Mic Placement Calculator

Closer placement gives a drier, more direct sound with more bass (proximity effect) and less room ambience. Further placement captures more room sound, giving a natural, spacious quality. The ratio of direct to reflected sound changes with distance.

When using multiple microphones, place each mic at least three times the distance from each other as they are from their respective sources. This minimises phase cancellation between mics — one of the most common multi-mic recording problems.

Yes. Omnidirectional mics pick up sound equally from all directions and can be placed further away in treated rooms. Cardioid mics reject rear sound, allowing closer placement in untreated rooms. Figure-8 mics pick up front and back but reject the sides.

Critical distance (Dc) is the point where the direct sound from the source equals the reverberant sound bouncing off the room. Beyond it the room dominates and the recording turns washy. For a clean, direct capture engineers stay well inside Dc — roughly within 30% for an omni, 50% for a cardioid, and progressively further for tighter patterns (because their rear/side rejection lets them favour direct sound at greater range). This calculator uses the Critical Distance you enter (Advanced Options) to cap the maximum recommended placement.

Proximity effect — the bass boost as you move closer — is a pressure-gradient phenomenon, so its strength follows the pattern. Figure-8 is strongest (it is a pure pressure-gradient design, with a low-end lift of up to about 16 dB below 100 Hz at very close range), cardioid shows roughly half that boost, super/hypercardioid sit in between, and a true omnidirectional has none.