From the course: Microphone Techniques: Essentials

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Polar pattern shapes

Polar pattern shapes

From the course: Microphone Techniques: Essentials

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Polar pattern shapes

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- [Instructor] The red area in this polar graph indicates an omnidirectional pickup pattern. An omnidirectional microphone doesn't reject sound from any direction. However, if we look at a cardioid pickup pattern, we notice that there's an area back here that doesn't have any sensitivity. A true cardioid pickup pattern hears great in front of the microphone and it rejects sounds from directly behind the front of the microphone. The majority of the microphones that we use in the studio or especially in a live setting, are cardioid pickup patterns. With a cardioid microphone, you can aim the microphone at the source and you can also aim the back of it away from something. So, a singer with floor monitors can sing into the microphone and make sure that the back of the microphone is pointing at the floor monitor so that there isn't as much problematic feedback. Or if you're miking a drum set and you have a microphone on the tam-tam, you can point the mic at the tam-tam and point the back…

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