iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
A bidirectional microphone picks up sound from the front and rear while reducing sound arriving from the sides. Its polar pattern resembles a figure eight, so it is also called a figure-eight microphone. It can simplify a face-to-face interview or provide the Side channel in a stereo setup—but its active rear lobe and strong proximity effect make placement important.
What is a bidirectional microphone?
“Bidirectional” describes the microphone’s pickup pattern, not sound arriving equally from every direction. The two main pickup lobes face the front and rear; the sides are the pattern’s nulls, where sensitivity is lowest. Shure’s microphone-pattern overview and beyerdynamic’s polar-pattern guide describe this figure-eight geometry.
The side nulls do not guarantee complete silence. A real microphone’s off-axis response and rejection vary with its design and frequency, and sound reflections in the room can still reach the capsule from other directions. Treat the nulls as useful areas of reduced sensitivity, not soundproof barriers. Neumann explains how polar patterns vary across frequency in its polar-pattern guide.
Recommended Free Tools
How does a figure-eight microphone work?
In an ideal figure-eight pattern, sound arriving from the sides acts in a way that cancels at the microphone’s nulls, while sound from the front and rear produces useful output. Many ribbon microphones naturally have this pattern because both sides of the ribbon are exposed to sound pressure. Royer Labs explains the front-to-rear phase relationship and side cancellation in its ribbon microphone basics.
#1 Best Overall
- [Convenient Setup] Plug and play recording USB microphone for PC, with 5.9-Foot USB cable included for computer PC laptop, is connected directly to USB-A port for recording music, computer singing or podcast. The office condenser microphone for computer is easy to use and install. (NOT compatible with Xbox and Phones)
- [Durable Metal Design] Solid sturdy metal construction design, the computer microphone for Zoom meetings with stable tripod stand is convenient when you are doing voice overs or livestreams on YouTube. Durable material extends the service life of the voice-over microphone.
- [Mic Volume Knob] Gaming condenser USB mic compatible for PS4 with additional volume knob itself has a louder or quieter adjustment and is more sensitive. Your voice would be heard well enough through the zoom microphone USB when gaming, skyping or voice recording. Also, you can adjust your volume to zero and protect your privacy.
- [Widely Use] USB-powered design, the condenser microphone for recording no need the 48v Phantom power supply, works well with Cortana, Discord, voice chat and voice recognition. The podcast microphone for Mac, with USB-B to USB-A/C cable, is compatible with desktop, laptop or PS4/PS5, which meets most of your daily recording needs.
- [Clear Output Voice] Cardioid condenser microphone for PC captures your voice properly, producing clear smooth and crisp sound. Great computer recording mic for gamers/streamers/youtubers focus on the main source and reduces background noise. The streaming microphone does the job well for broadcast ,OBS and teamspeak.
Figure-eight pickup is not exclusive to ribbon microphones. Some multipattern condensers let you select it electronically. For example, the Sennheiser MK 8 specification lists figure-eight alongside four other patterns.
What is a bidirectional microphone used for?
Recording two people facing each other
Place the microphone between the speakers, with one person speaking toward the front and the other toward the rear. Align both mouths with the respective lobes and ask both speakers to keep a consistent distance. This can make a compact shared-microphone setup, but it does not reject the rear speaker: both voices are intended to be captured. RØDE’s K2 manual specifically describes the figure-eight setting for two-person interviews.
