> I think polar graphs might also be useful to describe how a microphone or
> array can translate a soundscape or fetch a specific sound. Traditional polar
> frequency graphs found in specs for microphones are somewhat helpful but they
> to not easily relate the practical distances on a nature recording location.
A major problem with polar plots is the near-universal use of log (dB) scales
for the plots. This distorts the shape of the plot and destroys its most useful
aspect--showing at a glance what the mic does in space.
A linear polar plot, with the concentric circles usually labeled something like
"1, .8, .6. .4, .2", shows the real shape. On a linear plot of a cardioid mic
you can see that 90deg incidence is .5 sensitivity. I think Sennheiser was the
last to use linear plots, but now they follow the crowd in standardized
stupidity.
End rant.
-Dan
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