Foreword
In modern business activities, with the continuous improvement of network bandwidth, video conferencing is becoming more and more frequent. It is no longer a business model that only belongs to multinational companies, ordinary small companies, and even individual freelancers, who have gradually joined the ranks of users. Although all the laptops have a camera and a microphone, when we really need to communicate with the customers face to face, a clear camera can give each other a good first impression. On the other hand, a high-quality video conference microphone can make there is no gap between the two sides in communication. It’s easier to close a deal.
1. Why do you need a meeting microphone?
Before solving the question of why a meeting microphone is needed, there are several issues that need to be clarified.
First of all, the sound has a direction, it refers to the direction in which the sound comes. Microphone as a sound pickup, its working mode is determined. The more it matches the sound direction, the better its sound pick-up effect will be.
Secondly, according to the different pick-up directions, the microphone can be divided into the directional microphone and the Omnidirectional microphone.
1.1 Directional microphone
Usually, the gooseneck microphone is used as the first choice for the directional microphone. When capturing the sound coming from the front, the gooseneck microphone will automatically block out the sound coming from the rear. It is very suitable for the capture of close-up audio, such as the scene where the speaker gives a speech on the podium such as in the auditorium. Through the cooperation of the microphone and loudspeaker, everyone present can hear the speaker clearly. But the disadvantage is that the speaker can only stand in front of the microphone. If the speaker is away from the microphone at a certain distance, the effect of the directional microphone will plummet.
In order to improve this situation, people invented the handheld microphone. The microphone allows the speaker to hold it in his hand and move around the venue. It looks wonderful, doesn’t it? But it also has its flaws. Because the handheld microphone is transmitted through wireless technology, its signal is likely to be interfered with, which is an unbearable noise. And, don’t forget, you need to recharge it, or it will go on strike.
In fact, wearable microphones also fall into the category of directional microphones, which are smaller and can be hung directly from the collar. Yes, this is a very clever design. This solves the problem that the speaker needs to demonstrate the action in the course of the speech. And you can move around. However, be careful not to exaggerate when using a wearable microphone, as the collar may come into contact with the microphone and make an unpleasant sound. At the same time, don’t forget to charge the battery.
1.2 Omnidirectional microphone
As a kind of office equipment rising in recent years, the desktop microphone has been considered by people again after the COVID-19 epidemic. Especially after the network video conference becomes more and more popular. More and more enterprises begin to use video conferencing to deal with their daily work. With the addition of more small and medium-sized companies, they do not have large conference rooms or sufficient funds to afford the expensive audio equipment. At this point, a desktop microphone may be the best choice.
Although the desktop microphone is an omnidirectional microphone, it is inevitable to pick up some noise. However, as experts in the audio field, manufacturers use software algorithms to eliminate these noises. In order to adapt to the narrow space of small and medium-sized conference rooms, an echo cancellation algorithm will be added to avoid picking up echoes by microphones and make the sound clearer. At the same time, it will also gain the sound picked up, making the sound more realistic and giving users the feeling of ‘face-to-face’ communication.
2. How to choose a conference microphone, you need to consider the following two necessary conditions
2.1 Evaluate your usage space
a. Personal office
If you just want to have a video conference in your office, the headphone microphone is actually a good choice, it can eliminate most of the noise, and with the help of the audio processing features included in most video software, can achieve a good effect. Of course, if your work environment is noisy, it is still possible to transmit the ambient sound to the other person’s ear.
b. Small and medium-sized conference room
If you own a conference room, or want to convert a room into a conference room, but do not want to invest too much money and energy. Then we think the desktop microphone would be a better choice. Desktop microphones are generally plug-and-play, saving you wiring trouble. At the same time, the desktop microphone will generally do secondary development for the video conference software, so that it can quickly match with the software. Let you start your meeting in the shortest possible time.
c. Large meeting room
In large conference rooms, there are generally higher requirements for sound quality. You can consider using gooseneck wheat to pick up the sound. But this requires a lot of money. At the same time, it will result in a high cost for later use. In order to solve this problem, you can consider using a desktop microphone for cascading voice pickup. Although there will be a small loss of sound quality, but in return for efficiency and cost savings.
2.2 Estimated number of users
The number of users should also be taken into consideration in purchasing. If you only use headphones for personal use, headphones can meet almost all your needs.
If you consider using it in a small and medium-sized conference room, the Desktop microphone will be more appropriate in terms of cost savings and security. Especially for some emerging enterprises, more money and time can be spent on business discussion, rather than on equipment installation and commissioning.
Summary
In most video conferencing installations, it is necessary to choose the right microphone, which will have a big impact on your business.
Although the built-in microphone in the laptop can also make voice calls, when serious cooperation is needed, high-quality microphones become part of the strength of the enterprise. Can let the customer feel the strength of the enterprise directly through the effect of the meeting, and make the customer feel respected.