Rank #2
- Custom three-capsule array: This professional USB mic produces clear, powerful, broadcast-quality sound for YouTube videos, Twitch game streaming, podcasting, Zoom meetings, music recording and more
- Blue VO!CE software: Elevate your streamings and recordings with clear broadcast vocal sound and entertain your audience with enhanced effects, advanced modulation and HD audio samples
- Four pickup patterns: Flexible cardioid, omni, bidirectional, and stereo pickup patterns allow you to record in ways that would normally require multiple mics, for vocals, instruments and podcasts
- Onboard audio controls: Headphone volume, pattern selection, instant mute, and mic gain put you in charge of every level of the audio recording and streaming process
- Positionable design: Pivot the mic in relation to the sound source to optimize your sound quality thanks to the adjustable desktop stand and track your voice in real time with no-latency monitoring
Mid-Side stereo recording
In Mid-Side (M-S) recording, a forward-facing directional microphone captures the Mid signal, and a sideways-facing figure-eight microphone captures the Side signal. The two signals can be decoded into stereo, with the Side contribution determining the stereo width. Follow the microphones’ orientation instructions and confirm that your recording setup supports the required channels and decoding workflow. beyerdynamic describes M-S as an application for its M 130; its guidance establishes the technique, not that one microphone is best for every M-S recording.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteBlumlein stereo
A Blumlein pair uses two figure-eight microphones positioned at right angles to each other. The arrangement captures stereo information from the microphones’ overlapping front-and-rear lobes. Room sound and exact positioning affect the result; beyerdynamic describes using two M 130 microphones in this configuration for ambience.
Rank #3
- CONDENSER MICROPHONE: High sensitivity, low noise, and low distortion with a large 14mm diaphragm and clear sound pickup
- FOR STREAMING & MORE: 360° rotation adjustable stand mic is ideal to track your voice in real-time conference, online streaming, podcasting, music recording, solo vocals or instruments and more
- CARDIOID PICKUP PATTERN: Cardioid pickup pattern microphone effectively isolates background noise, ensuring clear and clean sound for recording and broadcasting
- ONE TAP SILENT MODE: Stylish design USB microphone built-in convenient one-tap mute function that syncs with your laptop or PC. Compatible with Windows OS 7, XP, 8, 10 or higher, Mac OS 10.10 or higher, streaming and broadcasting applications
- PLUG AND PLAY: Easy to use with no additional drivers required and connect with USB data transfer cable; it can be detached and installed on tripods, boom arm or microphone stands that with a standard 5/8 inch thread
Instruments and room sound
Figure-eight microphones can be used on sources such as guitar amplifiers, drums, pianos, acoustic guitars, orchestras, choirs, and room ambience. These are applications listed by beyerdynamic for its M 130, not a promise that every figure-eight microphone—or any one placement—will suit each source.
How should you position a bidirectional microphone?
- Identify the wanted directions. Put intended sources in front of and, if needed, behind the microphone. Do not assume the rear is a rejection zone.
- Aim the side nulls at unwanted sound. Rotate or reposition the microphone so the strongest unwanted source is as close as practical to a lateral null. Actual rejection depends on the microphone and frequency.
- Check the room as well as the direct sound. Reflections can arrive from directions other than the source’s direct path, and off-axis sound may be colored rather than eliminated.
- Adjust distance for bass balance. Figure-eight microphones have a strong proximity effect: moving closer increases low-frequency response. If voices become boomy or less intelligible, try moving the source farther away before using filtering or equalization.
If the unwanted sound is behind the microphone, changing the angle alone may make matters worse. Reposition the source or microphone, change the room arrangement, or consider a pattern that rejects sound from the rear.
Rank #4
- SAMSON G-Track Pro Studio USB Condenser Microphone w/ Built in Audio Interface
- Element Type: Dual back electret condenser, Diaphragm Width/Thickness: 25mm/3 microns
- Polar Pattern: Cardioid (unidirectional), bi-directional, omni-directional, Frequency Response: 50Hz–20kHz, Sensitivity: +6dB FS/PA (all polar patterns)
- Max. SPL: 120dB SPL, Bit Depth/Sample Rate: 16 or 24-bit/Up to 96kHz, Digital Output: USB
- Headphone Output/Impedance: 1/8" (3.5mm)/ 16Ω, Headphone Power Output: 85mW @ 32Ω, Instrument Input/Impedance: 1/4"/ 1MΩ
How does bidirectional compare with cardioid?
A cardioid microphone is most sensitive at the front and reduces pickup toward the rear. A bidirectional microphone has useful pickup at both front and rear, with reduced sensitivity at the sides. Choose according to where the wanted sources and unwanted sounds are located: a face-to-face pair may suit figure-eight pickup, while a single source with noise behind it may call for a pattern with rear rejection. Real patterns vary, so consult the individual microphone’s polar-response information rather than relying only on the pattern name.
