Cardioid ignorance

[Mouse]

I have an M-Audio Nova mic, which has a polar cardioid pattern. I know what a polar cardioid pattern is (I think) but I don't know how it fits on this microphone. I can picture the pattern on something like a Shure 58, but the Nova has two sides, not a front. Are both sides included equally? Are you supposed to sing/record at the front instead of the sides? And one of the advantages of a cardioid mic is rejection of noise in the other direction. What other direction? How do I point it away from an unwanted sound source?

If this is obvious and I'm just stupid, I apologize abjectly.

Mouse

 

[miroslav]

Just sing into the said that has the M-Audio/Nova names and the cardioid pattern facing you.
That's the front of the mic.

Forget the sides and the back.

 

[ecc83]

Yes, that is a "side address" microphone. NB there are a few mics that LOOK like they are SA but are in fact "end fire" like a 57!

Keep in mind as well that the cardioid pattern is "solid" you need to mentally rotate the plan view. Not perfect of course since the mic body gets in the way. Note too that mic patterns have little projections? They are not the nice, clean diagrams you see! These "spikes" of sensitivity come out at about 60dgrs either side of the rear null so if you seem to be picking up an odd noise sometime, try rotating the mic 30dgrs or so. Lastly you don't HAVE to yodel dead on axis! Popping and sibilance are often cured by going across the diaphragm more than "at it".

Hyper cardioids are even more spiky than the basics.

Dave.

 

[John Willett]

This is the front:-


The front of the cardioid pattern points here:-


This is what a cardioid pattern looks like:-


I hope this helps.

 

[ecc83]

Nice one John.
Attached is what I am talking about. You can see the sticky out bits at various frequencies. I might suggest that the "attitude" differences of microphones and the complex way that they interact with rooms is down in great part to these "wandering lobes"?

Dave.

 

[Mouse]

Thanks, folks! I am now a little less ignorant. So I guess the back of the mic is the sound rejecting side? That means I should set up with the back side facing a window that is my worst source of outside noise, and sing/record facing the window? I'm going to get a sound absorbing panel to put between the window and the mic. Your help is much appreciated.

 

[John Willett]

Nice one John.
Attached is what I am talking about. You can see the sticky out bits at various frequencies. I might suggest that the "attitude" differences of microphones and the complex way that they interact with rooms is down in great part to these "wandering lobes"?

Dave.

This is a wierd polar-patten.

Wide-cardioid at 500Hz - strange and non-symmetrical at 125Hz - cardioid, bordering on super-cardioid at other frequencies - then getting real hyper-cardioid at 8kHz and almost lile a gun mic. at 16kHz.

Be very careful with the rear as you will have out-of-phase anomolies picked up here, especially at 8kHz.

 

[Pinky]

So I guess the back of the mic is the sound rejecting side? That means I should set up with the back side facing a window that is my worst source of outside noise, and sing/record facing the window?

Yes. Quietest part of the room should be behind you when signing. In my setup, I face the direction of my computer just to eliminate the odds of having any system (fan, hard drive) noise picked up.

You'll want to experiment with position in the room as well as gain on the mic relative to your proximity to it (distance from lips to mic). I tend to be really close to the mic [unless really belting something] to reduce the chances of any background noises making their way into the mix after some compression is applied. As ecc suggests, signing slightly across the mic helps eliminate pops from your breath, P's, and B's.

 

[John Willett]

Thanks, folks! I am now a little less ignorant. So I guess the back of the mic is the sound rejecting side?

Actually, according to the polar-pattern you posted, maximum sound rejection is at about 120˚ rather than at the rear.

 

[ecc83]

This is a wierd polar-patten.

Wide-cardioid at 500Hz - strange and non-symmetrical at 125Hz - cardioid, bordering on super-cardioid at other frequencies - then getting real hyper-cardioid at 8kHz and almost lile a gun mic. at 16kHz.

Be very careful with the rear as you will have out-of-phase anomolies picked up here, especially at 8kHz.

Yes John, weird indeed! But I struggled to find a pattern that was not a smooth, idealized curve! Like frequency response curves (for transducers) Beelzebub is in the detail.

Dave.