Modern Recording Techniques
Chapter 4 Tutorial: Polar Response
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The directional response of a mic refers to its sensitivity (output level) at various angles of incidence with respect to the front (on-axis) of the microphone. This angular response can be graphically charted in a way that shows a microphone’s sensitivity with respect to direction and frequency over 360° (degrees). Such a chart is commonly referred to as the mic’s polar pattern. The following audio examples demonstrate the pickup characteristics of the cardioid, bi-directional (figure8) and omnidirectional patterns.
Do It Yourself Tutorial: Polar Response
- Download the Polar Response.ZIP file, which contains the three mp3 audio files for this tutorial. Or listen to the files by clicking on the links below.
- If you'd like to Do-It-Yourself, then...
- Pull out several mics from each operating type and plug them in (if you don’t have several types, maybe a friend has a few you can borrow). Try mics with differing polar patterns (or switchable patterns) and listen for yourself.