Microphone Pickup Patterns
Pickup Pattern↕ | Sensitivity Angle↕ | Rejection Direction↕ | Proximity Effect↕ | Best Use Cases↕ | Example Microphone↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cardioid | 131 degrees | Rear (180 degrees) | Moderate | Vocals, podcasting, live performance, instrument close-miking | Shure SM58 |
Supercardioid | 115 degrees | Rear sides (125 degrees) | Moderate-high | Loud stages, drum overheads, dialogue with bleed rejection | Neumann KM 185 |
Hypercardioid | 105 degrees | Sides (110 degrees) | High | Film dialogue, very loud stages, maximum isolation | Sennheiser MKH 50 |
Omnidirectional | 360 degrees | None | None | Room ambience, lavalier mics, orchestral recording, measurement | DPA 4006A |
Figure-8 (Bidirectional) | Two 90-degree lobes | Sides (90 / 270 degrees) | High | Ribbon mics, Blumlein stereo pair, interview across table, M/S recording | Royer R-121 |
Shotgun (Lobar) | Narrow ~40 degrees | Sides and partial rear | Low | Film production, wildlife recording, sports broadcast, ENG | Sennheiser MKH 416 |
Wide Cardioid (Sub-cardioid) | 180 degrees | Partial rear | Low-moderate | Choral recording, room mics, piano, natural capture | Schoeps MK 21 |
Boundary / PZM | Hemisphere above surface | Below surface | None | Conference tables, stage floors, kick drum inside, theater | Crown PZM-30D |
Multi-Pattern (Switchable) | Variable | Variable | Pattern dependent | Studio versatility, condenser vocal mics, A/B testing patterns | Neumann U 87 Ai |
Toroidal | 360 horizontal, null at top/bottom | Directly above and below | None | Surround recording, ambisonic capture, immersive audio | Sennheiser AMBEO VR Mic |
Parabolic | Extremely narrow, dish-focused | All except focal point | None | Sideline sports, nature documentary, long-range surveillance audio | Telinga Pro 7 Dat |
Mid-Side (M/S Pair) | Adjustable stereo width | Depends on mid mic | Varies | Film stereo, broadcast, mono-compatible stereo recording | Schoeps CMIT 5U + MK 8 |
XY Stereo Pair | Fixed 90-135 degree spread | Rear of each capsule | Moderate per capsule | Field recording, acoustic ensemble, interview stereo | Rode NT4 |
ORTF Stereo Pair | 110 degree angle, 17 cm spacing | Rear of each cardioid | Moderate per capsule | Orchestral recording, natural stereo image, film ambience | Schoeps MSTC 64 ORTF |
Decca Tree | Three omnis in triangle | Minimal per capsule | None per capsule | Full orchestra, film score recording, large ensemble | DPA 4006A x3 on Decca tree |
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