Definition

1. Noun:
   • A directional microphone with a cardioid pattern of sensitivity: A cardioid microphone is a type of microphone that is most sensitive to sound coming from the front and sides, while rejecting sound coming from the rear. Its pickup pattern is heart-shaped when viewed from above, which is the origin of its name (from the Greek kardia, meaning "heart").

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • For the vocal recording, the engineer chose a cardioid microphone to isolate the singer's voice from the background noise.
  • Podcasters often use a cardioid microphone to ensure their voice is captured clearly while minimizing room echo.

Advanced Usage

• "Hypercardioid" and "Supercardioid": These are variations of the cardioid pattern. A supercardioid microphone has a tighter front pickup angle and a small lobe of sensitivity at the rear, offering greater directionality. A hypercardioid is even more directional, with a narrower front pickup angle and a larger rear lobe.
  • For miking a drum kit in a live setting, a supercardioid microphone might be used to better reject sound from other instruments.

Variants and Related Words

• Cardioid Pattern (n): The specific heart-shaped sensitivity pattern characteristic of this microphone type.
  • The polar plot clearly shows the cardioid pattern of the microphone.
• Unidirectional Microphone (n): A broader category of directional microphones that includes cardioid, supercardioid, and hypercardioid types.

Synonyms

• Directional microphone: A general term for any microphone designed to pick up sound primarily from one direction.
• Unidirectional microphone: A synonym often used interchangeably with "directional microphone," specifically indicating sensitivity in one primary direction.

Related Technical Terms

• Polar Pattern (n): A graph that shows the sensitivity of a microphone to sounds arriving from different angles.
  • The cardioid is one of the most common polar patterns for studio microphones.
• Off-axis rejection (n): The ability of a microphone, like a cardioid, to reduce the level of sounds coming from outside its primary pickup angle.
  • The cardioid microphone's excellent off-axis rejection helped clean up the dialogue track.

Noun

1. a directional microphone with a cardioid pattern of sensitivity