Related Posts

• 
  Hut, Hut, Hike: How Huddle Rooms Have Changed the Field of Play for Conference Rooms

  Just a few decades ago, organizing a meeting meant you had to try and schedule all participants to be present in the same room at the same time. A task that was often easier said than done. For a national or global company and people in various locations around the world, meetings used to require travel and time spent out of the office, adding significant costs.

  Fortunately, technology has since evolved, creating new ways to set up and participate in meetings. Enter the world of Audio/Video Conferencing, which has become the standard medium for exchanging thoughts and ideas in today’s fast-paced world.

  Following the creation of Audio/Video Conferencing came the birth of webinars and on-line classes, and distance learning class sessions via webcams installed in schools, universities, hospitals and other institutions. The need and demand for sharing knowledge instantly with the rest of the world beckoned, and technology answered and changed the way we conduct meetings.

  With a plethora of communication devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets, communication is possible virtually anywhere. Now, wherever you go and wherever you are, you can instantaneously join a meeting regardless of its time and location. This approach to meetings has led an industry and our workplaces to embrace a new kind of meeting room – the Huddle Room.

  Extremely user friendly, the Huddle Room has become a widely-used platform for less formal and more impromptu meetings. Providing a space to “jump in” and brainstorm ideas, or solve small issues and business challenges, the room is always “at the ready” so that you can conference at a moment’s notice.

  Today’s ‘ready-to-use’ Huddle Rooms are at our fingertips. The host sends a simple email invitation to all participants, reserves the room and participants meet to ‘huddle up’ and discuss what they need to. The field of play is a room that typically hosts three, four or six participants. The meetings are brief and designed to get everyone on the same page or “back in the game” and working on tasks and initiatives once the huddle (meeting) breaks.

  There are several benefits that go far beyond the reduced cost of construction for Huddle Rooms. Fostering culture change is one such benefit and that contributes to more effective communication and greater teamwork and collaboration. This in turn can increase productivity and efficiency while providing the right atmosphere for creative problem solving. The new smaller and more intimate design of these spaces allow larger spaces, like boardrooms and main conference rooms, to be left available for their own appropriate uses.

  For huddle rooms and the results that meetings in these spaces can deliver, their smaller size is not an issue. In fact, they can be as effective, or more effective, as larger boardrooms but at a fraction of the square footage, furniture and design cost.

  With the increasing quality of audio and video technologies, either with soft codecs or more sophisticated equipment, these rooms are often a much less-expensive solution and are rapidly becoming the standard. It is common for companies to incorporate multiple Huddle Rooms to foster an on-going sense of collaboration and to make spaces accessible and available to everyone on staff.

  Now people can simply make a phone call, send an instant message or email to the parties involved just minutes before walking into a huddle room, and instantly connect to share documents and ideas. Participants can see each other in real-time, as if they were in the same room, with the added benefit of visual cues that are not available on a traditional conference call.

  However, as cost effective as huddle rooms can be, sound quality and intelligibility are areas that should never be value engineered. Whether using an omni-directional microphone, such as the CRM200S-RF, the C002E-RF or the C009E-RF for smaller spaces, or a multiple cardioid-element mic for larger, less-quiet spaces, Clockaudio provides a variety of solutions for Huddle Rooms that are reliable, flexible and that provide great sound quality so that your meeting’s message is heard loud and clear.

  One multi-element microphone that will perform remarkably well in a huddle room is Clockaudio’s suspended C303-RF. It has three elements that cover a full 360°, using three cardioid polar patterns with an acceptance angle of 120 degrees each.

  A boundary-table microphone would also be a great addition in a huddle room and would ensure superb intelligibility. The CS3(S)-RF is another perfect solution as it can cover three quarters of the conference table with three half-cardioid patterns.

  
  

  Industry analysts estimate that for every group-video room, there are 20 – 25 huddle rooms. With approximately 1.5 - 2 million group-video rooms worldwide, the number of huddle rooms is projected to be 30-50 million. *1 The growth for these rooms may be rooted in our up-and-coming majority business-stake holder – the Millennial. Collaboration-minded and with a desire for peer-to-peer feedback, Huddle Rooms provide the high-tech experience and team-based environment Millennials value. With this group expected to dominate the workforce by 2025 (75%)*2 , there is no doubt the Huddle Room will be here for the long-foreseen future.