What should you compare before buying?
- Transducer and pattern design: A ribbon may be naturally bidirectional; a multipattern microphone may offer a selectable figure-eight mode alongside other patterns.
- Pattern flexibility: A dedicated figure-eight design has a different use profile from a microphone that can switch among several patterns. The MK 8 specification lists omni, wide cardioid, cardioid, supercardioid, and figure-eight.
- Your recording task: Consider whether you need to record two people across one mic, build an M-S or Blumlein setup, record an instrument, or capture room sound.
- Setup compatibility: Check the exact model’s manual for power, connector, preamp, and channel requirements. As a model-specific example, Sennheiser lists 48 V phantom powering for the MK 8; that requirement should not be assumed for all microphones.
- Room and working distance: Account for the active rear lobe, side-null placement, reflections, source movement, and proximity effect.
Manufacturer examples and specifications
The figures below are manufacturer specifications, not independent comparative test results or buying recommendations.
Best Value
- [USB Output] Enables simple setup. USB studio recording microphone kit provides a direct convenient plug-and-play connection to pc and laptop without any additional hardware or drivers for recording vocals, podcasts and Skype. Studio microphone for recording vocals is never been easier to get high-quality sound for your voice and computer-based audio recordings. (Incompatible with Xbox)
- [Excellent Sound Quality] With rugged construction for durable performance, the vocal recording microphone, USB condenser mic for PC,offers a wide frequency response and handles high SPLs with ease. Ideal for project/home-studio applications. The cardioid condenser capsule captures crystal-clear audio from the front and avoid ambient noise when communicating/creating/recording. Comes ready to go with a desktop mic boom arm stand and 8.2ft USB cable, you're guaranteed to get great-sounding results.
- [Durable Arm Set] The podcast microphone bundle with versatile and sturdy broadcast suspension boom scissor arm with 180° up and down rotation, 135° forward and backward extension for optimal adjustment, for capturing your voice in podcast or voiceover. The double pop filter attached on the music recording microphone provides two layers of dissipation, removes the rush of air, minimize the popping sounds or cancel noise that can compromise your recording, great for studio as well as home use.
- [Easy to Attach] The streaming microphone for PC includes adjustable boom studio scissor arm stand that features a heavy-duty combo mount consisting of a sturdy C-clamp and a detachable desktop mount. With 13" fixed horizontal arm and offers a 30" reach, the low-profile, table-hugging design of audio recording microphone allows on-air talent to perform without facial obstruction to record in podcasting or make dubbing sounds for videos, use voice chat in Discord or online conference on Zoom or Skype.
- [The Accessory Package Includes] The studio microphone music recording comes with practical accessories for you to use in most of recording. The scissor arm stand is made out of all steel construction, sturdy and durable, a studio-grade shock mount, a double pop filter, premium 8.2' USB-B to USB-A/C cable, a podcast PC gaming microphone, a user manual and friendly Technical Support.
| Microphone | Pattern and design | Published details | Relevant stated uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| beyerdynamic M 130 | Double-ribbon; figure eight | 40–18,000 Hz frequency response, according to the manufacturer’s product page accessed in 2026. | Instruments, ambience, Blumlein, and Mid-Side recording, as described by beyerdynamic. |
| Sennheiser MK 8 | Multipattern condenser; five switchable patterns, including figure eight | 20–20,000 Hz frequency response; 142 dB SPL maximum at 0 dB attenuation; 10 dB(A) equivalent noise level; 48 V phantom powering. These values are from specification version 2.2, dated February 2026. | The cited specification establishes selectable patterns and technical specifications; the source does not establish that it is best for a particular application. |
| RØDE K2 | Manual describes a selectable figure-eight setting. | Not stated in the cited manual. | The manual names two-person interviews and Mid-Side recording. Check that the manual matches the product version and verify current product status before purchase. |
For model details, consult the beyerdynamic M 130 product page, Sennheiser MK 8 specification page, and RØDE K2 manual.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
