Let's start with a sine wave - the simplest audio waveform there is.
To understand why this is, you need to grasp the concept of phase and how it applies to different miking setups - which, conveniently, is what this article is all about! Simple Sine Waves There's more to decent mic technique than knowing how different mics work and what directions musical instruments sound good from, because the moment you use two or more mics simultaneously, you'll find that their recorded signals don't simply add together - they can also subtract and interact in complex and sometimes counter-intuitive ways.
Phase interactions are well known for their ability to destructively interfere with recorded signals, but an understanding of the process can turn it into one of the most powerful creative tools available to you.
