Hypercardioid & Figure-8
Hypercardioid trades full rear rejection for tighter front pickup. Figure-8 picks up equally from front and back with perfect 90° nulls. Each pattern is a different mix of pressure and pressure-gradient components.
Tighter Focus, Small Rear Lobe
A hypercardioid pattern trades the cardioid's complete rear rejection for tighter front pickup. It has a small rear lobe (about −6 dB) and null points at approximately 110° and 250°. This is useful when you need maximum rejection of sound from the sides.
Figure-8: Perfect Symmetry
The figure-8 (bidirectional) pattern picks up equally from front and back, with complete nulls at 90° and 270°. This is the natural pattern of ribbon mics and the "side" component in M/S stereo recording. The rear pickup is phase-inverted relative to the front.
Comparing Patterns
Each pattern represents a different mix of pressure (omni) and pressure gradient (figure-8) components. Cardioid = 50/50, hypercardioid ≈ 25/75, omni = 100/0, figure-8 = 0/100.
Try it: switch between patterns and find the null points. Figure-8 nulls are at exactly 90°, complete silence.