Aston Microphones Halo Reflection Filter
By Michael Saracino
F
lash back to 15 years ago. I’m
a college student, fortunate
enough to spend his time learn-
ing music production in a multi-
million-dollar recording studio.
I’ll soon go on to open my own
large-format studio with a friend and run it
for a number of years and then move on to
travel abroad, performing acoustic guitar
and vocals.
Flash forward to present day and I’ve
purchased an old farmhouse. I bought it to
renovate a small barn at the back of the lot
into a recording/rehearsal space, but these
things take time, so in the interim, I’m rel-
egated to a 9 x 10-ft. area of my living room,
my gear perched upon a makeshift desk
that I built out of scrap wood, above a radia-
tor. With my headphones, interface, laptop,
and tiny keyboard, I’ve actually found it to
be functional and enjoyable, but in this
makeshift scenario, a product like the Halo
reflection filter from Aston Microphones is a
godsend. Here’s why…
Overview
The concept of a baffle that sits behind a
microphone to absorb early reflections has
been around for a while and many compa-
nies have such an offering. The Halo stands
out for a few reasons.
This distinctly purple shell is made from
multiple layers of PET felt and is big enough
to encompass the microphone, blocking
reflections from above, below, behind, and
at its sides, but light enough to affix to the
same stand as the microphone – and for
one person to set up alone. The ridges in
its design help to break up any remaining
reflections. (For those who’d prefer, Aston
makes a black version called the Shadow.)
What does this mean for the home
recording enthusiast? Simply put, if you are
recording in a room that doesn’t sound very
good, you can eliminate a lot of that room
sound to get a more isolated recording, and
then software-based reverb can be added
to create a nice sense of space without that
offensive room tone getting in the way.
Basically, it can help to elevate recordings
captured in less-than-ideal scenarios or
surroundings.
In Use
My first test was isolating a lead vocal. I used
an AKG C414 in cardioid position. An A/B
comparison with and without the Halo
revealed a very noticeable reduction in
room ambience. The mic (thankfully) didn’t
sound markedly different in terms of its
frequency response when used with the
Halo, which can be a fault of some of the
cheaper entries into the market.
What I loved about this isolated vocal
sound was that I could then use a room-
modelling reverb plug-in (in this case,
Ocean Way Studios) and virtually place
myself inside a world-class recording studio
with a lot more control and realism than
without the Halo. This is quite inspiring,
which in turn leads to better performances.
I then used the Halo on a short desktop
stand and miked up a Fender Princeton
Reverb guitar amp with nice results. Due to
the shape, size, and non-pivoting nature of
the Halo, it isn’t designed to be mounted on
boom microphone stands, thus, not opti-
mally designed for miking certain instru-
ments such as acoustic guitar – at least not
on the same mic stand.
The name of the game for Halo is mostly
vocal isolation. That said, with some strategic
angling, it's still possible to use it on a boom
stand, so I decided to do just that. I used a
Rode NT4 stereo mic on a Gibson J-45 and
managed to get it into position, on axis,
12 in. from the guitar and centred on the
12 th fret. I recorded both a strummed and
finger-picked passage, then measured the
mic position relative to the floor and to my
seat, removed the Halo, set the mic back in
the same position, and recorded the same
passages again. The recording with the Halo
was perceived as more upfront due to the
lack of reflections. This did not consistently
translate to a more pleasing recording, since
the maple floors in my living room actually
benefited the sound of the softer, untreated
finger-picked recording. The strummed
passage, however, really benefitted from
the Halo as it blocked uglier reflections that
arose at louder volumes.
It wasn’t until I created a reverb send
using Waves IR and placed both vocals in
a “church” that the Halo showed its true
worth. The dry recording with the Halo sat
very well inside this new environment, as its
minimal reflections did not cloud the long
tail of this convolution reverb. The recording
without the Halo seemed smeared and less
natural in this context. That said, the setup
was cumbersome since this wasn’t the
product’s intended application.
One thing to note about reflection filters
is that, while they certainly create a more
isolated and usable recording, they do not
completely eliminate all reflections. The
Halo does a better job than many due to its
ability to surround more of the microphone,
but there is often a reflective wall behind
the sound source. If you find yourself in a
truly abysmal-sounding room and want
even more isolation, a heavy blanket behind
you or whatever you are recording can help
to take the isolation even further.
Summary
Some may argue that they can simply add
heavy blankets to all four walls (and perhaps
the ceiling) or build something themselves
for less than the cost of a professional solu-
tion. While that may hold some economic
truth, the reality of having something that
is well thought-out, portable, attractively
designed, and that offers excellent perfor-
mance is well worth it. I can leave this set
up in my little corner of the living room and
record when inspiration strikes, whereas my
girlfriend might frown at something that
looks more like a blanket fort.
If you’re into recording, the Aston Halo is
definitely worth checking out.
Michael Saracino is a musician and music
producer based in the Niagara region. He
performed live over 400 times in 2018 and to
date has performed in 11 countries across four
continents. His focus for 2019 is the record-
ing of an EP for a summer release and he will
be reviewing some of the tools he uses in the
process at his home-based facility.
PROFESSIONAL SOUND 23