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• Captivating Presentations: Elevating Your Content with Professional Microphones

  In the dynamic world of content creation and remote communication, the quality of your audio can make or break your message. Whether you're a YouTuber, a Twitch streamer, a Discord community leader, or a professional navigating the virtual realm through platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom, the right microphone can be your secret weapon. In this blog, we'll explore the benefits of desktop-based professional microphones, particularly gooseneck and low-profile options, and why they're essential for creators who demand top-notch audio quality.

  The Power of Desktop Professional Microphones

  1. Maximum Mobility and Flexibility: Desktop microphones offer a level of mobility and flexibility that headset microphones simply can't match. They allow you to position the microphone precisely where you need it without being tethered to your computer. This freedom is invaluable for content creators who need to move around or show visual elements on their screen while speaking or presenting a subject.

  

  2. Voice-Centric Focus: Professional desktop microphones are designed with one primary goal – capturing your voice with unmatched clarity. This specialization ensures that your message is front and center, free from background noise and distractions. With the clarity of your message, the value you provide as an educator or instructor increases exponentially.

  3. Gooseneck Microphones: Gooseneck microphones, which can be bent or modified to your preferred angle, offer the ultimate flexibility. You can position them to capture your voice while staying out of the way of your screen or camera. Clockaudio's gooseneck microphones are a prime example of this versatile design and a popular favorite for environments where multiple speakers will be using the microphone set up. Shown here is Clockaudio’s D-33, dynamic cardioid gooseneck microphone designed for speech purposes in a variety of commercial audio applications. With its rugged all-metal construction, the mic is available fully flexible or with a semi-rigid shaft in satin black (custom colors available).

  

  4. Low-Profile Microphones: Low-profile microphones, like Clockaudio's options, allow you to maintain a comfortable distance of 12" to 18" from the microphone while still achieving exceptional audio pick-up. This not only ensures consistent audio quality but also enhances your on-screen presence.

  Shown at right is the popular C012E-RF, Clockaudio’s Through Table Cardioid Boundary Layer Microphone, also available in nickel.

  Deciding Between the Mics: Condenser vs. Dynamic
  When it comes to desktop microphones, you'll often encounter two main types: condenser and dynamic microphones. Let's break down their pros and cons to help you make an informed choice:

  Condenser Microphone Benefits include:
  - Outstanding Sensitivity: Condenser microphones are highly sensitive and excel at capturing the nuances of your voice.
  
  - Wide Frequency Range: They offer a broad frequency response, resulting in crisp, clear, and detailed audio.
  
  - Ideal for Office and Remote Settings: Condenser mics are perfect for both office environments and remote setups, ensuring consistent, high-quality audio.

  Considerations: Some things to consider when using a condenser microphone include its sensitivity to background noise. Understand that these mics can pick up ambient sounds, so a quiet environment is essential. Another consideration is external power as some condenser mics require phantom power, which might necessitate additional equipment.

  

  Our series of C3 Slimline Condenser Gooseneck, such as the C 3100 shown here are great for use in boardrooms, conferencing and a wide variety of applications requiring unobtrusive and easily detachable gooseneck microphones with consistent sound quality.

  Dynamic Microphones Benefits:
  - Excellent Noise Isolation: Dynamic microphones are less sensitive to background noise, making them ideal for noisy environments.
  
  - Durability: They are robust and can withstand regular use without degradation in performance.
  
  - Low Maintenance: Dynamic mics don't require phantom power or complex setups.

  Considerations: Dynamic mics have limited sensitivity and may not be able to capture the subtleties of your voice as well as condenser microphones. These mics often require you to “eat the mic” in order for the microphone to catch your content clearly. They also have a narrower frequency range and may lack the extended frequency response of condenser mics.

  Elevating Your Communication
  

  Your content and your message deserve the utmost professionalism and reliability. Whether you're delivering sales pitches, conducting webinars, hosting meetings, or creating content for your audience, don't compromise on audio quality.

  Investing in a desktop professional microphone, be it a versatile gooseneck or a low-profile option like those from Clockaudio, can be a game-changer. It's not just about sounding better; it's about commanding attention, fostering trust, and enhancing the impact of your communication.

