Overhead microphones are used in sound recording and live sound reproduction to pick up ambient sounds, transients and the overall blend of instruments. They are used in drum recordings to achieve a stereo image of a full drum kit. They are used to create a balanced stereo recording of an orchestra or live productions.

Also search equidistant and the 3:1 rule (A point is said to be equidistant from a set of objects if the distances between that point and each object in the set are equal) can effect the phase between two microphones.