Geekhood status does not mean you have an osmotic mind…it just means you love the idea, the smell, the feel, the allure of technology.
Much of the hardware/software challenges that come with being a voice actor are fun for me…but for some reason, the finer points of microphone pickup patterns, or polar patterns are hard to digest.
I’ve been doing some research, and it’s getting clearer…but let’s just say I’ll never get a full-time job as an audio engineer.
Why should you know or care about microphone pickup patterns? Because the mic you use has a unique pattern, which effects the way you’re going to want to “address” the mic (position yourself in relation to the mic. That positioning makes a big difference in the sound you hope to “bring out” of your mic.
Do you have a cardioid mic?…bi-directional?…omni-directional?…hyper-cardioid, hypo-cardioid? What does it mean to have a large diaphragm mic?…a condenser mic?
11 informational sites to help remove mic-pattern mysteries:
1) MICROPHONESETC.COM Understanding Microphone Pickup Patterns
2) AUDIOMIDI.COM Microphone patterns and what they mean to you.
3) RECORDING-MICROPHONE.COM Polar Patterns
4) MEDIACOLLEGE.COM Microphone Directional Characteristics
5) SOUNDONSOUND.COM Using Microphone Patterns Effectively
6) MUSCIANSFRIEND.COM How Microphone polar patterns work
7) SUITE101.COM Choosing a Microphone directional pattern
8) PLANETOFTUNES.COM Microphones and Polar Patterns
9) SWEETWATER.COM How to read Microphone frequency chart
10) VOICECOUNCIL.COM Mic Pickup Patterns
11) AUDIOLOGYONLINE.COM Directional Microphone patterns have disadvantages
Honorable Mention: YouTube video of Mic patterns Polar Patterns, Microphone Specs
CourVO
