Mic Pickup Patterns

The four main pickup patterns that are shown in the video are omnidirectional, cardioid, hypercardioid, and figure 8/bidirectional microphones. An omnidirectional microphone picks up sounds from all around it, making them good at picking up ambiance when placed in an area. Cardioid mics have more of a heart shape to them, making them more sensitive to sounds coming from the front. Hypercardioid mics are similar to normal cardioid mics, except that they're more directional. This lets them pick up sounds at a more specific range, but leave them to pick up sound from the back. Figure 8 mics only pick up sound from the front and back, and none from the sides of the microphone. All of these different microphones have a different purpose, allowing for sound mixers and creators to have a large amount of options when looking to record sounds.