Question

Which type of microphone is best for a musical performance where the microphone needs to pick up a singer's voice as well as the instruments on the sides of the singer?
Cardioid
Unidirectional
Omnidirectional
Bidirectional

Answer 1

For a musical performance where you need to pick up a singer's voice as well as instruments on the sides, a **cardioid** microphone would be the best choice. Cardioid microphones are designed to capture sound primarily from the front while rejecting sound from the sides and rear, which helps to isolate the singer's voice from background noise or other sounds. This makes them ideal for live performances, where you want to focus on the primary sound source while minimizing bleed from surrounding instruments.

If you're looking to capture more ambient sound and instruments on the sides without strongly isolating the singer's voice, an **omnidirectional** microphone could also work, but it may pick up too much background noise. Therefore, in most cases for live performances with a focus on the vocal, a cardioid microphone is recommended.