Have you ever wondered why the same type of microphones sometimes sound drastically different? I have discussed microphones in great detail in some of my previous blog posts. However, I haven’t discussed polar patterns. It is important to know how polar patterns work so you can always get the best recording possible out of your microphones. The polar pattern of a microphone will determine how sensitive your microphone is at different angles. In most cases, polar patterns will define how much of the signal will be picked up by different microphones from different directions.
If you select the correct pattern for the type of project you are recording, You can avoid unwanted sound sources bleed into your signal, the ability to adjust the mix between dry and room sounds, or the bleeding effect can even lead to changing the frequency response. It should also be noted that sometimes a microphone’s polar pattern may also be referred to as the “pickup pattern”. The best way to read a polar pattern is to imagine a 360 degree field around your microphone. 0 degrees would be the area directly in front of the microphone and is where it is most sensitive. The circle-like field around the microphone is the area made up of small circular fields that all represent a five decibel decrease in sensitivity with each field progressively getting smaller. I was very surprised when I first learned about this as the first time I learned about it was in an audio production course at IUP. With this information. It can be deduced that with a basic dynamic microphone, the least sensitive area is directly behind the microphone. This is known as a basic cardioid and this type of polar pattern is typically the type that is used by musicians performing on stage.
However, there are a plethora of different cardioids, and each one is generally designed to be used with a specific purpose in mind. The first type of cardioid that I would like to discuss is the supercardioid. The supercardioid is similar to its basic counterpart however it is typically more directive. An advantage that the supercardioid has over others is that the supercardioid has more side projection and even less rear rejection. A supercardioid is typically used in live situations as it will allow for very high gain before feedback. Omnidirectional cardioids are unique because they all have the same sensitivity for all directions. An omni pattern provides the best bass response, flattest frequency, and is considered to be the least sensitive to pick up noise from general handling and win noise. Have you had any experience using any type of specialty microphone? Make sure you comment on my blog and tell me what you think that you would want to hear about.
I will catch you in the next one. Stay Classy!