The cardioid polar pattern, also known as cardioid, is a lifesaver when it comes to minimizing background noise. It picks up sound mainly from the front and largely ignores noise from the sides ...

The next most important talking point is a microphone’s “polar” pattern. These patterns describe how mics respond to sound coming from different directions.

In addition to frequency response curves and basic polar patterns, any good manufacturer will also publish various other specifications for their microphones. These can range from the basics like ...

The Audio-Technica AT2020+ is a low-cost, easy-to-use condenser microphone. It has a cardioid polar pattern, which means this device picks up sound from the front and sides while rejecting it from ...

Microphones with broader polar patterns are often used as overheads to capture the full sound of a drum kit from above or to record a group of orchestral players. Capturing vocals Condenser vocal ...