Microphone Pick Up Patterns - Hypercardioid Microphone

We all know what a microphone is and we all know that we want to be stars. But as artists and musicians, do we know what microphone is going to help us achieve stardom and showcase our talents the most?

There are different types of microphones and different pickup patterns. When recording yourself in the studio or performing in front of an audience, it's important that you use the right type of microphone that's going to showcase your talents the most. This article deals with the hypercardioid microphone.

What does hypercardioid mean?

A hypercardioid microphone has a tight pattern near the front of the mic and has a more focused pick up area than the cardioid or even the supercardioid microphone. There's hardly any pick up on the sides of the mic, but there's more pick up at the back end of the microphone when compared to the cardioid and supercardiiod.

When to use a hypercardioid microphone

This is a great type of mic to use if you really want to focus in on a certain spot or location and do not want to pick up any sound from any other sources near the area except for maybe a little ambience.

Let's say you are in a noisy bar where there is a lot happening around you with people talking and glasses chinking, using this microphone will hone in on your sweet voice while still catching a little bit of the bar environment.

If you find yourself in a studio setting, a good time to use this mic is when you want to pick up an isolated sound from a specific instrument and avoid the chatter coming from the other nearby instruments.

Another good time to use the hypercardioid in a studio session is if you're recording multiple singers with each singer getting their own microphone. You would do this when you have enough open channels on your board because it allows you to mix each vocal separately, giving you more control with your overall mix.

Types of popular hypercardioid microphones

Many microphones have multiple settings for different pick up patterns, but some of the most commonly used microphones for hypercardioid recording are the AKG C 1000 S, the Audio-Technica AE6100, the Audix OM-2S, the Neumann KM 185, and the Neumann SKM 185.

Copyright 2010 Dan Rozak