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Back in our April 2016 issue we introduced readers toAston Microphones. Based in the UK, Aston came into beingwith the goal of creating a microphone line that (with theexception of Asian-sourced capsules) was built and craftedentirely on British shores.Their first model was the Origin, which offered a unique

look, build, and design—complete with a tumbled stainlesssteel body and an unprecedented flexible head grille. As I dis-covered in my April 2015 review, the Origin boasts its ownunique sound rather than just being another “me too” clone,and yet it compares quite favorably with many of the oldstandbys and industry standards. Its $250 price tag makes itone of the best entry-level mic choices on the market.In a forthcoming issue we will be reviewing the Origin’s

multi-pattern big brother, the Spirit. In this issue focused oncapturing bands, we’re looking (well... staring, actually) atAston’s other new product, the Halo.

A new take on mic isolationThe Halo is a new take on the portable vocal booth concept,

often known as a reflection filter, or in sE Electronics-speak, aReflexion Filter. I bring up sE because the first Reflexion Filter wasan sE product, spawning a wave of imitations and variations.What you might not know is that Aston Microphones’ James Youngwas one of the original designers of the sE Reflexion Filter duringhis tenure with said company. With that in mind, it is not at all sur-prising that he would come up with his own version for Aston.

The Halo is not just an update or copy of the original, whichused a semi-cylindrical design of foam and corrugated metaland was often quite heavy. It’s a completely new evolution ofthe idea. So what’s so different about it?First, it is made—or better yet, molded—from a purple

sound-damping fiber material called PET felt, which is alsoused in the construction of studio sound panels. It’s made from70% recycled PET plastic, which makes it almost as green as itis purple! (Sorry. Had to.)Second, unlike pretty much every other portable vocal isola-

tor, which is either a half cylinder or angled-panel design, theHalo is actually hemispherical on the inside... an interestingchoice, as Aston’s team also had a hand in designing theMunroSonic Egg monitors.The Halo covers what Aston calls a 360-degree field, as it

extends around the mic on the top and bottom as well as thesides. According to Aston, this design allows the Halo to cover40% more surface area than the competitors. It’s roughly 21" x17" and 10" deep. The wall of the Halo is 1" thick at the edges,thickening to 4" at the rear. It is attached to a minimal metalframework and is tangibly lighter than most of the competition.The Halo and microphone are held in place by Aston’s easy-

mount hardware. This mounting system is made up of onlythree parts in addition to the Halo itself. There is a a quick-release mic arm and two threaded screw mounts that fit inside

of each other to attach the Halo to a mic stand and allow theHalo to be adjusted back and forth for depth.

In useTaking the Halo out of its large shipping box, its purple pod-like

look is a bit startling. It actually looks like an HR Giger-designed

B Y P A U L V N U K J R .

Aston Microphones HaloA mic isolation device that’s truly like no other

Excerpted from the August edition of REcoRding Magazine 2016©2016 Music Maker Publications, inc. Reprinted with permission.5408 idylwild Trail, Boulder, co 80301 Tel: (303) 516-9118 Fax: (303) 516-9119 For Subscription Information, call: 1-954-653-3927 or www.recordingmag.com

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prop from the Alien films! Even more star-tling is how the Halo sounds. If you talkinto it without a mic in place, you hear atight hollow dead sound, almost as if theHalo is drawing your voice into a vortex ofsilence. It truly is a bit unsettling and weird.

When used with a microphone, youcan easily play with the distance of themic to find the best balance of opennessand dryness for your particular sound.

To test it out, I paired the Halo withthe most open and unforgiving mic inmy collection, a Brauner PhantomClassic. The Phantom is one of thosemics that will highlight a bad room andoutside noise with crystal clarity if youlet it. I moved the Halo and Phantom out-side my studio, into a reverberant roomwith a concrete floor, and was amazedat how well the Halo tightened up thesound. It really does sound like it sucksup all the air around the microphoneand creates a tight dead space, but onethat is still natural enough for intimatevocals, voiceovers, and more.

Color me impressed! It was a marked,very noticeable improvement over thetwo other portable vocal booths I com-pared it to.

Now for an important caveat: theHalo is not a magic soundproof booth.Sounds like air conditioning, refrigera-tors, airplanes, and barking dogs willstill make it onto your recordings, albeitat much lessened levels when the Halo ispositioned correctly.

I did some tests speaking into the Halowith a loud air conditioner running in thebackground. The Halo controls the soundenough that when you are speaking, itfocuses the sound on the source, not thebackground. Background noise onlybecomes apparent when you stop speak-ing, allowing you to easily cut out or gatethe room noise in a worst-case scenario.

I also had someone play acoustic gui-tar a foot away on the other side of theHalo, while another person sang.Again, yes, the acoustic guitar will bleedinto the vocal mic, but at a controlledlevel where the focus is still the voice.

ConclusionThis is one of those products that does

exactly what it sets out to do whileimproving greatly on the original para-digm. I have to say, I am sold! I doweekly podcasting and music demos in astandard office with no treatment orsoundproofing and an obnoxious airhandler. The Halo is custom-made forsuch a space, and I can’t wait to hearthe results over the next few months.

Price: $299

More from: Aston Microphones,www.astonmics.com

Excerpted from the August edition of REcoRding Magazine 2016©2016 Music Maker Publications, inc. Reprinted with permission.5408 idylwild Trail, Boulder, co 80301 Tel: (303) 516-9118 Fax: (303) 516-9119 For Subscription Information, call: 1-954-653-3927 or www.recordingmag.com