Tip #3:
Microphone Pickup Angle

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Microphone pickup angle: The angle in front of a microphone where a sound source can be located without a noticeable change in loudness.

For unidirectional microphones (cardioid, supercardioid, etc.), the angle from the center-line to the point where the output of the mic is noticeably lower (3 dB down) is one half of the pickup angle. The typical pickup angle of a cardioid microphone is 131 (65.5 to either side of the center-line of the microphone).

Microphone Pickup Angles
   Omnidirectional  360
    Cardioid            131
    Supercardioid    115
    Hypercardioid    105