How to select the ideal sound solution for a meeting room (I)

In this article, Davida Rochman, communications manager de Shure, advises on which are the most suitable microphone systems to install in a meeting room, taking into account its size, number of attendees and type of presentation to be given.

There is no universal microphone solution for corporate applications., municipal and institutional, in which the intelligibility of speech in meetings and conferences is so critical.

As IT personnel cover more and more audiovisual roles, he is forced to think in analogical aspects, instead of digital. This change in role includes the responsibility of making good microphone selections.

This article is intended for anyone in charge of sound in a meeting and conference environment., whether it comes from the world of computing or audiovisuals.

When selecting the ideal sound solution for a meeting, aspects such as the dimensions of the room must be taken into account., the number of people involved and the number of presenters. It will also be necessary to pay attention to the style of the presentation; that is to say, if it is one person to several (like a conference), from several people to several people (like a forum) the hybrid, from several people to several people, with restricted access or with priorities to use the microphones (like in court, plenary sessions of city councils or in round tables with moderator).

Besides, It must also be considered whether there is a sound reinforcement system involved or not..

small meeting room, small groups

When we talk about a small room, We are referring to a space in which there is room for 4 a 8 personas, usually seated around a round table.

In general, In this type of environment, no sound reinforcement is required., but many of these rooms have teleconferencing equipment (audio or audio and video), which can be portable or fixed.

Regarding microphones, There is no PA system in these spaces, so it's the perfect situation for a boundary microphone approach. If the system does not have its own dedicated microphones, can be tested by placing a pair of wired or wireless boundary microphones on the table. One or two small condenser microphones, hanging a few feet above the table, They can also be a good alternative.

Standard meeting room
This is a larger version than the room described in the previous point. In this space they fit between 6 y 30 personas, sitting around one or more large tables, so that participants can see each other.

If the room has good acoustics, that is to say, if not very reverberant, a sound reinforcement system may not be necessary. However, both recording and teleconferencing systems are common in these types of rooms, which means that microphones will be needed on them.

As long as there are four or five microphones, We recommend that those that are not being used be closed. The easiest way is to use microphones with built-in on/off switches and trust the presenters with the task of operating their own microphones..

Another good option is a dedicated discussion system or automatic mixer., which saves the participants this responsibility, improving your concentration in the meeting itself. A discussion system also has the advantage of integrating a small sound system into each microphone station., virtually eliminating any possibility of feedback while making it easier for people at opposite ends of the table to hear each other.

In most cases it is chosen to have a desktop microphone for each participant., but, really, one for every two participants is usually sufficient.

Tabletop gooseneck microphones are the preferred choice in meeting rooms, since they are always visible, although surface microphones can also be used, that often go unnoticed and are beaten or covered by papers.

If the tables are mobile, Wireless gooseneck microphones can offer flexibility and speed of setup. For the debate moderator, a wireless headset or lapel microphone is a good option.

Training room/classroom

This is a classic scenario of communications from one person to several., which usually includes up to 30 attendees sitting in chairs looking at the speaker or professor.

The larger and more reverberant the room, the greater the need for a front-facing sound reinforcement system directed toward attendees. The smallest rooms, that do not require a sound system, They may need to capture the speaker's sound for streaming broadcasts, for videoconferencing and/or presentation recording. Maximizing intelligibility is critical in any learning environment.

The speaker may be located at a lectern, but it is more normal for him to wander during the presentation to use a whiteboard, a screen or other presentation tools. To integrate hands-free voice pickup, the preferred solution is a wireless headset or lapel microphone.

Student questions can be captured in several ways. A dedicated microphone can be placed on a specific table or on a microphone stand, so that students can come and ask their questions. You can also use a wireless handheld microphone, that can be passed from hand to hand until it reaches the person who wants to ask the question.

Overhead microphones located above the audience area should only be considered when there is no sound reinforcement system and the room acoustics are good.. If the room has been designed so that there is an interactive dynamic, Consider a desktop microphone system with automatic mixing or a discussion system..

In a second part, Davida Rochman delves into other types of spaces such as the assembly hall, video conferencing environments, meeting rooms with AMX control system and plenary halls and large meeting rooms.

Access to the second part of this platform

Davida Rochman

Communications Manager de Shure Incorporated

Distributor in Iberia: Earpro