Word for the Day Archive

Polar Pattern

Depending on their design and construction, microphones respond to sound coming from different directions with varying degrees of sensitivity. A plot or graph of this response is called a polar pattern (sometimes polar response curve). Looking at a mic's polar pattern will tell you how directional it is, how well it will reject sound from certain directions, etc. It is important to note that polar patterns are frequency dependent. Typically, low frequency response will be almost omnidirectional; the polar pattern will be come more directional as frequency rises.