Aston Microphones Origin Mic Review / Test (Compared to NT1, SM7b, KSM32)
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 08. 2024
- Today I review a very popular mic, the Aston Origin. This is a hyper detailed microphone that captures every nuance of your voice or instruments. The off axis coloration is outstanding, and there are no resonant frequencies whatsoever. Also it’s made in the UK, which is awesome. I do include a quick comparison to the Neat King Bee, Rode NT1, Shure SM7b, and Shure KSM32.
HQ Audio Of Review: podcastage.com/rev/origin
Buy the Aston Microphones Origin
Amazon: geni.us/astonorigin
Sweetwater: imp.i114863.net/0eABP
Buy the Pop Filter Used (Hakan P110)
Sweetwater: imp.i114863.net/Za2Ag
Buy the Focusrite 2i2 (3rd Gen)- Same Performance as 18i20 (Affiliate Link)
Amazon: geni.us/2i32rd
Sweetwater: imp.i114863.net/k6g4d
00:00 - Intro / Price / Disclaimer
00:23 - Setup
00:40 - What’s in the Box
01:23 - Build Quality / Walkthrough
01:57 - Specifications
02:20 - Polar Pattern Test (Tone / Rotation)
02:40 - Plosive Test
03:01 - Distance Test / Proximity Effect Test
03:18 - Background Noise Test (Keyboard Test)
03:34 - Untreated Room Test
03:51 - Microphone Bump Rejection Test (With and Without Shockmount)
04:27 - Mic Resonance Tap Test
04:38 - High Pass Filter Test
05:10 - Neat King Bee Comparison
05:48 - Rode NT1 Comparison
06:11 - Shure SM7b Comparison
06:40 - Shure KSM32 Comparison
07:17 - Music Test
08:26 - Pros & Cons
09:41 - Overall Thoughts
11:33 - Recommendation
12:19 - Outro
Subscribe For More Videos: czcams.com/users/podcastage?su...
Become a Member: / @podcastage
My CZcams Setup: podcastage.com/studio
My Favorite XLR Mics: podcastage.com/rev/favxlr
My Favorite USB Mics: podcastage.com/rev/favusb
Check the Frequently Asked Questions: podcastage.com/faq
Vote For What You Want Reviewed: podcastage.com/vote
NOTE (FULL DISCLOSURE): If you purchase an item using my amazon link, it provides me a small referral fee. For more info check my FAQ page links below.
Check Out This Stuff TOO:
Website: www.podcastage.com
Giveaways: podcastage.com/giveaways
Discord: www.podcastage.com/discord
Merch: podcastage.com/store
Company Relationship Disclosure: podcastage.com/disclosure
Personal: www.bandrewscott.com - Věda a technologie
Really really makes your voice sound soothing - Love how it sounds, thanks for the review.
Without a doubt, after seeing dozens of your videos, you are terrific at doing reviews. Now I may pull the trigger on this mic...excellent job and thank you for such detail...and humor
At first, I wasn't so sure about the Aston, but when compared to all of these different mics, it really put things into perspective! Thanks for the comparison my man.
I bought my Aston Origin a few weeks ago, and back then I really looked for your review and obviously you hadn't yet posted it. Nonetheless, I watched the review and liked it. I love the Aston Origin; solid build, great sound, unique aesthetic, super versatile. Great work, Bandrew!
I am already enjoying my NEAT King Bee because of you but I'm still here watching all your mic reviews cause your reviews are just the best
Thanks so much for the review Bandrew... as always, your attention to detail coupled with your personality and sense of humour make your reviews among my favourites! I really like the Origin and the detail it provides. From the other group of mics I felt the Shure KSM 32 was awesome and a bit smoother/sweeter sounding than the Origin. It is beyond my current financial abilities, so I'll be picking up the Aston Origin. You really helped me in my decision making process. Thanks again and all the best!
Wow what a great review. Gave me all the demos and comparisons I wanted!
a few important comparisons missing...
;)
thank you for another awesome review
I’m impressed. The present sound is totally ok with me as it sounds like a smooth and wide bump, easy to deal with later. I absolutely LOVE the construction, with the wide open metalwork exposing a fine mesh blast filter that is very effective. It will probably be pretty successful for vocal recording, and maybe even stage use.
Dear what about you are talking about. AO is condenser microphone and hence not meant for live performance. Check if I am right/wrong.
