Aston Microphones ELEMENT BUNDLE The World's First 'People's Microphone' - Cardioid Studio Microphone with all-new Ridyon™ Capsule

Need hi pass filter and low shelf in eq to cut some of the lows but after that it is awesome. Great on acoustic guitar and electric guitar amps miked in on the center of the cone. Nice well rounded tone. Leads on electric sound perfect.

The Element isn't a terrible microphone. Yes, it looks cheap and stupid but you can get a decent sound out of it. I find it's acceptable for acoustic guitar - not the best but it does a fine job for the price range. What kills this microphone is the absolutely horrible shock mount. It's just plain cheesy. If you manage to get the cheap plastic tabs snapped into the microphone body good luck getting them back out. Oh, be aware that Aston is now a part of Music Tribe and Behringer - you can make your own decisions about quality and future support. I won't be buying any more Aston products.

There are a number of benefits to having a dynamic mic. There are a number of benefits to having a condenser mic. There are a number of downsides to both, unfortunately. And that is why Aston combined the best of all words and kept the benefits of both a moving coil AND a FET condenser, while removing as many aspects of both that don't benefit the workflow of a discerning engineer. People often complain that condensers sound great, but pick up FAR too much environmental noise. Well, here's the solution. A condenser that works REALLY well while rejecting off axis information really well. It takes 48v / Phantom Power, and has a lovely glowing purple Aston logo on it that helps you to discern when it's safe to pull out the cable and when it's not. That solves a huge problem with the majority of Condenser microphones; when is it safe to pull out? Well, with this mic you'll never have to question it. And about sound quality... It's tops! Fantastic sound reproduction. It has a very unique sound; I've never heard a capsule sound quite like it. It's definitely something that, once you know, you know. It is definitely worth your time and for less than 200$, you're guaranteed to be impressed. It has great bandwidth for vocals, overheads, room mics, guitar cabs, bass cabs, all manner of instruments. Throw it on anything and you'll likely be pleased you did!

It sounds very bassy, i would say that if you are planning to have this microphone in your studio as the 'everything'' mic, then look somewhere else. but as a secondary mic IT WORKS PRETTY GOOD! it has a very specific sound

I like this mic and am getting some use out of it. In fact, I liked it enough to buy a 2nd one. The weakness is handling noise. It picks up low frequency rumble through the mic stand. The included shock mount doesn't eliminate the problem. So .... recommended, but with some caution about the sensitivity. As far as the sound: Smooth, solid. The high end isn't hyped. In fact, the lack of a high end peak might seem to make it less appealing than competing mics. The positive on that is that it doesn't get harsh or sibilant, and it takes eq nicely.

With 40 years in broadcasting, I've used a lot of mics. This new mic seemed revolutionary, so I ordered one. I tried it with a Zoom recorder and also a high high quality USB interface (both with 48v needed power). In both cases the audio was thin, tinny and sounded like I was recording inside a metal drum. I've watched video reviews and the Elements in the reviews sounded nothing like the one I got. I've adjusted inputs, distance to mic, etc. It must be defective, which is too bad. So much for quality control.

**UPDATE: I updated the 4 stars to 5 because of the fast response I received from the company's website and the fact that they are sending me a replacement windscreen. Great customer service. I've had this mic for quite a while now, but I've only used it a few times to do some home recordings, both for voice tracks and native american flute tracks; it's adequate for those two things. I have not used it for anything else so far, except for a shaman drum in one track... it did not capture the depth of the drum's sound very well. Otherwise, it does what it is supposed to do, and it works well and easily with my iMac though my recording interface. I like the fact that the front logo on the microphone lights up when in use, so I don't need to check if it is on every time. I also like the shock mount that it came with; it's pretty sturdy. The one thing I'm not very happy about is that the magnet connective piece from the windscreen to the mic broke off just after a couple of uses (unless it's supposed to be loose and to do this? I don't think so, though). You can see what I mean in the pictures I posted with this review.

Was intrigued by online reviews and wanted to try out as a vocal mic. After trying it, theres no way i'd use it for vocals. Extremely sibiliant to the point I dont think a de-esser would be able to help. I kept to use it as a mono drum mic, but havent had a chance to use it for that yet.