Ever since we rolled out our CM1-6W and CM1-6WS ceiling mics, we’ve been working to give you more information about them. This post is the first in a series of five with tips on how to use your Biamp mics to best effect in any given space.

The Impact of Room Acoustics
Acoustically treating a room can exponentially increase the performance and intelligibility of the audio. Concrete floors, glass walls, and high ceilings do not make for an ideal environment for ceiling mics. These surfaces reflect instead of absorb audio, and therefore cause reverberation, which reduces intelligibility and makes it difficult to understand meeting participants.

By using acoustical modeling software, you can accurately analyze the performance of a room’s sound system before you decide which kind of mic would be best for that space. Does sound reverberate due to short-term reflections? Or does it echo due to longer-term reflections? Creating a pre-installation acoustical model of the space is the best way to ensure that the sound solution you design is the right one, with the right kind of mics (more on that in a future post).

Not all integrators offer pre-installation acoustical modeling to their customers, but we at Biamp strongly recommend it. It’s a quality assurance and customer service opportunity, which translates down the road into customer loyalty.

In the event that your customers’ space is not acoustically suited for a ceiling mic solution, you’ll know that in advance of your ordering, and be able to offer a table-top mic solution or treat the room for improved acoustics.

Stay tuned for my next ceiling mic best practices post on determining appropriate mic placement. You can find our first ceiling mic overview post here.