  For Clockaudio and for our industry, that translates to a tremendous opportunity to create rooms that support this changing workforce and that have the technology and sound quality that will deliver improved and Clearly Different results for years and years to come.

  *1 – Wainhouse Research - Understanding the Huddle Room: Maximizing the Value of these Underutilized Spaces (2015)
  *2 – Hartford Business - http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20140818/PRINTEDITION/140819969/millennials-totake-over-by-2025

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• 
  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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• 
  From Baby Boomers to Millennials: How to Choose the Right Conferencing Mic

  Installing a conferencing microphone system isn’t what it used to be because offices have changed. Learn what millennials expect from a conferencing mic.

  Cubicles are coming down, working lunches over laptops are the norm, and jeans are acceptable Monday through Friday – and that’s when we even bother putting on pants and coming in to the office at all.

  It’s not your father’s office anymore.

  Even offices that don’t have cubicle-free open floor plans are shifting their cultures to be more collaborative, and a new generation of specifiers are designing spaces and meeting rooms with moveable furniture and integrated AV equipment for maximum configurability.

  However, many times this focus on collaboration is coming at the expense of quality audio and negatively impacting the ability to record and distribute high-end audio.

  Losing touch of what makes a quality conferencing microphone system

  “Everybody wants their space to look like Google, [and that means] that they’re losing touch with the requirements for a quality conferencing mic in the workplace,” says Christopher Maione, principal of Northport, New York-based Christopher Maione Associates.

  “Whether it be an open conference room or an enclosed conference room, the next generation of AV and IT decision makers are not seeing the need or the importance of what I would call a real conferencing microphone system versus a junk mic they can get on Amazon.”

  Maione suggests that this could be a contributing factor to part of a seemingly larger devaluation of quality audio technology among younger IT professionals in the AV industry.

  “The basic goal of any conference or meeting is to collaborate, and share, and discuss information,” says Mike Solomon, co-founder of Cardone, Solomon & Associates, Inc.

  “It’s really important that people are heard and clearly understood, whether they’re sitting in a room together, or whether people are, for example, in multiple locations, New York, Chicago, London, Zurich, San Francisco, and another room in Tokyo, in a multi-time zone, global, collaborative video conference.”

  The future of conferencing mics is tied to AV furniture

  Paradoxically, the loss of high-quality audio in these collaborative spaces can undermine the very collaboration it is meant to enhance, especially since so many of these meetings are dialing in remote employees and partners.

  The problem here is that when the heavy oak conference tables got tossed to the wayside, so too did the built-in microphones.

  “First of all, it is very important to understand that the best conferencing mic position in any application is as close as possible to the source”, says Robert Moreau, Managing Director of Clockaudio.

  “Yet, today’s meeting rooms often trade the conference table with multiple mic points, or the traditional dais with a built-in mic, in favor of moveable furniture that typically is not mounted with microphones.

  “However, the further the microphone is from the source, you end up picking up more room sound and less direct sound. This creates a real challenge when trying to communicate effectively,” Moreau says.

  But conferencing mic placement is not the only challenge for a great conferencing microphone system, because beyond just the logistics, there seems to be a general lack of appreciation for the utility of high-quality audio among some AV / IT professionals.

  Generational differences… They do play a role

  When asked why there might be a disparate valuation regarding audio quality between the generations, Maione adds his insight.

  “As baby boomers, many of us have lived in a world before video conference even existed. We used to do things only by audio conference. Along the way, we learned that 80 percent or better of the communication comes from audio, and in many instances, 100 percent because we never had video.”

  Maione adds, “Now that we do have video, I don’t think the majority of millennials realize how important the audio portion is simply because now they have both (audio and video). I imagine if we took away the video, they’d realize just why older generations feel the audio quality is so critical in the design process and to the overall “experience”, something that Millennials do seem to be very focused on.”

  Outside of the professional realm, Moreau says that it’s the personal experiences of the different generations that also leads to different expectations for audio quality.

  “Gen X-ers, and especially Baby Boomers, value audio in a major way because we were raised in a Hi- Fidelity era,” says Moreau.

  “This was the craze at the time and the evolution of audio was pretty amazing. We saw recordings go from mono to stereo, from vinyl to CD, with amplifiers, speakers and everything else getting better and better sonically.