@@HarvinderSingh-yy8th Where in the world did you come up with the idea condenser mics aren’t used on stage?? In a typical live stage setup, 75% or more are condensers.
Origin outshines all of them in the lows and the highs. All the top engineers in England that worked on this mic together most certainly hit a home run with the time and effort/feedback they gave the company. And, what a brilliant and humble idea to employ them for the task of developing it. It shows. It already sounds mix ready and sounds fantastic on your voice by the way!
Seems great, with the trebly frequencies boosted in all the right places. Thanks for the demo.
Great review. Completely agree with Curtis Judd, mic really complements your voice. Have owned this mic for a couple of years now.
It offers a lot of clarity and detail to my bass voice that other mics cannot begin to touch at this price point. It's overall performance
has been excellent. Thanks again for the great review. Always appreciate others professional experiences and shared opinions.
I picked up the Rode Procaster a couple months ago but I still enjoy watching these reviews.
The best person I've seen describes the details of the equipment, microphone, and its experience in a perfect way. Thank you, Wonderful
I loooove you`re reviews, I love that you compare to other mics aswell :D so amazing, best reviewer on youtube...
Very clean, crisp, and nice sound. Possibly my favourite of the ones you demonstrated. Not sure it would suit my voice, though.
Sold! Thanks for the awesome review. Picking one up today.
Excellent review as always. Just added the Origin to my collection this weekend. Do not like the shock mount, but actually prefer the Origin to the SM7b in my setup due to the lack of treatment in my space.
Thanks for a great comparison! I was thinking about buying the Aston - now I'm sure of it. I love the British sound with the detailing!
unrelated to the specific video but thank u so much for ur service to the community. you are like the meme of the soldier infront of the kid with arrows in his back ur such a useful resource and every time i look at a new mic i make sure to check ur review, because you have one for like every mic that exists and its very useful
My pleasure. Really happy to know the videos have been helpful. Thank you very much for the kind words.
Awesome mic man🔥🔥🔥Thanks for the review I am going to buy it! I was going to grab the shure sm7b, I have the nt1 but this sound is really 👍
your reviews are essential to buy a microphone, thank you for doing such amazing reviews
Wow Aston sounds amazing
Nice, I was just looking into reviews of this recently and here you are already. (y)
Hi great review. I have a six Rode, the Aston Stealth, two Origin and others - all for interviews. I really like the Origin for bringing out the character in guests voices and it sounded good on you as well.
Aston sounds pretty nice on your voice. I think I still prefer the NT1 and KSM32 on your voice. But mostly I like your 90s rock sound on the Origin.
I agree with you!
I totaly love the Astons. I already has the Aston Spirit. It goes for almost everything.These microphones have the best of to worlds. Good for voices, acoustic guitar, public enviroment for videos, airy, detailed, softness and a little bit of a harshness as you say with the electric gituar.(Muffled sound is the worst) But what would you have the Isotope RX7 and its music post programs to otherwise :-) The self noise, I dont know, dificult to here through internet, a little bit of "distortion" gives a presens if its soft ...... (love vinyl as well) Magnus G. Sweden
Yup. Definitely fappable.
Why don't you try blue baby bottle SL.
Me too i think the origin is better for instrument ♥️🎸🎵💪
I JUST purchased the Aston Origin for VO work at Sweetwater. I am super excited for the vocal end as well as for singing. I was curious how it compared to the WA-87. Thank you so much for the detail. It was incredibly helpful. In radio, we used the Neumann U87. Not in the budget for that bad boy yet...but really looking forward to what this is capable of..
As you’ve said concerning guitar amps, this one rocks especially when hanging it from an amp’s top handle, similar to how some people treat the Sennheiser e609/e906. I once used it live for a pedal steel amp, and it gave us everything we wanted for the gig. Vocals I’ll sometimes barely cut the high mids/highs, cut in the low/low mids. Running the Origin through some transformers (preamp/compression/etc.) upon tracking tames some of the harshness or at least color it a bit. Mounting direct to stand is a plus especially aesthetically which I’ve spotted it in music videos this way which makes sense. A lot can be said about the Origin, and useable/versatile is top of the list.
Your voice sounds great on this mic--- a great voice over or narration mic indeed!!!
