all directions . To put it another way , they don ’ t discriminate against sounds coming from any direction . Other microphones capture sounds that are in front of the mic ( the part of the mic that ’ s aimed at the source ) but they have a reduction in ability to capture sounds behind the microphone ( the part that 180 degrees away from the source ). Some microphones capture sounds equally from the front and the back but reject sounds from the sides .
CHALLENGE : Each different polar pattern captures a different sound from the same source in the same acoustic space . Learning to optimize the use of mics with different polar patterns is an important part of any effort to build tracking skills . It takes practice and experience to get the most out of any selection of microphones . It ’ s widely accepted that the best approach to recording music is to choose the best microphone for the job and to use excellent mic technique to capture the best possible , and most musical , sound from the source . Choosing the polar pattern is an important part of that process .
SOLUTION : The first step in using polar patterns to capture great sounds during tracking is to understand what they are and how they are expected to help an engineer record greatsounding tracks . Polar patterns are represented by two-dimensional drawings of the basic pattern but it is understood that each 2D illustration represents an actual spherical threedimensional polar pattern . It ’ s important to note that polar patterns are often indicated with a range of frequencies on the same graph . Even though a mic has a heart-shaped polar pattern at 1 or 2 kHz , it might have an omnidirectional polar pattern at 10 kHz . It ’ s important to review the polar graph carefully to get a complete idea of what to expect from a microphone .
1 . Omindirectional . An omindirectional microphone doesn ’ t reject sound from any direction in a 360-degree sphere around the mic capsule . Omni mics are a great choice for tracking a group of singers or instrumentalists at the same time to a single track . Carefully position the musicians around the mic to get the best balance . With backing vocals or other small portions of the production , track