  Essentially, for Baby Boomers and many Gen X-ers, a great conferencing microphone system at the time was similar to today’s iPod, iPhone, iPad, app craze.”

  In some ways, the evolution of office culture mirrors the evolution of audio – as portability has improved and audio has merged with video, sound quality has “devolved”.

  “Today, younger generations in the AV work force are listening to poor quality iTunes, compressed audio over earbuds, and they have a completely different understanding of what good audio is,” Maione says.

  Targeting Millennials better

  Providing some insight into the Millennial mind, Wes Lambert, project engineer at Manhattan-based Spectra Audio Design Group shares, “As Millennials, we don’t necessarily think of audio and video as being two separate things.”

  “We have cellphones right now you could take out of your pocket and you could use to FaceTime with someone. You don’t think of it as being two different technologies necessarily. You just look at it as being one product that just works, and you can communicate with somebody.”

  While acknowledging that there may be challenges with convincing Millennials about the importance of sound quality, Maione says it’s important to acknowledge that this up and coming generation has helped direct a new world of wireless connections with better integration and more user-friendly interfaces – or no interfaces at all.

  All of which he feels is a byproduct of new users, innovators and products.

  “I think what we’ve learned from the next generation is that we need to cut the cord,” Maione says.
  “We used to plug in a LAN cable because we needed internet connection, and now, nobody plugs in a LAN cable. Everything is wireless.”

  “I think that the fact [Millennials] like to streamline and make things easier forces us to revisit how we do things, and to improve on the methods we have used in the past, which I think is great,” says Moreau. “This is all part of moving forward.”

  Lambert, himself a Millennial, agrees there’s often a lack of importance placed on a conferencing microphone system in new spaces, but he doesn’t think it’s a generational divide.

  “I think, in general, people just look at a microphone as being a microphone, you know, ‘How fancy could it be? I’m just going to spend the least amount possible.

  “You know, we don’t even want to look at this thing, so why do I need to spend a bunch of money on it,’ is kind of maybe what people think.

  “Then when they start using the product, and they realize, ‘Oh, okay, I see there’s definitely downfalls to not spending enough on a conferencing mic – like the breakdown of clear communication. It’s then that we start to see the importance and understand why it makes sense to invest more money in a better conferencing mic.”

  Generational gap or no, the upshot is: there’s a problem here that needs fixing.

  “This situation puts enormous challenges on conferencing mic designers and manufacturers to create microphones that operate in a variety of acoustic spaces, not just the traditional four walled conference room with an 8 to 12-foot ceiling, but in a lot of more open spaces,” says Solomon.

  Moreau says that his technical engineers have seen a huge trend and movement toward huddle spaces, which has created a need for a conferencing microphone system that provides flexibility and that can meet a variety of needs. He suggests that the solution may come, at least in part, from above.

  “Hanging microphones are a very good compromise that enables designers to take the microphones off the table but still keeping them closer to the source,” Moreau says.

  “As far as conferencing mic positioning is concerned it is important to make sure they are deployed at equal distances from the participants. This way they will all have about the same ratio of direct and room sound.” And this is a ratio that improves communication dramatically.

  Solomon expects a new wave of smart, directional microphones on the market soon that will help solve a lot of the current problems. And, thanks to the relentless push of our Millennial friends towards seamless interfaces and better overall user-experiences, the future is looking, well, futuristic.

  “I mean, if you look at some of the old Star Trek films, and some of the technology that was being portrayed by the creators of that series, I think we’re moving more and more in that direction, I really do,” Solomon says.

  Indeed, if we embrace a future where technology, integration and ease of use is paramount to both manufacturers that design products and the professionals that specify and integrate them, we will find a middle ground for audio quality that supports better communication and collaboration.

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• 
  An Audinate Featured Blog: The Benefits of Dante

  Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that Dante has become a widely accepted, industry standard protocol that enables digital audio distribution via standard Ethernet networks allowing for audio, control and other data to share the same network.

  So, as part of our “back to school” basics this month, we wanted to highlight the benefits of Dante and a few of the reasons we choose to include it in a number of our AV solutions such as our CDT-100, C303D, C303d-P and TIM-1000. Here are some of the compelling benefits this protocol offers our AV solutions.

