How to use the Polar Pattern Settings as a Tone Control on Your Condenser Mics
Large diaphragm condenser microphones will often have the ability to adjust how the microphone collects sound called the polar pattern.
Polar patterns are not only to adjust how the microphone collects sound, and help create directions that we can avoid capturing such as a noisy cymbal or hihat, but the polar patterns also affect the tonality of the microphone.
This episode is about adjusting the proximity effect of the microphone based on how you have the polar pattern set.
Most microphones that do not have the option of adjusting the polar pattern are set to cardioid, meaning that it collects sound from the front, and very little from the back of the microphone. The cardioid polar pattern of collecting sound gives a moderate amount of proximity effect to the microphone, meaning that sounds that are close to the microphone will have a boost in the lower frequencies.
The greater the directional polar pattern of the microphone, the more proximity effect you will have. Therefore the figure 8 polar pattern has the most proximity effect, while the omni directional polar pattern will have the least or non at all.
We can use the polar patterns to help the microphones to perform well during recording depending on how close the microphone is to the source, and if we need to reject any sound from being captured with the microphone.
A figure 8 polar pattern is great for a singer/songwritter who plays acoustic guitar and sings at the same time. We can use the side of the microphone to "Null" out the sound of the acoustic, while giving a fuller sound to the vocalist who may not be able to be close to the microphone.
On the other end with the least amount of proximity effect, where the microphone picks up sound from all sides, the omni-directional polar pattern is great for capturing vocals at extremely close distances.