Microphone Polar Patterns Explained: Cardioid, Omnidirectional, Figure-8, and When to Use Each

A microphone's polar pattern describes the directions from which it picks up sound. Understanding polar patterns is one of the most practical things you can learn about recording — it directly affects background noise rejection, room coloration, and how natural your recordings sound.

This concept applies to every microphone in the USB Microphones and XLR Microphones categories.

Cardioid: the default for voice recording

A cardioid pattern picks up sound primarily from the front and rejects sound from the rear. It is named for its heart-shaped pickup area. Approximately 90% of home recording situations call for cardioid.

• Best for: podcasting, streaming, voiceover, solo vocal recording.
• Background noise rejection: good — rejects sound from behind the microphone.
• Proximity effect: yes — bass increases as you get closer to the mic.

Nearly every podcasting and streaming microphone uses cardioid by default. The Shure SM7B, Rode PodMic, and Audio-Technica AT2020 are all cardioid microphones.

Omnidirectional: equal pickup from all directions

An omnidirectional pattern picks up sound equally from every direction. It captures the most natural, uncolored sound with no proximity effect, but it also picks up every sound in the room — including background noise.

• Best for: room ambience recording, round-table discussions in treated rooms, measuring room acoustics.
• Background noise rejection: none — picks up everything equally.
• Proximity effect: minimal — consistent bass at any distance.

Figure-8 (bidirectional): front and back, nothing from the sides

A figure-8 pattern picks up from the front and back while rejecting sound from the sides. It is useful for face-to-face interviews where two speakers sit across from each other, and for advanced stereo recording techniques.

• Best for: two-person interviews, mid-side stereo recording, rejecting side noise.
• Background noise rejection: from the sides — excellent. From front/back — none.

Supercardioid and hypercardioid: tighter focus

These patterns are narrower versions of cardioid with even more front-focused pickup. Shotgun microphones use these patterns. They reject more side noise but pick up a small amount from directly behind the microphone.

• Best for: film dialogue, outdoor recording, rejecting off-axis noise.

Multi-pattern microphones

Some microphones offer switchable patterns. The Blue Yeti and HyperX QuadCast both offer cardioid, omni, bidirectional, and stereo modes. In practice, most users keep these on cardioid and rarely switch.

Choosing the right pattern

• Solo voice in a home studio → cardioid.
• Two people, one microphone → figure-8 or omnidirectional.
• Noisy environment → cardioid or supercardioid.
• Ambient/room recording → omnidirectional.
• Not sure → cardioid. It is the safe default for almost every situation.

Compare microphones by pattern type in the full microphone catalog and USB microphone catalog.