4
CL2 Polar Characteristics
Every microphone has a characteristic polar pattern that determines how well it
accepts or rejects signal coming from various areas around the microphone. For exam-
ple, bi-directional or figure-eight microphones pick up directly from the front and
back while rejecting the signal at the sides and omnidirectional microphones accept
all signals regardless of where those signals originate (in front of the mic, behind it, to
the side, etc.). In contrast, directional cardioid mics are specifically designed to accept
mostly signal coming from directly in front, and to reject signal coming from behind or
from the side. The CL2 matched pair kit comes complete with both cardioid and omni
capsules for each microphone adding to the versatility of the microphone kit. Below is
a description of the Cardioid and Omni pick-up patterns and how they may be useful
in different applications.
Note:
For information in changing the microphone capsule, see the section Changing the
CL2 Capsules and Patterns on page 5 in this manual
Cardioid
While Omni and Bi-directional microphones are very useful for a variety of specialty
applications, the majority of miking situations in recording and live sound require
uni-directional or cardioid microphones. The uni-directional pick-up pattern allows
for better separation of instruments in the studio and more control over feedback in
live sound reinforcement. To select the Cardioid pickup pattern, choose the Cardioid
capsule, indicated by engraved the “heart shaped” icon. When positioned correctly,
the cardioid pickup pattern allows you to pick up more of the sound you want and
less of the sound you don’t want. In live sound situations, the polar pattern also deter-
mines how prone a particular microphone is to inducing feedback. Feedback is that
characteristic nasty howling sound that occurs when a mic is placed too close to a
loudspeaker—the signal from the loudspeaker is fed into the mic, then into the loud-
speaker, then into the mic, over and over again until an oscillating tone is generated.
The cardioid pattern utilized by the CL2 is so good at rejecting signal not coming from
directly in front of the microphone, you’ll find that use of the CL2 greatly minimizes
feedback problems.
Omni
Omni, or omni-directional, microphones pick up sound from all directions. To select
the Omni pickup pattern, choose the Omni capsule, indicated by engraved the “O”
icon. You can use the omni pickup pattern if you want to capture the ambient sound
and natural reverb in a room where an instrument or voice is being recorded. The
Omni mode is also great for recording ensemble performances from groups of vocals,
brass, woodwind and other instruments with the artists facing each other in a circle
around the microphone. As an added benefit, the omni pattern is the least susceptible
to the proximity effect. This can be extremely useful when recording artists who have
a tendency to move their instrument, including their voice, around the microphone
while performing. In these situations, using a cardioid pattern can result in the fre-
quency response changing tremendously with just a few inches of movement result-
ing in a recorded track with the lows moving up and down in volume. Using the omni
pick up pattern can help control these tricky miking situations, allowing you to capture
the best performance without inhibiting the talent by forcing them to try to stay in a
fixed position.
Operating the CL2
