What is the purpose of the cardioid pickup pattern?

The cardioid pickup pattern is designed to capture sound primarily from the front of the microphone while minimizing the sound from the sides and rear. This directional characteristic allows it to be particularly effective in environments where you want to isolate a specific sound source, such as a speaker or vocalist. By focusing on the voice directly in front of the microphone, it helps reduce background noise and feedback, making it a preferred choice in recording and live sound applications.

The other options do not align with the purpose of the cardioid pattern. For instance, it does not capture multiple voices effectively, as it is not optimized for sound coming from the sides. It also does not capture sound equally from all directions; that would be characteristic of an omnidirectional pickup pattern. Finally, while a cardioid microphone may be used in outdoor environments, its design does not inherently make it ideal for such settings compared to other patterns specifically designed for that purpose.