Relationship Between Distance and Microphone Directivity in a Speaker Booth

Abstract: A study was made to investigate trained listeners preferences regarding a microphone's directivity and distance from a speaker when listening to a voice recorded in a speaker booth. Two directivities (omnidirectional and cardioid) and three distances (5, 25 and 52 cm) were tested on 19 subjects in a multiple comparison listening test regarding their preference and five other attributes taken from earlier studies. The result showed that an omnidirectional microphone placed close to a source might be preferable over a cardioid at the same distance or a cardioid placed a bit away from the source. The omnidirectional microphone however tends to perform more even at different distances compared to a cardioid, which makes it easier for a engineer to find a good microphone position for it.