How do microphone type, polar pattern and placement affect a recording?
Microphones: dynamic and condenser types, polar patterns (cardioid, omnidirectional, figure-of-eight) and how microphone choice and placement affect the captured sound.
An SQA National 5 Music Technology answer on microphones: the difference between dynamic and condenser types, the cardioid, omnidirectional and figure-of-eight polar patterns, and how microphone choice and placement affect the sound captured in a recording.
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What this concept area is asking
The SQA wants you to know the two main microphone types, the common polar patterns, and how choosing and placing a microphone affects the captured sound. This comes up in the question paper, where excerpts and scenarios ask you to pick a microphone and justify it, and it directly supports your practical recording work.
The two microphone types: dynamic and condenser
The reliable mark is matching the type to the source. Loud sources - a guitar amplifier, a snare or kick drum, a live vocal in a noisy venue - point to a dynamic microphone because it is tough and copes with volume. Quiet or detailed sources - a studio vocal, an acoustic guitar, cymbals or a piano - point to a condenser because of its sensitivity and detail. Remember that a condenser needs phantom power, which a dynamic does not.
Polar patterns: where the microphone listens
In a scenario question, choose the pattern by what you want to capture or reject. To isolate a single performer and cut out background sound or feedback, use cardioid. To capture the natural sound of a whole room or a group sitting around the microphone, use omnidirectional. To record two singers facing each other, or to reject sound from the sides, use figure-of-eight.
Placement: distance and position
How a microphone is placed changes the recording as much as which microphone it is. Close-miking a guitar amp gives a tight, direct tone; pulling back captures more of the room. On vocals, getting very close adds warmth and bass (proximity effect) but risks popping on plosive sounds, which is why a pop shield is used. Aiming a cardioid microphone slightly off-axis or away from monitors helps avoid feedback on stage.
How this concept area is examined
Questions give a recording scenario and ask you to choose a microphone type and polar pattern, explain a pattern, or justify a placement. The reliable marks come from matching the microphone to the source (dynamic for loud, condenser for detailed), choosing the pattern by what to capture or reject (cardioid to isolate, omni for ambience, figure-of-eight front and rear), and giving a clear reason every time.
For the official course specification
The SQA publishes the full National 5 Music Technology course specification, specimen and past question papers and the assignment task at sqa.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and SQA past papers, because the terminology and question style are board-specific.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA N5 style4 marksA band is recording a loud guitar amplifier and, separately, a quiet acoustic guitar. For each, state whether a dynamic or condenser microphone is more suitable and give a reason.Show worked answer →
Two marks per instrument: one for the correct type and one for a reason.
For the loud guitar amplifier, a dynamic microphone is more suitable. Dynamic microphones are rugged and handle high sound-pressure levels well without distorting, so they cope with loud sources.
For the quiet acoustic guitar, a condenser microphone is more suitable. Condenser microphones are more sensitive and capture more detail and high frequencies, which suits a quieter, subtler source.
Markers reward "dynamic" for the loud amp with a reason about handling loud sounds or being rugged, and "condenser" for the acoustic with a reason about sensitivity or detail.
SQA N5 style3 marksExplain what a cardioid polar pattern is and give one situation where it would be the best choice.Show worked answer →
Two marks for explaining the pattern and one for the situation.
A cardioid polar pattern means the microphone is most sensitive to sound arriving from the front and rejects sound from the rear. Its pick-up area is heart-shaped, so it captures the source it points at while reducing unwanted sound from behind.
It is the best choice for recording a single performer on stage, or one instrument in a room with other sounds, because it picks up the intended source and rejects spill, feedback and background noise from the rear.
Markers reward "most sensitive at the front, rejects the rear" for the pattern and any sensible situation such as a live vocal or isolating one instrument, with the reason that it reduces spill or feedback.
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