Well designed, aesthetically pleasing and solid sonic character for the price. Well worth having in the mic locker, I've tried on vocals and am interested in using it on other instruments. It should be noted that it is definitely overhyped in it's low frequency response so most applications will benefit from a HPF or roll-off. Otherwise it's a solid performer.Additionally the magnetic pop filter is surprisingly well designed. No complaints whatsoever.

Amazing

OK. I got this on a great, great deal. It was sold as new, but was ex demo! Not real happy with that…but at the price I paid in a post Xmas sale…can’t really hold it against DJ city.As for this microphone. I’ve used lots, own a few, but wow, just wow! I’ve put this in my small studio as a daily vocal mic…it is incredible. If rejects noise, records amazing voices…sure, you will need to shape it…but it has all the scope and detail to do this.I love this mic. Love it. Even at full price it performs way above expectations. This is now my go to!Can’t wait to experiment with it on cabs and strings. :)

Amazing recordings with the right placement

I have used this to record nylon string and electric guitar in a small home studio. I had to set the mic 3 feet from the nylon string guitar to balance the highs and lows. It sounded as close as I have come yet to a professional studio, with no glissandos or harsh highs. A high-pass filter can really clean up the bassy sound. It really shines on close-miking small amps, boosting the low end to make them sound huge but capturing the nuances. The shock mount is tricky to install (make sure you hear the click) and seems flimsy, though it hasn't broken yet and stays in place. I may pick up another for live recording my band at shows.

Aston Element Bundle

This is a great microphone, with a good set of accessories. The sound produced is lovely adding some bass to vocals - not as crisp as some but I feel suits me better. The only minor thing is the shock mount and the pop filter meet and create noise when the mic is moved at all.

Completely living up to the hype

As an amateur practicing musician and producer, I’ve been using several different entry-level microphones for reasonable-sounding recording sessions. After reading a lot of positive reviews of the Aston Microphones Element, I finally decided to buy this microphone. I received it about a week ago, quickly and at the best price, as I’m used to from Musicstore ;-)Unpacking the box is an experience in itself. I’m not going to spoil it for anybody who’s considering buying this microphone, but I will say that unpacking the box shows the joy and pride that the Aston Microphones crew put into making this microphone.I’ve hooked it up to my Steinberg UR44C and recorded a few short sessions so far - voice, mic’ed acoustic bass, mic’ed bass amp. It took some tweaking of mic ... MoreAs an amateur practicing musician and producer, I’ve been using several different entry-level microphones for reasonable-sounding recording sessions. After reading a lot of positive reviews of the Aston Microphones Element, I finally decided to buy this microphone. I received it about a week ago, quickly and at the best price, as I’m used to from Musicstore ;-)Unpacking the box is an experience in itself. I’m not going to spoil it for anybody who’s considering buying this microphone, but I will say that unpacking the box shows the joy and pride that the Aston Microphones crew put into making this microphone.I’ve hooked it up to my Steinberg UR44C and recorded a few short sessions so far - voice, mic’ed acoustic bass, mic’ed bass amp. It took some tweaking of mic position for each recording to get the sound I had in mind, but man, this mic delivers! It’s super-flexible in what it can take in, can take high pressure-levels and for quiet recordings: no hum, no noise, just pure sound!In short: if you buy only one microphone for both voice and instrument recordings (either acoustic or amp’ed): buy this one. It’s more than affordable, it’s truly pro-level and did I mention it looks sexy as Jessica Rabbit?

Future Classic

The Element is a mic that can do a lot of things remarkably well. Excellent for vocals, acoustic guitar and drum overheads. It is unlike any other mic so it takes a bit of time to learn placement but it also sounds better than a bunch of mics that cost a LOT more.

Great Microphone!

