Here’s What Aston Have to Say About the Starlight Stereo Pair:
The Aston Starlight is the first ever laser targeting pencil microphone, allowing for recall of mic position in studio use and incredibly quick and easy set up in live applications. This truly unique microphone also showcases Aston’s variable voice switching for sound contouring, a nearly indestructible build quality, a signature sintered head, and Aston's now famous tumbled 100% stainless steel chassis.
Laser Targeting
The addition of a Class 2 laser to Starlight with on/off switch allows the user to recall mic positions in the studio so set up can be easily replicated. It also means that mic positions can be marked off on drums etc. and set-up becomes a breeze.
This is very far from being just a gimmick as cardioid pattern microphones always produce their most accurate response when aimed directly at the sound source. This is especially true when using a spaced stereo pair as the laser makes it possible to aim both microphones at exactly the same point. Not only does the laser make precise alignment easy, it also helps achieve consistency when re-establishing the microphone position after de-rigging. Repeatable mic positioning has never been easier.
Sintered Metal Head
Sintering is not new to the mic world, though seldom used… but our Aston development team have taken the technology a step or 2 further than ever before. We tested many thicknesses of sintered head, as well as the average size of the sinter spheres, and combined that with nickel plate which is controlled to only a few nanometres thickness to achieve near perfect acoustic porosity and extraordinary audio transparency. In addition the head is virtually indestructible, so like all Aston mics, it can take any amount of studio or live use and will never let you down.
The Aston Sound
Starlight features a 20mm cardioid capsule hand-picked by a panel of more than 50 top producers in double blind listening tests conducted during 2016. As with the Origin and Spirit mics before it, Starlight went through a series of blind tests conducted with the aim to finding the consistently preferred sound when integrated into our custom electronics.
Tests with more than 20 different capsules and a range of source material were performed, as well as comparisons with the market leading competitors, until, by a large majority, the panel chose the Starlight as the best and most consistent sound. It was this process that led us to the idea of implementing our proprietary ‘Voice Switching’ mode, since opinion amongst these top professionals was clearly polarised between vintage, and more modern sounding mics.
By accommodating the preferred tone for both groups in 2 different voice modes (and adding a third ‘Hybrid mode’ for good measure) more than 95% of the panel group expressed a clear preference for Starlight in the blind tests.