  Always ready to meet your project requirements, Clockaudio has a number of “kits” that include all of the components you will need to step up your game with a high-quality desktop microphone. One such kit is “The Presenter” shown below.

  

  With audio equipment upgrades your audience will thank you, and your message will shine like never before.

  The right microphone is your bridge to reliable, confidence-inspiring and “clearly different” communication – seize it.

   

   

• 
  Can Microphones Actually Disappear?

  This month, we would like to show you how microphones can be hidden…in plain sight.

  Many businesses nowadays are stressing the need to keep their boardroom tables clean, free and clear of obstacles, and while boundary microphones are small, in some cases they still may ‘get in the way’.

  A simple solution to help make microphones less obtrusive is to blend them in with the environment. Many mics can be designed in custom colors which can divert them from the human eye by camouflaging them with décor of the room. Previously, gooseneck microphones were the go-to solution as they could be removed at the end of a meeting, leaving the table free of everything, but the very low-profile shock mounts. While goosenecks seem to work, some end users simply do not have the time or resources to prep the room before a meeting, especially when an emergency meeting is called for and the room must be ready to use at a moment’s notice.

  When this issue was brought to our attention, clearly, Clockaudio listened.

  The question arose: ‘What if microphones could suddenly appear, as if out of nowhere’? While the idea was unheard of, Clockaudio was up for the challenge. That is when the CRM Retracta line of microphones "popped up" or rather...were designed.

  Initially Clockaudio designed a small, single element microphone that literally rose up out of the table when needed, and then pushed back down after use. Soon thereafter, the idea of two elements embodied in the same housing was suggested. These dual element, retracting microphones would be recessed in the middle of the table, leaving extra space for the participants and also reducing labor time by speeding up the installation. Once again, Clockaudio was up for the challenge, and the CRM202/203-RF was the ideal solution for this particular type of application.

  The evolution of the CRM series was inevitable. Shortly after the launch of the CRM202 and CRM203-RF someone asked, “Can I activate them all by the touch of a button?” Clockaudio delivered, and it was then that the CRM become automated, and the birth of the motorized CRM microphones, the ARM100 series, took place. With this new automation, the microphones automatically rose out of the table as the system was turned on, and soon thereafter, the dual element model received the same upgrade and became the ARM202-RF.

  Although these specific microphone models have the ability to “disappear” into the table, some end users might still find that any microphones on their table would be in the way. In response to the “no microphones on the table” requirement, suspended microphones became the solution.

  However, for certain applications such as a multi-usage rooms, microphones hanging from the ceiling were simply in the way. That’s when the question arose: “What if the microphones could retract up into the ceiling?” The answer was clearly within Clockaudio’s expertise, and the CCRM-4000 ceiling retractable microphone was launched. This model microphone could hide completely out of sight after use by retracting back up into the ceiling, and with the launch of the CCRM-4000 came suggestions for it’s use in different applications.

  With the growing popularity of the Clockaudio C303, tri-element hanging mic, some users thought it would be a good upgrade for the CCRM, and so Clockaudio went to work. The model now comes with either a single element microphone or tri-element array, in both Black or White, on a regular tile bridge or plenum rated enclosure (for North America)

  The Retracta series microphones have proven to be a popular solution for their appearance, (or lack thereof), as they have the ability to ‘disappear’, leaving the room ready for other functions, and that will always make your meetings “clearly different”.

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• 
  From boardrooms and classrooms to primate habitats, microphones should not only sound good but be built to withstand any kind of monkey business!

  More often than not, when considering the proper microphone to be used for an installation, the focus is on the sound quality of the microphone. This month, however, we want you to also consider how the microphone might be used, or misused, so that you can also see the importance of focusing on the construction quality of the microphone.

  For one reason or another, either by accident or on purpose, some people can’t help themselves and knowingly, or unwittingly, end up damaging or destroying microphones. Here are just a few examples of what we've seen or heard happened.

  In one case we’ve seen, a manufacturer’s field technician literally walked across the client’s boardroom table to perform maintenance on a projector. While he might have thought he was doing a good job, he accidentally stepped on (and flattened) the grill of a through table boundary microphone. Ouch!

