Classified by Directionality

• *Cardioid* mics pick up mainly from the front
• *Hypercardioid / supercardioid* patterns are longer and narrower than those of the regular cardioid. Hypercardioids that are designed to record from longer distances are known as shotgun mics. The workhorses of the film business, they pick up from the front where the talent is, not from the back where the camera and crew are.
• *Omnidirectional* mics pick up from all sides equally. Best for gathering background sounds and crowds. In some respects more forgiving. Can be more durable, especially when inexpensive (like the RE-20).

It may help to break down the words:

Cardioid means heart-shaped
Hypercardioid is an elongated heart
Omnidirectional *(*omni means "all" as in omnipotent (ALL-powerful)) So Omnidirectional means it picks up sound in (effectively) **ALL* directions.