  Ease of Use. Signal routing and system configuration with Dante is fast, simple, and incredibly flexible. Dante Controller software automatically discovers each device on the network, enabling you to instantly route audio, label devices, and configure the network, all with a few mouse clicks. Dante Controller is a free downloadable application.

  The De Facto Standard. With Dante, the dream of interoperability is here today. Dante is adopted by more AV manufacturers than any other networking technology, giving you the choice to install any of hundreds of Dante-enabled products available from the world’s leading manufacturers. All Dante-enabled products are compatible, enabling you to mix devices from multiple manufacturers in a single network.

  Economical. With one cable, Dante does One cable does it all. Dante does away with bundles of heavy, expensive analog or multicore cabling, replacing it with low-cost, easily available CAT5e, CAT6, or fiber optic cable –- just one cable per device — for a simple, lightweight, and economical solution. Dante integrates media and control for your entire system over a single, standard IP network.

  Versatility. Dante systems are highly scalable, from a simple pairing of a console to a computer, to complex networks running thousands of audio channels. Networks can be expanded and reconfigured any time, with just a few mouse clicks, using logical routes instead of physical point-to-point connections.

  Outstanding Quality. Because audio is transmitted digitally, you don’t have to worry about interference from other electrical equipment, crosstalk between cables, or signal degradation over long cable runs. Many Dante-enabled devices support “glitch–free” redundancy, enabling an identical secondary network to run concurrently and take over immediately if needed, with no interruption in the audio data flow.

  Full Integration with Windows and Mac. Digital Audio Workstations, software-based media players, Skype, and other applications are easily integrated into the network via Dante Virtual Soundcard or Dante PCIe cards, with full support of ASIO and WDM on Windows and Core Audio on Mac OS X.

  Dante in action
  In a Dante-enabled device, the hardware takes digital audio and ‘packetizes’ it. Basically, it segments the audio and wraps it in IP (Internet Protocol) packets suitable for transmission across an Ethernet network. The packets contain timing information and source and destination network addresses, allowing them to be efficiently routed through the network to the correct destination.

  When a device receives Dante audio packets, it reconstructs them back into a continuous digital audio stream, which is then played out, recorded, or digitally processed, depending on that device’s role in the audio system.

  Hardware Dante devices support exceptionally low latency (on the order of microseconds, rather than milliseconds), and common low-latency applications (for example, real-time monitoring during recording) are easily supported.

  Dante Controller is a free audio routing and device management software application that automatically discovers devices on the network. Setting up a Dante network is typically just a matter of plugging devices into an Ethernet switch and connecting a computer to the same switch. All devices appear quickly in Dante Controller, for immediate audio routing. Dante Controller also handles network monitoring functions, including latency, clock health, packet errors, and bandwidth usage.

  Basically, what you need to know is that Dante is all IP-based and makes use of common IT standards. Each Dante device behaves much like any other network device you would already find on your network.

  For more about Dante, we encourage you to check out the Audinate website at www.audinate.com.

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• 
  Have It Your Way: Customization Never Scares Us

  When most manufacturers shy away from customization, Clockaudio embraces it, and this month we thought we would share why and how this ability contributes to our long-time success. Every now and then an application will call for a specification of a microphone that is non-existent. This might be a particular place where any standard microphone cannot be mounted to perform adequately, or a specific demand that meets the need for a seemingly extreme solution.

  Clockaudio is always receptive to end-users, consultants, designers, or project managers, that come to us with unusual requests and suggestions. Whether it’s a specific color to match the company colors in a boardroom, a specific length of a gooseneck mic, or even redesigning the physical build of a microphone to fit a tight space or requirement, Clockaudio is ready to step up to the challenge.

  Our ability to answer specific needs with custom products enables us to address our customer’s requirements at a truly granular level. It also lets us add to and extend our line of microphone solutions.

  In essence, every new customized model that we create can become another viable, available solution. Although not always advertised, we are then able to recommend the custom solutions to others when they are faced with a similar need on another project.

  Necessity is truly the mother of invention and some designs that started as custom products, became so much in demand that they are now part of our standard inventory.

  For example, we received a request from one client that needed a table microphone with a robust, durable construction that could withstand the wear and tear of high traffic areas. So, our designers and product development specialists went to work and created the C012E-RF, affectionately known as our “assault version” of the ever-popular C004E-RF.