  Then there’s the case of the misused and abused microphones. We had a call from a teacher a few years back who said he was missing all of the grills from his classroom's through table boundary microphones. After some investigation, it turned out that the students were getting creative and making filters out of the grills, and using them as part of, let’s just say, an inventive smoking apparatus for select legal/illegal herbs…

  Then there’s the story of the misplaced pen. Here, people decided to convert the grills of a through table boundary microphone into their own "inkwells". Yes, people actually took a pen and stabbed it into the grill of the microphone and made it a very expensive pen holder. On the brightside, we took this information (and since necessity is the mother of invention), we created a new model, the C012E-RF, or better knows to our internal teams as the “Assault Version” of our through table boundary microphone. This mic was built to be vandal proof. Even the microphone capsule is strategically placed, making it inaccessible if someone tries to destroy it.

  Perhaps one of our favorite stories that talks about the robust manufacturing of our mics, was about the time we provided microphones for the Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary (click here for that case study).

  At the Learning Sanctuary we were challenged to build a microphone that the primates would not or could not easily find in their environment and that would be difficult to dismantle or destroy. This project was truly monkey business, but Clockaudio’s omnicondenser microphone, a water-resistant product that was chosen for the project held up well. In fact, our C007-WR microphones were made of Delrin, a very sturdy plastic, so the build quality was excellent for the habitat’s purposes. In addition, because this product was originally designed for surveillance and recording in sensitive areas, it had an extremely low profile, keeping them out of the monkey’s curious eye.

  These are just a few of the many stories we’ve heard over the years. We hope that it helps you to see the value in understanding the “climate” you are working in and the “inhabitants” that will be interfacing with your equipment.

  In understanding both of these variables, you will be able to better identify and choose the right microphone for any given application. Since vandalism of your equipment can occur almost anywhere, even in the most prestigious companies, classrooms, courtrooms and habitats, it is wise to make the investment into better built microphones.

  As for Clockaudio, you will not find sturdier, more rugged microphones than ours. So, if you’re thinking of saving money by installing less-quality microphones with the idea that your visitors, students or boardroom users are angels, think again! We suggest you go for the more durable, robust Clockaudio option and save money in the long-run! Your results will most definitely be...Clearly Different!

  That’s a wrap for the month of May!
  #ClockaudioOut

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• 
  Getting Down to Brass Tacks on RF Immunity

  Since the early 2000’s Clockaudio has been a leader in RF Immunity. To sing our own praises for a moment, we were the first manufacturer to bring to market a microphone that directly addressed a growing concern in boardrooms and conference rooms around the world – output phasing.

  Output phasing happens to microphones when they pick up the GSM waves emitted by cell phones, electrical appliances, and other wireless devices that are in the vicinity of the microphone.

  To share a bit of history, at the dawn of the cellular era, cell phones had to have stronger transmitters in order to reach communication towers which were sometimes few and far between. Those stronger radio emissions (besides being harmful to the human body), were creating a real problem in teleconference rooms, where there was an array of microphones on a table, each acting as little antennas that would pick up the interference from the cell phones in the environment. As the use of cell phones grew, so did the need for more transmission towers and when the number of these towers increased and the distance between them decreased, cell phones did not need to have as powerful transmitters as before.

  Today, we do not have to worry as much about the power of the transmitters causing issues. Instead, we are challenged with the proliferation of GSM waves that are being put out by an increased number of devices that reside in, or are brought into, our meeting spaces. For instance, cell phones or other cellular devices are often in the same room where microphones are installed and can “pollute” the radio waves causing interference noises in major systems.

  We’ve all heard it at one time or another, a little chirp or white noise coming through the system just before a cell phone rings. Annoying right? Indeed, these waves are very intrusive and can penetrate a microphone housing through a small opening, get picked up by the active circuitry and be heard at the far end and in the room. For this reason, any microphone without protection will generate noise constantly. Therefore, having RF-immune microphones continues to be an absolute necessity and a standard for quality-audio design.

  Lucky for us, we are known for providing RF immunity and here’s why: the efficiency of Clockaudio microphones’ RF immunity is due to the combination of our solid-brass construction and our RF-filtering circuitry. Because brass is so dense, GSM waves are blocked, attenuated or dissipated, so most of them never even reach the microphone element or its circuit. Meanwhile, our circuitry filters at the output of the microphone eliminate parasites from any residual wave that might find its way to the transducer’s circuitry and wiring.

