Omnidirectional microphones are designed to receive vibrations from virtually any direction. The diagram on this slide here illustrates the pattern of how the microphone receives sound. The microphone faces upward (toward the viewer) and sound intensity for a particular frequency is plotted for angles radially from 0° to 360°. Because these microphones can pick up sound from any direction, they are often used to record a group of vocalists, or for meetings such as conference calls. However, omnidirectional microphones do have some drawbacks. As the microphone cannot discriminate between wanted and unwanted sounds, ambient noise from the environment can be picked up and amplified.