  Another example where customization for a client evolved into a new line for us, is our distinctive CRM series. From suggestions by end-users, consultants, and designers for a motorized version, we created a dual and tri-element model and a flush-mount that recesses completely into the surface.

  Microphones are being integrated into more environments and applications than ever before. In addition, the evolution of microphone technology and design, along with the changing way in which we interact, has pushed us to create products that are even more versatile and adaptable to different environments.

  At Clockaudio, we believe there is a solution for every application, and we are ready to collaborate to help design the products that meet and exceed the needs for our clients’ and partners’ projects.

  So, if the available 27-inch gooseneck is a little short for your application, we can make them the exact length you need.

  If the ceiling is high and requires more than the available 25’ drop on a C3S suspended microphone, we’ve got you covered and we’ll make the cable longer to fit your application.

  It is important to add that in addition to modifying its physical attributes, the customization of a microphone can also be at an aesthetic level. Here, we can customize finishes and make the microphones either color match the surroundings or blend into the décor.

  Thinking you need a custom color? No problem. Clockaudio uses the unique Nextel finish in Black as a standard finish for many products, but did you know that the Nextel finish palette extends to 31 different colors and shades? What’s more, other finishes such as satin or flat, are available in any of the 1,625 colors on the RAL chart and can be done with a small minimum requirement.

  When it comes to custom finishes, just remember that whatever the purpose, we can color your world. Remember, our attention to your details is just another way that makes Clockaudio, Clearly Different!

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• 
  Nothing Cookie Cutter About This

  In a world that has been as unpredictable as we have seen in the last four months, we all realize the importance of flexibility. Whether that means flexibility in how we live our lives, how we educate our children, how we interact in public, or how we conduct business on-site and remotely.

  What has become very obvious, is the need for solutions that can fit our lives in and out of quarantine. The suggestion that perhaps there will be a need to shelter in place again in the future, should Covid-19 have a second wave in the Fall, makes every business owner realize that a robust “Plan B” has to be in place and ready to go at a moment’s notice.

  
  

  
  

  As part of your business strategy and “Plan B”, ensuring that your home is set up, ready to go and functioning as professionally as it can be is key to putting your best foot forward, even in difficult times. As a “remote warrior” your home office set up should minimize distractions and include proper lighting and quality audio / video equipment.

  As more and more companies embrace working remotely as part of their post-Coronavirus corporate culture, the phenomenon of “listener fatigue” (usually reserved for avid music listeners and construction workers) may just be on the rise. However, in considering the unique circumstances our fellow-professionals are facing around the world, we feel it may be fair to redefine this as “Zoombie fatigue”.

  
  

  Just think of the sheer number of video-conferencers and “Zoombies” around the world as they participate in a variety of daily meetings with participants that have an even wider array of audio and sound equipment and you’ll soon realize that the individual participant’s video and sound quality can certainly contribute to an effective or a plain awful meeting.

  Having the right tools, let me rephrase that, having the right prosumer tools, that are easy to customize and integrate into your home office will go a long way in making sure that even when your meeting has to be conducted remotely, the message and the content are clear.

  
  

  
  

  “Zoombie fatigue” Also known as remote-working-audio-video-itus is a phenomenon that occurs after prolonged exposure to too many “zoom-like” meetings with inferior or poor quality equipment such as microphones.

  
  

  Symptoms include tiredness, irritability, distractedness and rushing-to-end-the-meeting-sooner-than-it-should-end-ness.

  Common groups at risk of becoming victim to this phenomenon include professionals directed to shelter in place and work remotely for a long period of time unexpectedly.

  
  

  When it comes to audio, these tools should include a microphone that offers you elevated audio quality for an improved user and listener experience. This happens when you have professional commercial grade equipment, and when you can control the distance between you and your microphone. This enables you to minimize “room” noise, echo and reverb. For ease of integration, having the ability to connect any microphone of your choice via USB makes the elevation of your audio experience that much easier and incredibly customized to fit your unique needs.

  At Clockaudio, we never believe in “cookie-cutter” solutions. We see the value in building products that can be an essential part of your technology eco-system and that can be individually suited for your purposes. Whether that be for your corner office or your remote office, we’ve got you covered in a “clearly different” way.

  
  

  For more on Clockaudio’s USB integrated microphone options, contact us today.