Cardioid

Cardioid describes a microphone's pickup pattern, the shape of the area around the capsule where it is most sensitive to sound. A cardioid pattern is widest at the front, narrows toward the sides, and rejects sound coming from directly behind the mic, forming a rough heart shape when plotted.

For podcasting, a cardioid pattern is useful because it focuses on the host's voice while reducing pickup from a computer fan behind the mic, a second person off to the side, or reflections bouncing off a wall behind the setup. This makes cardioid the most common pattern on dedicated podcast microphones.

Cardioid is one of several polar patterns, alongside omnidirectional, which picks up evenly from all directions, and figure-8, which picks up front and back but rejects the sides. Some microphones let a user switch between patterns, which is worth considering for a studio that sometimes records solo and sometimes records a face-to-face interview across a desk with a guest chair on the other side.