Aston Origin Cardioid Condenser Microphone

The Aston Origin is a cardioid condenser microphone that utilizes a 1" gold-evaporated capsule. It is versatile enough to use with most instruments, such as acoustic guitar and strings, and sounds great on vocals. Its hand-selected capsule is combined with transformer-less circuitry to deliver accurate sound reproduction.

The mic has a mesh-knit pop filter built into the wave-form head. The weave allows sound to pass while reducing unwanted plosives. This single-piece mesh cage is formed in stainless steel, so it won't rust with use and can even be removed and washed.

The Aston Origin is versatile enough to use with most instruments and excels on acoustic guitar and vocals. Its hand-selected capsule is teamed with high-end transformer-less circuitry using only the best components such as WIMA capacitors, the same devices you’ll find in boutique microphones costing far more than the Origin. You need to hear it to believe it!

WAVE-FORM MESH HEAD

The Origin has Aston's signature wave-form mesh head. This unique design not only looks great, but delivers an unprecedented degree of protection for the heart of your microphone, the capsule. The shock resistant wave-form design allows the head of the mic to distort if given a heavy knock, and then return to its normal position, without any damage at all. It also offers a degree of off-axis rejection, helping to eliminate unwanted artifacts from your recordings.

BUILT-IN POP FILTER

Aston’s vocal condenser microphones have an exclusive mesh-knit pop filter built into the wave-form head. The random weave allows sound to pass while virtually eliminating unwanted plosives at source. It also shields against multiple wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation making our microphones ideal in critically sensitive electronic applications. This completely encapsulating, single piece, mesh cage is formed in stainless steel, so won’t rust with use, and can even be removed and washed.

END CAPS

Yet another unique design element of the Aston Origin is the use of custom molded end caps with integrated XLR and stand adapter. No other mic has this. Because the internal shock absorption system is so good, you can mount the microphone directly to a stand via this built in, and interchangeable thread adapter. The design also makes Aston microphones extremely easy to repair and maintain.

CHASSIS

Part of the beauty of Aston microphones is the custom finish of each chassis. There are no mass-produced paint job finishes here. Instead, each chassis is individually tumbled for up to 4 hours to give it a very hard-wearing, and extremely beautiful, finish. To perfect the look, each microphone is separately engraved with its legends, and Aston's brand mantra, ‘The art of performance’.

PCB

• Superbly balanced mix of discrete and integrated electronic circuitry.
• Armonised circuit stage arrangement for easy integration from phantom power input circuitry to capsule voltage bias.
• A novel non-linear voltage/current source rectification to provide controlled amplification and smooth, clear audio.

ECO-FRIENDLY PACKAGING

Aston have put their hearts and minds into creating the most beautiful performance pieces possible with each product they make. When it comes to packaging, they believe simplicity is king. Protective, re-useable, environmentally sensible packaging that doesn’t cost the earth.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Transducer Type: Condenser
• Acoustic Operating Principle: Pressure Gradient
• Directional Polar Pattern: Cardioid
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz (+/-3dB)
• Equivalent Noise Level: 18dB A-Weighted
• Sensitivity at 1kHz into 1kohm: 23.7mV/Pa
• Maximum SPL for THD 0.5%: 127dB
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio (rel. 94dB SPL): 76dB A-Weighted
• Pad Switch: -10dB
• Low-Cut Filter: 80Hz
• 48 Volt Phantom power (+/- 4 Volts) is required for operation

TESTIMONIALS AND REVIEWS

“I LOVE these mics!” - Stevie Wonder

“The Origin is my favorite all-rounder. A classic.” - Dave Lamb, Engineer, The Hives

"It's easily my favorite mic in my arsenal!” - Ben Bridwell, Band of Horses

“Blind testing with the artist against an AKG C12 VR showed a clear preference for the Origin.”
- 10/10 Award, Mike Hillier, MusicTech Magazine. Read the full review.
 

Aston Microphones are made in the UK.