New Music Gear Monday: Aston Element Microphone That’s Crowd-Designed

It’s difficult to be surprised by a new microphone these days. After all, the basic designs haven’t changed in more than a hundred years, and for the most part, we just get tiny evolutions with each new model that’s introduced. The new Aston Element microphone is breaking that trend though, as it has a couple of innovations that makes it unique – a new type of capsule and the fact that it was partially crowd-designed.

Let’s look at the new “Ridyon” capsule that Element uses first. It features a lightweight active moving-coil diaphragm that’s powered by 48V phantom power that’s said to give the best characteristics of the 3 basic types of microphones that we’ve been using forever – dynamic, ribbon and condenser. What’s more, the capsule can be manufactured for less money than any of the traditional microphone drivers, lending to the cost-effectiveness of Aston Element (at just $199).

Everyone likes ribbon mics, but they’re fragile because of the super thin ribbon. Dynamic mics are more robust but they have more mass and don’t move as fast, so the high frequencies suffer. Condenser mics suffer from non-linearity of inexpensive capsules. The Ridyon capsule is said to be a hybrid of all 3 mechanisms, providing the best of all worlds.

It took 15 months of R&D and 3 months of public listening tests to fully develop the Aston Element, with the listening tests probably a first in the business. During that time, the company solicited advice on from over 4,000 people across a wide spectrum of the audio industry. This included comparison tests to microphones from other brands including Blue, Rode, AKG, Audio Technica, and Neumann.

The cardioid Element is not just the microphone though, it’s a full bundle consisting of a custom shock mount (very important because it’s side address), and a unique magnetic pop filter.

If you were lucky enough to get in on the listening tests then you probably will get this mic for less, but right now it’s available for pre-order at $199. You can find out more on the Aston website, or watch the interview below with the CEO of Aston, James Young, for some additional insight on the microphone.

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