  Needless to say, Clockaudio’s experience, research and development on RF immunity has been making our microphones sound “Clearly Different” for decades!

• 
  Crisis brings out the “Remote Warrior”

  Many of us are familiar with the concept of the “road warrior” made popular in 1982 by Mel Gibson in his Mad Max 2 movie. Corporate America was quick to catch on and coined the same phrase to identify someone who traveled extensively, conducting business on the road. Indeed, frequent flyers, and Sky Club members have certainly logged significant miles in pursuit of closing the deal or introducing a new product. However, in today’s challenging times, we see a new version of the warrior emerging. Enter the age of the “Remote Warrior”.

  In the past, managing life as a Road Warrior might have meant preparing travel and hotel arrangements, packing a bag, your laptop, chargers and compiling whatever documents or equipment you needed for your meeting. Adding in some travel size tissues, a box of Air-borne, and any other travel essentials you were ready to go…but, times have certainly changed.

  remote warrior -
  An individual who shelters in place with a laptop, microphone and webcam extensively for business, conducting meetings and day-to-day business on-line in a near endless stream of remote access, VPN’s, conference calls and videoconferencing, with occasional interruption by significant others, hungry kids, or random acts of affection from the household pet.

  In the current Covid-19 climate and for the foreseeable future, that arsenal of supplies will simply not be enough to survive much less thrive in the business world. And while so many are still primarily “sheltering in place”, we all must begin to consider what will be the “new normal” going forward.

  Perhaps the Road Warrior of the past will evolve to become the “Remote Warrior” where instead of packing a travel bag, professionals will become tech wizards of their remote workplaces. Here, home offices, and converted dining rooms will be outfitted with communication tools like web-cams, microphones, and other presentation equipment that can foster a more professional “home set up” from which to conduct endless Zoom meetings, staff meetings and other video-conferences.

  Going forward, the real “Remote Warriors” would be the professionals with the most tech gadgets and the best AV equipment. To meet this demand, we, as manufacturers, need to pivot and to see how the “new normal” will dictate new uses for existing products or help us channel our energies into developing new products that fit the changing needs.

  If we have found anything in the last several weeks, it is that working remotely can not only be convenient, it can virtually keep your company in business. Embracing a digital workspace not only gives professionals and companies a workable alternative for face-toface meetings, it reduces non-essential travel related costs, improves productivity, and reduces the carbon footprint as commuting and travel usage plummets.

  Videoconferencing is not new. Perhaps previously underutilized by your average employee, but certainly not a new technology The fact that Zoom (a company) has now become a verb “Can we zoom?” and “Sorry I was zooming” is indicating that our world has finally accepted that future success depends heavily on a productive remote work force. Looking at this further, this work force will need better, smarter tools, and those with the audio and visual quality to provide an experience that feels as good as “being there”.

  As our companies continue to run, without the need to sit in offices, serious considerations for corporate real estate will also need to be made. Social distancing protocols and a general unwillingness to touch surfaces will create the need for more voice-activated and hands-free access to buildings, offices, elevators and the equipment we use in our offices every day. Working in shifts, reducing floor densities and incorporating more rigorous sanitizing efforts are just a few of the changes we may see. Expect surges in remote working software, video conferencing technologies, and auxiliary devices such as mics, lighting and cameras, as we all strive to build the best remote versions of our work selves.

  What begs more consideration? What will be the tools these Remote Warriors need most? Will they be different from person to person and from industry to industry? Have we really considered what various sectors will need when it comes to the legal system, education, streaming, customer service, manufacturing, healthcare and more? These are great questions that need to be asked and technologists, visionaries, business owners and their remote teams need to answer to help guide the future as we all “get back to business”.

  For the Remote Warrior and the companies they work for, expect that at least some of the working patterns that have been established due to the pandemic will create a new set of rules for future business models and enormous opportunities for those that are ready for the challenge.

  At Clockaudio, we welcome your thoughts on what YOU think is most needed for remote office environments. What are the pain points? What technologies and standards should help drive the future of the remote workplace? Send your comments to info@clockaudio.com. We look forward to your feedback. Let’s tag the conversation #remotewarrior.

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• 
  Some More Elaboration on Collaboration: Products

  This month, we explore some of the products that meet the communication needs of today’s businesses. This was originally part of an interview that our own Simon LeDuc did with Commercial Integrator and has been repurposed to share with you in this month’s blog.

