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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.

   

   

• 
  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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• 
  Joel Osteen, Microphones & HOW to Bring the House Down

  In AV, and for many of our microphone applications, a popular market channel for us is House of Worship. When you think of a HOW, I bet you are probably not thinking about the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, right? But in this age of mobile churches and pop up locations, nearly any venue can become a center for spiritual awakening.

  So, recently I had a chance to go to the “Night of Hope” at the Barclays Center and see none other than Joel Osteen, the charismatic, sometimes loved, sometimes not, ever-smiling American preacher and televangelist. Now I’ve been to the Barclays Center before for several different types of events from hockey games to a Bruno Mars concert, but on this night, what surprised me was how the staging for this monumental event was so minimal.

  Nothing was over-done, not the backdrop, and not the sound system. Of course, there were the much-needed jumbotron images of Joel and his crew (since I was seated in the nose bleeds), but there was also a humble simplicity to the AV technology they utilized (although the flashing lights from the sound board could have lit up a small city).

  Promptly at 7:30PM Joel stepped out after one musical introductory number, greeted the crowd and started the evening. He had a lavalier microphone, neatly centered below his chin, on his chest between the lapels of his suit. His voice was loud and clear, and he moved with ease despite having the lavalier attached to him. Simplicity and a lot of practice.

  In addition to the spoken sermon being delivered by Joel, the evening had an on-going musical element where Joel’s son and daughter were joined by other musicians on stage. For these numbers, each musician “manned” his own microphone and mic stand, and then carried them back and forth from the front to the back of the stage for each song.

  Visually, the jumbotrons helped me to make out the facial expressions of Joel and his preaching crew, and several times over the evening I caught myself hyper-focused on watching the “jumbotron” version of Joel and not the real deal. He just seemed so small there on the stage, but his voice was still powerful and crystal clear. Sound quality capture at its finest

  Honestly, what I really like about Joel is that his first love was working behind the scenes as the AV techno-geek that ran the television production for his father’s ministry. Joel understood that in order for the words to be understood, they had to first be captured in just the right light, caught at just the right video angle, and heard at just the right sound. Under his AV skills and guidance, the television ministry flourished.

  When his dad passed away suddenly, the world looked to Joel to step out from behind the scenes and take up the proverbial microphone. And so, he did. He stepped away from his father’s traditional pulpit pounding, gooseneck mic and stepped onto the world stage in his own style…with his lavalier.

  The HOW environment has been changing and evolving more than ever in recent years. With expanded venues, portable services, video-walls and more and more complex AV systems, today’s integrators must be prepared for a holy host of challenges. One thing’s for sure, with Clockaudio by their side, they will certainly hear the calling for something that is “clearly different.”

  A Guest Blog by Jodi Jacobs, Crystal Vision Marketing & Marketing Maven for Clockaudio N.A.

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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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• 
  Telling the “Hole” Story About Conference Tables

  Perhaps the foundation for every great conference room or board room in Fortune 1000 companies around the world is the “table.” Painstakingly chosen, it is often one of the most distinctive pieces in the room and often the subject of much deliberation when planning the conference space. As the central gathering spot for important meetings, shareholder gatherings and executive briefings, the conference table is considered by many, the crown jewel of a room that could easily cost milliions simply in its design, furnishings and technology.

  Agonizing over sizes and finishes, custom shapes, and rare woods, architects around the world spend a tremendous amount of time specifying and selecting tables that will make a statement for the clients they serve. Clients can spend tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars on these tables. So it is no small wonder that when it comes to outfitting the boardroom with technology and adding microphones to the space that there can be huge push back from the architect when the integrator says, “I’m going to have to drill a hole in that table.”

  Any audiophile worth their salt knows that throwing an iphone on the table top and using that as a conference device, or using off-the-shelf non-commercial grade teleconferencing equipment will quickly sabotage the quality of the audio as well as the overall functionality and performance of the room. In order for a conference or boardroom to perform as if it is “state-of-the-art”, it needs to integrate high quality technology and this warrants the use of equipment, cabling and other AV /IT devices.

  With the knowledge and need for technology a given, the conversation then turns to lessons on how to balance form and function while preserving the room’s aesthetic. Part of that aesthetic lies in the ability to have “clean lines” in the room. Minimizing or completely hiding cables in the bases of the table are one way to help do this. Installing retractable microphones in the ceiling and integrating table top microphones that can retract and become flush with the table surface are others. But before you take the core drill out and start cutting your table, there ar a few steps you should consider:

  Step One:
  First, clearly identify what you want the microphones in the room to be able to do. This will require you to identify the type of meetings the room will hold. Will it be a lecture style or more of a public forum? How many people does the room need to accomodate? Will they be sitting or standing? How many speakers will need to be able to address the room at one time and from how many locations in the room? Understanding how you want the room to function overall will help you identify the right technology to integrate.

  Step Two:
  Consider the size of the overall room – and of course the table. Assess the space you have to work with to make sure you specify the proper equipment and that you are taking into consideration any challenges or limitations that exist in the space and working around them.

