far more versatile. It would be worth playing between V1 and V2 alongside in-line manipulation and software to get it sounding just right, but the out-the-box quality is amazing. The G position is apparently tuned for acoustic guitars, and it has a crisp quality for percussive clarity with a diminished bass end to minimise muddiness, and the overall balance does work very well in that context. We've looked at USB gaming microphones from HyperX, Blue, and Razer, but now British-based Aston has the Stealth that promises exceptional audio recording quality. Stealth incorporates a proprietary internal shockmount design that should eliminate the need for an ext… It's a subtle lighting effect that looks better than the lighting effect on the HyperX QuadCast for sure, and you can even disable the lighting with a button adjacent to the XLR connection — nice! However, this degree of tonal flexibility is unusual, and the only other dynamic mic I can think of that matched it was the old Electro-Voice 668. It's not a disaster by any means, but I found myself having to re-tighten a drooping mic more than once. And to pack all this technology into the microphone, Aston made a hefty product, and by hefty I'm talking 692g (1.52lbs) with a length and width of 196mm (7.72 inches) and 58mm (2.28 inches), respectively. There's also the single XLR interface. Mastering Essentials Part 3 - How loud should I master? In contrast, the V2 position was noticeably louder and gave a much more mid-forward and brilliant sound with a lot more in the 10kHz area, making it sound more like a large-diaphragm capacitor mic and almost U87-esque. Time for more discounts! The latter two voice settings are G for guitar, and D for dark, which essentially attempts to mimic classic ribbon microphones from older generations. If you're in the market for a new Xbox One console, you'll want to check these deals out first. There is also a slot here for the removable standmount, which is basically a flat 4mm-thick bar attached to the knuckle of a threaded 5/8-inch threaded stand adaptor. Win! There are, of course, a few other dynamic microphones around with selectable frequency responses, some offering voice/music options and others adjustable bass responses, for example. You may login with either your assigned username or your e-mail address. The top ring is thickest at about 32mm, while the middle three are 6mm deep and the last just 3mm. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details without your permission. This Audio Precision plot is a very rough-and-ready comparison of the Stealth's four tonal options in both active and passive modes, with a Sennheiser MKH20 and Shure SM57 as references for each mode. Although the labelling suggests the first two are optimised for vocals, there's no reason not to try the others as well, of course, and if the resulting sound works in the context of a specific track, who's going to complain? And when powered, the purple LEDs add a distinctive and elegant charm that marks the Stealth out as something special. The ability to select four different voicings will be attractive to many potential customers, I'm sure, but what may appeal even more is the Stealth's secret weapon: a built-in Class-A gain stage. Below this is a wire mesh cage to further protect the 25mm diaphragm from plosive blasts. Modern headsets have come a long way in terms of microphone quality, but you can never beat a dedicated studio microphone. The Stealth's four different voicing modes are accessed using a rotary switch at the base of the mic. Despite the unusually high sensitivity, though, the mic's self-noise isn't a problem in the active mode, and the specifications claim a respectable figure of 10dBA, while the maximum SPL is 140dB for 0.5 percent distortion, which is equally impressive. The standmount could be better-designed to make it easier and more reliable to use. Great care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this article but neither Sound On Sound Limited nor the publishers can be held responsible for its contents. Preamp such as a rotary switch at the base of the famous RE20 a. Deals out first a flat line advantages over studio condenser Microphones like the Aston Stealth is an end-fire,,! Innovate with their mics, and the new Stealth — as the company 's first dynamic mic, the LEDs... A small Genelec speaker with a condenser mic, or as an active mic! Come a long way in terms of microphone quality, however, 's! 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