Wow that sounds great. Especially the room sound when you were far back. You can hear the correct size of the room just from that mic. Crazy
Dude! You sound good on the Origin man!
Really great test I must say. I learned a lot about it that is not obvious. Bought it with the shock mount!
Thanks for the excellent review Bandrew! I wish they did a bundle for the normal version and a black anodised version too - for the Spirit as well. Definitely interested in that one for when the 1992 NT2 I use finally calls it a day...
That Aston does sound pretty good. I love the KSM32 though. It just sounds brilliant. The Aston sounds really good on the electric and acoustic guitars though. I'd love to use this microphone in a studio.
Awesome video as always Bandrew. I try to watch each and every one of them, and first..;)...I would love to see a video explaining latency and the artifacts (pops and crackles) that occur when buffer sizes are not where they should be. I experience that a lot when im using my mic live and I would be surprised that other folks don't experience the same thing.
The Anthony Fantano of microphones ❤️ you’ve helped me discover so many great devices ty!!!
haha was not expecting you to throw the box. good stuff, as always man thanks
Ur cool bro, been watching u for a while, I always check with you before I buy a microphone. Got good reviews.
Great job with this review! Thank you!
Nice description Thank you. You are the best
Great reivew - I already own the Aston, but good to see this... :-)
I own the Aston Origin for VO, and have really loved using it so far, both for male and female VO.
I just bought the Origin to record a singer who is out of this world and for which I want every detail. But as an all-around mic at my price point I liked the NT1 the best. Thanks for your reviews. Objective thorough and to-the-point. I appreciate you.
*me liking before I watch because I know it'll be an incredible video every time*
man i've been eying on this bad boi for months now, i'm getting one! keke thanks mah man!
I don't know why im click this notif mic review, even i know i will not have a chance to buy this mic because of its price 🤣. Maybe the main reason is i really like your review on gears, especially with mics. Greetings from Indonesia 🤘
ayee, who else watch this channel other than this man and me that is from indonesia?
@@ardhifarhan4821 How about Malaysia?
me
I appreciate how in depth you go into your reviews and the sheer amount of reviews you create! I must say however, after watching many other channels and testing mics myself, I think with your channel in particular I have a very, very, hard time telling the difference between mics. Your voice sounds 99% the same on all of them! Which is unfortunate because despite your good info, it doesn't give me a good idea on the actual difference between mics that I tend to find on other channels. I wonder why that is? Perhaps because your voice doesn't have much bass or high end?
Great video, dude. Well done! =)
Amazing review
Love your vids!!!
The KSM32 is an industry standard for cymbal overhead mics in a live setting and I’ve started seeing the Origin creep it’s way on to more and more stages for the same purpose. I think it having a very detailed high end/ bright presence makes it a great mic for that application. Awesome review!
KSMs are not better than NT2a. Blue baby bottle is best under 400 dollars.
@@HarvinderSingh-yy8th I didn’t say anything about the Rode, or the Blue mic. Plus neither are commonly used on tour.
Digging that Aston, I already had in mind to purchase the Spirit cause I liked the sound when I tested it. Will get soon! 🙏👍
What a great video, good job! 👌
Yessssssss!!! Thanks for covering this mic!!!!!
Seriously good review here. Subbed.
Thanks for your helpful Info
These reviews are awesome, while kinda entertaining lol thanks for the help.
I take back the "kinda" now that I've finished the video 😂 also love the charcoal frost paint with the red tortoise pick guard 👌🏼 got a standard Strat with the same layout
Sick mic and I'm loving the extra comparisons. But I'm trying to hold out for my Samson Q9U which has been on pre-order since February. Asked a rep and they said it should be shipping before the end of summer. Darn you, COVID, for the delay.
Love this guy! He's so true to himself and his audience! 👏👏👏
And the 90s post punk scene. 90s style pop punk clone vocals haha
Thanks for making this video! I liked the Aston Origin's performance in this shootout. I like the detail. I'm interested in transparency---what other mics did you have in mind when you said you preferred a more "neutral" mic? Do you mean transparent or something else when you say "neutral"?
I honestly hope you allow us to see your Microphone Locker one day? Actually please Film a short Documentary on your love of Microphones 🎙🙏
Still liking the King Bee. I'm thinking about hitting the button.
