When it comes to video work, while getting good visuals is obviously crucial, you also have to know how to record high-quality audio as well, or the final product will be dragged down. One of the most fundamental and crucial bits of knowledge you will need is how microphone polar response patterns work and which to choose for different situations. This excellent video tutorial will show you what polar response patterns are, the properties of the most common types, and how to pick the right one for a specific scenario.
Coming to you from Videomaker, this great video tutorial will show you everything you need to know about microphone polar response patterns. Polar response patterns are so named because they measure how sensitive a microphone is (response) in a circle around it (polar coordinates). This tells you, for example, if a microphone will pick up sound in all directions, or if it will only pick up sound in front of it and mostly reject input from behind it. This is crucial, as it will help you get the best audio. For example, you would not want the singer of a band using an omnidirectional microphone, as it would pick up a ton of audience noise in addition to singing. Check out the video above for the full rundown.
If you are new to video work and would like to continue your education, be sure to check out "Introduction to Video: A Photographer's Guide to Filmmaking With Lee Morris and Patrick Hall!"
