This document discusses microphone polar patterns, which refer to how sensitive a microphone is to sound from different directions. The three main polar patterns covered are omnidirectional, bidirectional, and unidirectional. Omnidirectional microphones pick up sound equally from all directions, bidirectional microphones pick up sound from the front and back but reject the sides, and unidirectional microphones like cardioid, supercardioid, and hypercardioid primarily pick up sound from the front while rejecting sounds from other directions to varying degrees. The document provides examples of microphones with different polar patterns and tips on choosing a polar pattern based on the recording application and desired sound.

1. Microphone Polar
Patterns
Introduction to Music Production
Week 1

2. Let’s begin
Hello class,
My name is Arjun Nair, from Mumbai, India. I’m going to be attempting to
take you through a specific aspect of Microphones which interest me, viz.
Polar Patterns
Here’s what we’re going to try and cover in this lesson:
• What do we mean by Polar Patterns for a Microphone?
• What are the different types of patterns that exist? Types, Uses and
Examples.
• Basics to keep in mind while choosing between Polar patterns for your
Microphone
This lesson will be more useful if you’ve covered Microphone as a
Transducer, and Microphone types available at the following link (https://
class.coursera.org/musicproduction-001/lecture/19)

3. What are polar patterns?
— The polar pattern of a microphone refers how well
it “hears” sound from different directions.
— It refers to what areas of the Microphone are
sensitive to the sound pressure directed at it well
and what areas reject it.
— Every Microphone can be designed with any type of
pattern
— These polar patterns can be represented
diagrammatically

4. What are the different types
of Polar Patterns?
We will look at three main patterns in their
following aspects:
• What (How the Microphone will hear the sound)
• What are the possible uses/advantages of such
a Polar Pattern in a Microphone?
• An example of a microphone designed with such
a polar pattern

5. What are the different types
of Polar Patterns?
Three broad Polar patterns we will
look at:
• Omnidirectional
• Bi – Directional
• Unidirectional
• Cardioid, SuperCardiod,
HyperCardiod

6. Omnidirectional
What :
• With this Polar pattern, the Microphone
picks up sound equally well from all
directions. The Mic picks up everything
within the given space.
Uses:
— When the Microphone needs to pick up
ambient sound
• When the Microphone is used in an
environment where sound sources are
moving (since it’s not practical to have
a mic move with these sound
sources ;) )

7. Omnidirectional
Example:
Shure VP64A

8. Bi – Directional
What:
• As the name suggests,
with this Polar pattern,
the Microphone picks
up sound equally best
in two directions -- in
front of and behind the
mic -- and rejects
sounds to the sides
• Also known as ‘Figure
8’ pattern

9. Bi – Directional
Uses:
• This is useful in
recording Dual
sources
simultaneously
• Creatively used in
recordings also
because of the areas
that Do NOT pick up
sound.

10. Bi – Directional
Example:
• Ribbon Microphones
• Blue Microphones -
Woodpecker Active
Ribbon Microphone

11. Unidirectional

12. Cardiod
What:
— With this Polar pattern,
the Microphone picks up
sound best in front of the
mic and Partly rejects
sounds approaching the
sides or rear of the mic.
Cardiod mics reject sound
best toward the rear.
— The pattern resembles the
shape of a human heart,
and hence the name

13. Cardiod
Example:
• Shure SM 58

14. SuperCardiod
What:
— With this Polar
pattern, the
Microphone picks up
sound best in front of
the mic. It partly
rejects sounds
approaching the sides
or rear of the mic.
— It has a "Tighter" or
more narrow pickup
than cardioid.

15. SuperCardiod
Example:
CAD 25A Dynamic
Supercardioid Microphone

16. HyperCardiod
What:
— With this Polar pattern
again, the Microphone
picks up sound best in
front of the mic. It
partially rejects
sounds approaching
the sides or rear of
the mic.
— It has a "Tighter" or
more narrow pickup
than SuperCardioid.

17. HyperCardiod
Example:
Audix OM6 Broad
Hypercardioid Microphone

18. Differentiation
• Primarily differentiated based on not just the pick up, but what it rejects
Cardiod SuperCardiod Hypercardiod
• Picks up maximum • Narrower pickup • Narrower pickup
towards the front than Cardiod than SuperCardiod
• Offers maximum • Also has some rear • Also has more rear
rejection (null) at pickup pickup than
the rear of the SuperCardiod
microphone.

19. Uses for UniDirectional
• Cardiod
• Used for live sound, for vocals for instance, since it picks up
concentrated sound and eliminates ambient sound like the stage
monitors.
— Supercardioid
— Good for stage-floor miking
— More isolation than a cardioid
— Less reverb pickup than a cardioid
— Hypercardioid
— Maximum side rejection in a unidirectional mic
— Maximum isolation--maximum rejection of reverberation, leakage,
feedback, and background noise

20. Concluding Tips
A few things to keep in Mind while choosing between polar patterns:
• Most microphones boost the bass when used up close. That adds a
warm, full tone quality. Microphones with an omnidirectional polar
pattern do not have proximity effect.
• Choose an omni if you want the most natural sound and don't mind
about sound being picked up from all around, like recording crowd
reactions in a stadium.
• Choose any directional mic if you want to reject sounds from certain
directions, or if you want a bass boost for a nearby source, such as a
vocalist. A cardioid will be a good all-round choice.
• Choose a Supercardioid mic if you want a tighter focus than a
SuperCardioid
• Choose a hypercardioid mic if you want a tighter focus than a
SuperCardioid.
• Choose a figure-of-eight if you want to reject sound sources coming
from the sides, or if you want to use a two mics for stereo.