The Cardioid Mic and Off-Axis Rejection

Cardioid microphones are the podcast standard because they reject sound from the rear, but the rejection is not a wall. Understanding how off-axis sound bleeds in helps you position the mic to maximize that advantage.

Use the cardioid pattern to your benefit.

1. Aim the dead rear of the mic at the noise you want to reject.
2. Keep the front aimed at the voice, not the room.
3. Remember side rejection is weaker than rear rejection.
4. Distance matters more than angle for loud nearby sources.

The cardioid pattern works best when you point it deliberately. Aim the null at the noisy side of the room and you remove more background than any plugin could.

The off-axis rejection is free noise reduction. By simply aiming the dead side of the mic at the noise source, you remove background sound with no plugins and no artifacts, which is the cleanest kind of cleanup there is.