Omnidirectional mics are the easiest to understand. Omnidirectional mics record audio from every direction. You will want to use an omnidirectional mic when recording audio that you can’t control very well (like ambience, a press conference, or a moving talking head). Omnidirectional mics are the most flexible mics, but they are also the noisiest. It’s certainly a balancing act when on set. In a filmmaking context, you will almost exclusively see omnidirectional pickup patterns in lav mics. Nota