ClearOne BMA 360 improves audio capture in McGuire Sponsel rooms

The BMA ceiling tile 360- Beamforming Microphone Array, the Unite PTZ video camera 200 with 12x zoom and Converge DSP 2 Pro ClearOne configure the meeting spaces of this U.S. tax consultancy.

When the tax advisory agency McGuire Sponsel São Paulo has begun a project to renovate and expand its offices in Indianapolis (USA.), The company's management decided it was the right time to upgrade its audio and video systems and improve the employee experience in its meeting and collaboration rooms.

To carry it out, McGuire Sponsel has counted on the local integrator Chrismin Communications, that chose to integrate solutions ClearOne, as the ceiling tile BMA 360- Beamforming Microphone Array; Video Camera PTZ Unite 200 with 12x zoom and platform DSP Converge 2 Pro.

All these solutions combine to Improve collaboration capabilities and company meetings with optimal Audio Quality, No reverb or noise, with camera tracking of all participants and a clutter-free room aesthetic.

"Our initial involvement in this project focused on upgrading the existing data infrastructure and expanding the office," he recalls Chris Freeman, President of Chrismin Communications-, but then McGuire Sponsel managers quickly identified video conferencing as a sore point in daily operations.".

As a long-time ClearOne distributor, "We explained to them that the BMA microphone 360 and the Unite camera 200 ClearOne would deliver vastly improved audio and video performance, while adding valuable features that simplify the start-up of a meeting and ensure consistent clarity, even in noisy environments", Freeman assures.

McGuire Sponsel's main conference room featured outdated and unwieldy AV equipment, that discouraged their use and caused frequent interruptions. Renovated space with complete ClearOne conferencing solution now offers employees a Simple and reliable operation, as well as greatly improved audio and video quality.

One of the customer's specific problems was that the pickup pattern of the existing microphones was too wide, so the passage of trucks from a fire station near the company frequently interrupted meetings. Since the BMA installation 360, which has Noise and echo cancellation, This problem has been reduced to a minimum and meetings can be conducted smoothly.

The main conference room system also includes fourSpeakers recessed in the ceiling 6" to ensure that all participants can hear the speaker. In order to optimize the simplicity and functionality of meetings, Chrismin Communications also specified the Converge Pro DSP 2 48VT, that allows integration with VoiP services, so that audio from the ClearOne microphone can be routed to it.

In addition to a Control System and a wireless tablet to manage room equipment, The integrator has also installed a ClearOne Bluetooth wall panel that allows any user to instantly connect their mobile device or laptop to the room's audio system.

BMA 360 is a powerful beamforming microphone array that uses more than one hundred MEMS microphones for high accuracy, scope, Acquisition quality and differentiation. It is designed to resemble a traditional ceiling tile and be integrated into false ceilings, making it an aesthetically pleasing solution for installation in almost any space.

With the option to use power through Ethernet (Poe), P-link cables that can connect several BMAs 360 at a distance of up to 60 meters and the amplifier of 15 Watts included, for connecting the speakers directly to the ceiling plate, Installation is greatly simplified.

This is what Freeman points out: "They wanted to eliminate as much technological and cable clutter as possible in the room, which included keyboards, Mice and a tangle of cables under the table. So we added wireless peripherals; we housed the PC inside the leg of the new conference table, we removed all visible cables and installed the ClearOne app on the tablet to offer instant setup and your free video conferencing and meeting platform Collaborate Space”.

Chrismin Communications has also installed ClearOne's technology to equip a second, slightly smaller meeting space, called War Room, which has a BMA CT, a smaller model similar to BMA 360, along with a controller that allows connections Byod, so anyone can connect their laptop via USB.

A camera Unite 50 4What ePTZ Provides coverage, Quality and remote control to the room, while two 4" in-ceiling speakers ensure that audio playback is intelligible. A Bluetooth wall panel adds instant connectivity for audio meetings, offering the same configuration and capabilities as in the main conference room.

Both spaces include a flat-screen TV that connects to the living room system. ClearOne Teams Are Compatible with All Major Online Collaboration Platforms, such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet and Collaborate Space.

"This customer's biggest need was superior audio performance, both in terms of microphone pickup and speaker playback, so that all parties and in all locations heard the speakers clearly," Freeman stresses. BMA technology and design 360 offers up to 20 Decibels of additional gain increase before feedback, compared to omnidirectional microphones".

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