  A special note to our Architect clients: May we suggest that you specify and select conference tables that have an even amount of seating. This will allow you to use one microphone for every two participants and you will be able to maximize the coverage. Besides, having an “odd man out” seat at the table will just create disharmony, cost more and will throw off the symmetry of the mic layout.

  Step Three:
  Identify your different microphone options. Do you want something really durable that sits on the table or something that artfully disappears into the table to keep a flush surface? Would you prefer a mic system that was completely retractable and hidden above the ceiling until needed? Are you looking for a control system to monitor all of the microphones or would you like more localized and manual controls? Whatever you are looking for, be specific and ask for customization when it is needed. The right microphones can be a truly important investment and you want to make sure you get exactly what you need where you need it.

  Step Four through Ten
  Measure, measure, measure, measure, measure, measure, measure, measure, measure, measure then cut.

  You’ve heard the expression measure twice cut once? When it comes to microphones you are definately going to want to make sure that you are certain where you are going to cut the holes and what size they need to be BEFORE you start to avoid making your conference table look like swiss cheese.

  Important note: When measuring, you want to make sure that you not only meausre the size of the hole you need, but you also measure the distance from the edge of the table. For boundary microphones and other table top microphones, placement should be between 18” and 24” from the edge of the table. Anything shorter may quickly become problematic when participants gather round the table with their laptops and can’t fit them between the mic placement and the table edge.

  Ideally 18” is the sweet spot for a single person’s mic (although you could use 24” for a single person but sound quality and gain would be optimum at 18”). Meanwhile 24” is the sweet spot for two people when sharing a mic (because at 18” for two people it would be too close for the pickup angle)

  Perhaps more than anything else when you are looking to integrate microphones you will want to make sure you have a strategic partner in your manufacturer. Make sure they include complete directions with their shipments (we do!), that they have a truly responsive customer and technical support line (we do!), that they have on-line resources, videos and tutorials (we do!) and that they can offer you customized options if your project so needs.

  Not everyone can say that, but at Clockaudio we can say that customization is a HOLE lot of what makes us clearly different.

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• 
  Creating order and better sound quality in the court.

  From the judge and jury box to the counselor table and witness stand, microphones are a key technology that helps drive the courtroom.

  When justice is being decided based on evidence presented during a trial, hearing that evidence is critical. The types of microphones and the layout of the microphones also plays an important part as does the ability to mute and unmute a microphone with certainty to the mic’s status (live or off).

  When it comes to tackling the acoustic environment of your courtroom with professional audio equipment, several types of Pro AV microphones can be used to address the different locations within a courtroom.

  As you approach the Bench
  When presiding over the case or providing details as a witness, being able to relay information in a normal speaking voice is possible only with a proper placed microphone.

  To address these areas, Clockaudios’ medium length Halo gooseneck, the C33E-SR-HALO-RF, can be installed in a SM80-X5 shock mount and provide a perfect solution.

  Bench shows a SM80-X5 base & C33ESR-Halo-RF.

  Designed for use in conference halls, broadcasting, and paging systems, this Cardioid Condenser Microphone can also tackle the high court. With a high brightness LED halo the mic gives easy visual indication of the person talking.

  To suit every case, Clockaudio’s Halo goosenecks are available in 6 different lengths, and an option for a short gooseneck is also available (see the C301E-HALO).

  Other shock mounts can be used and clients can select from the SM80-X5, the SM80S-X5, the SM10-X5, the SM75-X5, the SM95 and the SM70.

  

  Attorney Client Privilege – Addressing the Counselor Table

  To ensure privacy during client and attorney discussions and to ensure clarity when vocalizing an objection, a short Halo gooseneck, such as the C32E-SR-HALO-RF can be installed in an SM80-X5 shock mount.

  These full flex & semi-rigid Gooseneck Cardioid Microphones are also fitted with a high brightness LED Halo.

  Other features include:

  • Response optimized for consistent sound quality.
  • Unobtrusive slimline design.
  • Superior grade components.
  • Engineered in high quality brass.
  • Included Phantom Power Adaptor.
  • Choice of Finishes: Satin Black or also available in Nextel Suede Coating finishes (Custom Orders Only)

  Shown above: C32E-SR-HALO-RF with SM80-X5 Shock Mount

  Locking It Up
  Worth mentioning for some courtroom applications or other installations is the SM10-locking (shown at right) solution.

  The SM10-locking is a very low profile, through table microphone shock mount that comes with 3 Pin or 5 Pin XLR input and 3 Pin or 5 Pin Male XLR output.

  The mic is compatible with all 3 Pin or 5 Pin XLR equipped Clockaudio Gooseneck Microphones and shares the same barrel diameter as Clockaudio’s C003E-RF, C004E-RF, C011E-RF, C012E-RF, SM20-RF. Choose this solution when a more permanent and “locked-in” microphone solution is desired.

  

  Case Closed
  In or out of the courtroom the evidence is clear. Clockaudio has clearly different solutions to ensure that your cases (and your microphones) are always presented in the best light.

  Stay tuned for a future feature on the many shock mounts available from Clockaudio! For more on Clockaudio, visit www.clockaudio.com.

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