I love my set of Origins, I use them on Toms and they sound huge. I also have a set of the Sprites that I use for OH's, on Vox guitar all the time
great effort again as per chap of mics, the shure eq really well the aston is a fickle conch and better get flatter response to have the option to eq in some sweet crispy wispy top if thats your bag if not get a pillow and try waking another day, nice cars though
Excellent. Looking forward to Aston Spirit. Would be great if you could compare some of these as bass drum external mics. Origin, Spirit, NT-1, Beta 27, etc
OH MY! That is... sharp. It works great with the electric guitar! And pretty well with the acoustic guitar if a softer touch is applied. But, for other things... it's too much top end! At least for me.
excellent vid
I literally laugh like a toddler every time he throws a box 🤣
Bought one about half a year ago, it's definitely a huge improvement after solely relying on my SM57. Makes acoustic guitar and vocals instantly clearer than anything I could ever achieve.
For those applications, absolutely this would be a huge improvement in the clarity and detail of the recording. And it would sound less artificial as well. Great upgrade and best of luck on the recording.
Dude, I love your reviews. I currently own a Blue Yeti Pro, but I find it to sound a bit tinny. I've been meaning to get the Aston Origin as I've been hearing such great things about it. Would you recommend or would the difference be barely noticeable? I've been reading so many contradicting opinions. I trust your verdict best tbh.
Hey there, love this review. Are you going to review the Aston Spirit? I just bought one and think it's pretty awesome. Would love to see your take. :)
Yep I’ve made my decision, this microphone both stylish and functional. The lows sound clean the highs are a little rough on me but other than that I really reaaaaallly love this mic.
@podcastage I have a Aston Origin and I think it suits your voice very well. Throughout the comparisons I think the aston was a top contender. Have you paid any attention to Aston's Element microphone? It claims to be the "people's choice" microphone as they have been running several rounds of peer reviewed tests on their microphone compared to others in the market. Just preordered my "devoloper" mic package for the element, could be a great entry level podcast mic for your viewers, comes with shockmount and pop filter. Thanks for the great reviews Bandrew.
I liked the sound of the nt1 better for your voice than this aston origin mic,but you(always)sound so awesome on the ksm32 that i ordered the ksm32
7:12 I liked the KSM32 the most, sounds extremely smooth
wat
I really liked this mic. Its detail is excellent compared to the others.
Awesome review very nice little microphone but more me the Neat King Bee still take the crown for the overall best microphone money can buy. I still want to know when your going to get together with Mike Delgaudio and do some Microphone talk and testing maybe a poadcast together?
It's definitely a "boosted" sounding mic in my opinion. I got an Austrian Audio OC18 for around €500 and prefer that for it's transparent smoothness. It's quite a bit more expensive though!
Super great video. But why is your sound so grainy? Is that the Focusrite?
I really like this mic, it has a unique character, great design, cheap and it takes EQ well.
you are a best audio reviewr
I just recently bought the Stellar X2 Vintage after your review here, but I have to say that I dig the aesthetics of the Aston Origin. Would love to have it for that reason, but I mean, I can't really justify purchasing this microphone for that reason. Still cool though.
Buy Blue baby bottle SL too. I think you may be pleased.
Hey Bandrew, could you review a cheap neewer boom arm (there is a beefier version thats quite similar ti the Rode boom arm).
A lot of reviewers says its bad and others say its amazing, so it would be great if the best Mic reviewer (You who else lol) would make a proper review of it.
Thx love your channel you make great reviews. :D
Hi! Good videos! Surely you have been asked several times ... I need an opinion between these two mic Akg P120 vs MXL 770 ... Which one do you recommend? It is for recording strings, some percussion, wind instruments and mbira (African instrument). I really appreciate your opinion !!
Aston Hands down!
I own the Aston Spirit and love this mic!
Could you review the Aston Spirit? It is a multi patterned condenser. But I understand it is voiced differently to the Origin. Would be very interested to hear how the Aston Spirit in cardiod mode compares to all the mics you used in this review.....especially keen to hear it against the Origin!!
The origin so crisp. I have a deep voice and I will be rapping deep with some fun high parts but mostly deep. I love the crispiness I have heard on many videos. Any recommendations or would it just sound amazing post production with the origin?
I feel like I've learned a lot about mics just from watching your videos. Have you ever done anything on an omnidirectional mic like the Sennheiser MD-21U?
