Omni vs cardioid

[Beantowna]

I have an MXL 604 and I was wondering if anyone can tell me what the difference is between the two caps, both techinically and in opinion; or at least point in the right direction. Of course I will do a little trial and error myself, but I would like to learn.

Side note: would it be wise to use one of the 604's with the omni and the other with the cardioid at the same time?

 

[scrubs]

Well, omni is short for Omnidirectional, which means that capsule picks up sound from all directions (front, back, top, bottom, sides, etc.).

A cardioid pattern is "heart" shaped, picking up mostly what is directly in front and very little from the sides or behind.

Omni will sound more "natural," as it is picking up all the sound, but it will also introduce more of the sound of your room into the recording (good if you have a nice sounding room; not so good if you're in a lousy room).

Cardioid, being more directional, will pick up what is in front of it, and is more prone to proximity effect (increased bass response as the mic is moved closer to the source), which can be good for some things.

There is nothing wrong with experimenting with both caps. It largely depends on what you plan to record with them.

 

[Beantowna]

Thanks for the help. I don't know why it is so hard to find some of these things sometimes. : )

 

[gordone]

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