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THIS MONTH'S FEATURE:
Pressure Zone Microphones Rugged, durable, and extremely versatile, PZM microphones somehow remain an underrated and underutilized studio tool. By Keith Hatschek | September 2008
PZM microphones combine direct and reflected sound waves and virtually eliminate any variation in the timing of the sounds. This process eliminates any comb filtering, which occurs when the direct and the delayed or reflected sound arrive at a mic’s capsule at slightly different times. That results in a smearing or muddying of the original sound. By their design, PZMs eliminate this time differential, resulting in no comb filtering in the audible frequencies.
It’s not too great an overstatement to say that there are few, if any, instruments a PZM cannot accurately capture. The biggest challenge is realigning your thinking to make the most of the PZM’s boundary recording characteristics. A traditional cardioid mic has a heart-shaped pickup pattern, with the best frequency response in the mic’s sweet spot, directly on-axis to the capsule.