Excited to see you review this mic! Agreed with all sentiments. Especially the bite & presence on electric guitar, and high end detail generally. May I ask, regarding mic placement on your guitar cabinet, what did you find was the ‘best’ position? Currently using the Origin & SM57, but all confused regarding the ideal distance from speaker / off-axis vs on, etc. Thank you! 🍻
Consistently about 3.5 inches away from the speaker. Then halfway between the cone and the edge of the speaker. I don't mic the cone because I think that's just always too aggressive in the top end.
Podcastage ~ thank you 🙏 Top
Advice. Ball park positions have confirmed that too, except I had the mic both too close to the cone, and grill. Let’s get recording! *eats included origin sticker, and tosses box across the room*
haha this is an excellent review! great job
I gotta say i like the sound of the aston out of the box - but I would be really interested if you tried processing it with EQ, maybe some de essing and or compression. I can imagine it being harsher to treat since many good mics sound waaay darker out of the box.
haha love you man this was great
Would you please make comparison between "Stagg SDM50" & "Shure SM58" 😉
I had the Aston Origin for a 2-3 years and used it on countless demo recordings and records. As a former owner I would highly recommend this microphone to anyone who is considering to buy an Aston mic. I speak from a user perspective; someone who has been thoroughly impressed by the build and sound quality. It's one of the few microphones i recommend to my audio recording students who are looking to purchase their first mic, slightly pricier than the entry level options (MXL, Audio Technica) but worth every cent. You are right about the top end, it is very detailed but what bothers me most about the microphone was the mid-range. To my ears I had to make it work a little harder in a mix to allow it to shine through a busy mix. This was one of the reasons why I sold it off and got myself a U87 Ai instead. I hated to let it go but it was collecting dust in my mic cabinet and I'd rather pass it on to someone who would utilise the mic much more than I would. My main line of work involves alot of vocal recording/production so I had no reason to keep the mic.
Also could I recommend a series on microphone preamps! Alot of home studio owners or budding recording engineers will miss out on the fact that a mic preamp contributes to the sound of a microphone as well. A sterile sounding microphone through your Focusrite will shine through a mic preamp in the chain. I own an Avalon 737, Neve 1073LB and a Focusrite ISA One and each of them sounds different through the same microphone. This allows me to mix and match certain recording applications if necessary. I used the Origin mainly through my Avalon to tame the high ends and it works beautifully. Just a suggestion!
Do you have any budget friendly suggestions for a mic pre amp since the Avalon runs for over 2k
@@yrusboaisocorpebsnd5968 The ISA One runs about 400 - 500 new and i'm sure you can find it cheaper used on Reverb or something. One of my favourite preamps to have around the studio.
How does it stand up against the newer models they’ve introduced?
@@richardwilliams9311 like the Element and Stealth? Honestly you can't really compare it like that as both the Element and Stealth are two different mic designs in its own right. They are inherently dynamic whereas you Origin is more of a transformer-less condenser design similar to the Neumann TLM102 and 103. I believe the Spirit will sound different as I understand there is a transformer at the output stage which adds a bit of body to the sound.
Hi ! Based on your experience, do you recommend changing my MXL 770x for this Aston Origin to use in my home studio?
Should have compared with the tlm 102 as well but I do enjoy this mic my friend has one and for vocals its absolutely perfect I really love it I ended up getting an Aston Stealth which i actually like a little bit more but out of these I still like the Shure SM7B the best because with that neutral of a tone you're free to do whatever you want with it in a mix while with others you might have to cut where they boosted so much but I found with the Origin that wasn't the case honestly because of how smooth sounding it is.
The neutral point you made at the end there was the reason I decided not to buy this one in the end - I got the wa47jr instead, because even though it’s a bit more expensive it is a much flatter mic. It was either that or a 414 and I decided I couldn’t justify the extra £300 odd quid! Really looking forward to hearing reviews if aston’s new elements mic when they start appearing though - I helped (as with thousands of other people here probably did!) with the development and from what I heard it sounds like it could be a slightly less excitable sound than their previous mics.
That is a slick mic. I couldn't stop laughing because the shock mount has the most wobble I've ever seen, I love it.
Fkn great videos, im all into that humor, fkn legend
Exactly the video needed. Thanks! A friend was asking about the Origin vs SM7B.
One day I feel that he will throw that box during the intro and cause a domino effect all across his room's gear.