MRC01
Major Contributor
As we measure rooms to improve response, we should ensure the microphone hears what our ears do. For example, when I measure my room, the UMIK-1 mic shows a bass null that doesn't appear with Rode NT1As. I think this is because that null is caused by sound reflecting off the back wall, which the NT1As don't pick up because they're facing forward and this reflection comes from behind.
This leads to the question: how sensitive is our hearing to sound waves coming from different directions? It seems we should measure the polar sensitivity pattern of human hearing and use microphones that match this pattern. I found this interesting article in which the human hearing pattern looks asymmetric, in which case an omni mic might not be the best way to tune the room. Is this a topic covered here or elsewhere, that I can read more about?
PS: that doc says human hearing is not sensitive to azimuth at low frequencies - e.g. it's like an omni pattern in the bass, and becomes more cardiod-like in the midrange & treble. Since most of our room tuning is at low frequencies, perhaps we should use omni mics to tune the bass and cardiods for higher frequencies?
This leads to the question: how sensitive is our hearing to sound waves coming from different directions? It seems we should measure the polar sensitivity pattern of human hearing and use microphones that match this pattern. I found this interesting article in which the human hearing pattern looks asymmetric, in which case an omni mic might not be the best way to tune the room. Is this a topic covered here or elsewhere, that I can read more about?
PS: that doc says human hearing is not sensitive to azimuth at low frequencies - e.g. it's like an omni pattern in the bass, and becomes more cardiod-like in the midrange & treble. Since most of our room tuning is at low frequencies, perhaps we should use omni mics to tune the bass and cardiods for higher frequencies?
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