Hypercardioids require a smaller included angle than Cardioids in order to
prevent a hole from occurring in the middle of the soundstage. Typically a
hypercardioid will be used with an included angle of between 60 and 100
degrees. We have found that at 70 degrees and smaller the soundstage becomes
distorted and somewhat triangular. Using more than 90 degrees with a
hypercardioid can be tricky and not all Hypercardioids are suited to this.
Hypercardioid microphones are best suited to indoor recording as they do
a good job at rejecting building acoustics while still producing a credible
soundstage. Their increased "reach" allows for more distance from the sound
source while maintaining a good direct to reverberant sound ratio. They also
have a small reverse polarity lobe which offers a good midpoint between the
classic Blumlein and X-Y cardioid techniques. Their weakness is that they
tend towards brightness and often exhibit weak bass response and significant
bass coloration.
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