  How are products like the C002E-RF and the C009E-RF omni directional microphones helping modern office spaces meet their communication needs?

  The C002E-RF and C009E-RF are great solutions for the huddle rooms and small meeting tables, especially when used in combination with a third-party phantom powered XLR to USB preamp adaptor to connect to a soft codec. Because it’s an omni-directional microphone, when you use it in a small huddle room or collaborative room, it is more than enough to cover a 4 feet wide table. It’s a simple tabletop solution that can be easily installed without leaving a mark on the table. These are two solutions out of many that Clockaudio offers for today and tomorrow’s conference room, whether big or small.

  Are there ways to explain to customers the value of a quality collaboration system without getting too technical? How can you get people to start thinking about collaboration systems as a good idea, and not only just to save money over traveling from office to office?

  Sure, you can ask questions such as:
  Have you noticed how much longer you can focus on a meeting when it’s quiet around you?

  Can you recall a conference call, where you had a hard time understanding the person on the other end of the line?

  After the call, did you realize that most of your brainpower during the call was used trying to understand the person’s message because the sound quality was not good?

  Like an audio engineer doing forensic work on a Police TV show, your brain needs to filter out the noise and reconstruct the conversation using pattern recognition, all while maintaining a constructive dialog with the participants in the meeting you are in.

  A noisy line, noisy HVAC, reverberant room or bad microphone can interfere with a person’s message. This is called hearing fatigue, and this is where intelligibility (or lack thereof) can play an important role between having a successful meeting and having a frustrating one.

  Now by changing the HVAC to a more silent unit, by tweaking the acoustics of the room, by changing to a better conference system or by upgrading to a better microphone you can greatly improve the sound quality in your room and provide better intelligibility for participants. This is where a good conferencing setup can make all the difference in the world, and this all starts with choosing the right microphone for the job.

  Are there certain rules of thumb that integrators can follow when choosing boundary microphones, suspended microphones and tabletop microphones to best meet the communication needs of businesses?

  First: There are no “bad types” of microphones; every microphone has a specialty it is good at.

  For Cardioid boundary microphones (C004E-RF, C012E-RF, CS1S-RF, C008E-RF, CRM102-RF, ARM102-RF, etc.) the ‘’sweet spot’’ is:

  • single person per microphone = 18 inch from the edge of the table
  • 2 participants per microphone = 24 inch from the edge of the table
  • 2 participants max per microphone capsule:

  Note: If you go with 3 or more people per cardioid capsule, the person in front of the microphone will be much louder than everybody else, creating issues with your gain structure.

  For Omni directional boundary microphones = Put on a table not larger than 4 feet (depending on the acoustics of the room).

  • You can cover 3 participants per side of a table (not larger than 4 feet) per microphone.
  • Never mix cardioid and omni microphones as their differences in polar pattern will create audio issues when mixed together.
  • Remember, omni microphones will capture more room noise than cardioid so keep your microphones close to your participants.

  For our triple element suspended C303-RF & C303D-P microphones

  • -at 7.5ft from the ground, you can cover a 15ft circle or 10ft square (I find it easier to look at it as a 10ft square when overlapping many C303 in a room).

  Are digital technologies, including formats like Dante making the specification and installation of collaboration systems easier?

  Of course! It helps cut down on installation and project costs. We calculate a savings of around 35% by leveraging Dante in your video conferencing project.

  It also makes it much easier to transport audio and logic over long distances using our CDT100 Dante transporter box.

  Our CDT100 Dante Transporter can even let you customize the RGB LED of your Clockaudio touch buttons with up to 16 million color combinations. Even if the norm is red and green for mute & unmuted, using red and blue instead would make your installation ‘’ADA accessible’’ for people with color blindness. The LEDs, buttons and motorized control can all travel through network with the Dante audio using a single Cat5 cable! This is how easy it has become.

  How does Clock Audio foresee the collaboration market evolving over the next few years?

  I think we’ll continue to see a big rise of the soft codecs (Zoom, Skype for business). Conference rooms and huddle rooms will be more and more BYOD (bring your own devices) spaces with Dante and USB.

  ‘’Wireless everything’’ is just around the corner.

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