Only just started using this mic, read some great reviews so i thought I`d try it myself! When I first plugged it in, there was zero noise, the first thing that struck me was the huge bass response! - I was going straight into the input on my Tascam 32 track, easy enough to tame with a little EQ. I then put it through a cheap Behringer valve mic pre amp, excellent sound through that, with the benefit of a bass roll off switch, phase inversion and volume cut. It sounded very good on vocals with a great proximity effect, really intimate, not used it for recording vocals, but tried it out on acoustic guitar, the sound was brilliantly realistic and fitted into the mix of the track I was recording perfectly! A very natural sound! Almost like a great ribbon mic with the ... MoreOnly just started using this mic, read some great reviews so i thought I`d try it myself! When I first plugged it in, there was zero noise, the first thing that struck me was the huge bass response! - I was going straight into the input on my Tascam 32 track, easy enough to tame with a little EQ. I then put it through a cheap Behringer valve mic pre amp, excellent sound through that, with the benefit of a bass roll off switch, phase inversion and volume cut. It sounded very good on vocals with a great proximity effect, really intimate, not used it for recording vocals, but tried it out on acoustic guitar, the sound was brilliantly realistic and fitted into the mix of the track I was recording perfectly! A very natural sound! Almost like a great ribbon mic with the detail of a condensor mic but without the harshness you can sometimes get. All in all, a great natural all rounder that I am looking forward to trying in differing situations in the future!

Great mic! Shame about the shockmount & popfiler.

I was part of the test group who helped aston choose the sound of this mic, and I have to say now that i've had chance to live and work with it for a while it really is a nice sounding mic (although the proximity effect is insane!) I think it is a truly great mic for the price... But the magnectic popfilter filter is basically unusable when speaking less than a foot away from the mic. And although the shockmount itself works great, when combined with the popfilter there isn't enough clearance between the two of them so and slight movement or tremor makes them hit each over makes an awful noise that can ruin takes.My advise is keep the shockmount, but ditch the useless popfilter in favour of one that you can keep at a distance that won't hit the shockmount and ... MoreI was part of the test group who helped aston choose the sound of this mic, and I have to say now that i've had chance to live and work with it for a while it really is a nice sounding mic (although the proximity effect is insane!) I think it is a truly great mic for the price... But the magnectic popfilter filter is basically unusable when speaking less than a foot away from the mic. And although the shockmount itself works great, when combined with the popfilter there isn't enough clearance between the two of them so and slight movement or tremor makes them hit each over makes an awful noise that can ruin takes.My advise is keep the shockmount, but ditch the useless popfilter in favour of one that you can keep at a distance that won't hit the shockmount and actually works at stopping plosives!

Wow! But...

I wonder, with modern technology, why they can't produce a modern mic, that 100 years down the line holds up as a classic. Until now! Their Ridyon capsule really does what they claim it does and is quite exceptional. BUT - even with the shock mount and internal capsule suspension, tapping on the desk, mic stand, boom arm, or mic itself - really amplifies those sounds to the point one wants to throw off their headphones. And don't bump the magnetically attached pop filter - it'll end up under a desk and such. All in all, this is a company to watch, but I'll be hoping for an element II that solves some of the issues that it has. I almost gave it four stars for its sound, but ultimately put it in the middle for its asking price and limited useability. I'm listing ... MoreI wonder, with modern technology, why they can't produce a modern mic, that 100 years down the line holds up as a classic. Until now! Their Ridyon capsule really does what they claim it does and is quite exceptional. BUT - even with the shock mount and internal capsule suspension, tapping on the desk, mic stand, boom arm, or mic itself - really amplifies those sounds to the point one wants to throw off their headphones. And don't bump the magnetically attached pop filter - it'll end up under a desk and such. All in all, this is a company to watch, but I'll be hoping for an element II that solves some of the issues that it has. I almost gave it four stars for its sound, but ultimately put it in the middle for its asking price and limited useability. I'm listing wouldn't recommend it to a friend (yet), unless I knew how well they would handle it for recording.

good idea, poor build quality

I love the clever design, and the low price. I thought it sounded very good although it does have A LOT of bass and needs a hi-pass filter applied. It was just continually prone to picking up electrical noise--snaps and pops. I compared it to two other condenser mics, one a beat up old soviet-era mk 319, and neither of the other mics exhibited this. I will be returning it and getting an SM7b