3.1 Audio Features

CollabOS audio settings let you customize supported devices, like microphones and speakers, to your preferences for each meeting room. With audio processing, you can adjust reverberation, suppress noise, boost speakers, and more.

Audio quality can be impacted by several factors, including network performance or the system, application, or device itself. Check the following to ensure that your CollabOS device is working properly.

• Check if you have the latest firmware. If not, or if you’re not sure, you can check System settings > Updates.

  • For devices in USB mode, read this article: 1.5 How to Update CollabOS Devices - CollabOS Guide

• Make sure the video conferencing application has your CollabOS device selected for both the microphone and speakerphone.

• ​​To check the audio/video configuration on a device in USB mode:

1. Open a separate audio/video recording app.

2. Start an audio/video recording.

3. Verify that the audio/video works.

4. Check the audio quality of the microphone locally.

• Note: Configure or toggle CollabOS audio processing features if they interfere with speakerphone performance in video conferencing applications.

• Try Rally Bar or Rally Bar Mini in a different room and see if the performance changes. Rooms with less reverberant surfaces (glass walls, tile, or concrete floors, for example) may produce different results.

Test Device Audio

1. Go to Logitech settings.

2. Tap on Display and Audio.  

3. Select Audio in the left menu.

4. Select “Test speakers” or “Test microphones.”

Access Audio Settings

With On-device Settings

1. Go to Logitech settings.

2. Tap on Display and Audio.

3. Select Audio in the left menu.

With Local Network Access

1. Login to your Local Network Access portal.

2. Select Display and Audio and select Audio.

With Sync Portal

1. Log into your Sync Portal account.

2. Select the organization and room in which the device is deployed.

3. Select the device.

4. Select Audio.

With Sync App

1. Connect Rally Bar or Rally Bar Mini to the room PC and open the Sync App (Download here).

2. Select the device.

3. Select Audio. 

Audio Processing

You can enable and configure the following features through the Sync App, Sync Portal, or on-device when in appliance mode.

Speaker Boost

This feature lets you increase the speaker volume on Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini up to 5 dB (approximately twice as loud as the default setting) while muting the built-in mics to eliminate interference. Speaker Boost becomes available when one or more Rally Mic Pods are added to the system.

Notes:

• This feature is available on CollabOS 1.3 or higher.

• Internal microphones will be disabled only when Mic Pods are connected.

To enable this feature in Appliance mode:

1. Open the on-device Settings App.

2. Select Display Audio.

3. Select Audio Processing.

AI Noise Suppression

This feature uses algorithms to suppress unwanted noise, such as keyboard clicks and HVAC humming, for remote participants.

Note:This feature is available on CollabOS 1.3 or higher.

To adjust this setting in Appliance mode:

1. Open the on-device Settings App.

2. Select Display Audio.

3. Select the Audio.

Reverberation Control

This feature reduces echo in meeting rooms created by sound reflecting off hard surfaces like glass walls.

Note:This feature is available on CollabOS 1.3 or higher.

To adjust this setting in Appliance mode:

1. Open the on-device Settings App.

2. Select Display Audio.

3. Select Reverb Control.

Audio EQ

This feature provides Bass Boost and Voice Boost options for Mic and Speakers to adjust frequency and optimize speech clarity in each meeting environment. This makes conversations easier to hear and understand.

Note:This feature is available on CollabOS 1.3 or higher.

To adjust this setting in Appliance mode:

1. Open the on-device Settings App.

2. Select Display Audio

3. Select Audio.

Audio Accessibility

For information regarding safelisted audio devices for RoomMate, check out the article RoomMate Hardware Support.

For information regarding Rally Board 65 3.5mm Line-Out port, enabling direct connection of hearing assistance devices, check out the guides in Rally Board 65 Hardware Support

When used in USB mode, Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini have the ability to simultaneously output sound from the built-in speakers and the USB A port on the video bar. This allows an assisted listening device to be connected to the USB port, with the built-in speakers on the video bar still functioning.

Note: This feature is supported on CollabOS 1.4 or higher.

Add-on Microphones (Rally Mic Pod, Rally Mic Pod 2)

See Devices, Compatibility & Features for more information about the number of supported Rally Mic Pod and Rally Mic Pod 2 devices.

Mic Zone

Mic Zone defines the zone in which the Rally Board 65 microphones will pick up actively speaking individuals, while ignoring those outside the established zone. Audio suppression of speakers outside the defined zone typically occurs within 0-3 seconds, with some additional buffer when a speaker is moving from inside to outside the defined zone, or vice versa.

Mic Zone is in Public Beta starting from CollabOS 2.1 onwards.

Requirements

• Rally Board 65

• CollabOS 2.1

Enabling Mic Zone Using CollabOS Settings

Mic Zone boundaries are defined with a “left,” “right” and “depth” value in meters, from the point of view of the device’s camera, specified in meters.

1. Access System Settings

   1. Steps vary depending on the Service Provider app

2. Tap Displays and Audio

3. Select Audio in the left menu

4. Enable Mic Zone

5. (Optional) Click the text beginning “Right:...” to change the Mic Zone detection area from the default values

   1. Adjust the Right, Left and Depth values and click Confirm

Enabling Mic Zone Using Local Network Access

Mic Zone boundaries are defined with a “left,” “right” and “depth” value in meters, from the point of view of the device’s camera, specified in meters.

1. Log in to Local Network Access (LNA)

2. Select Displays and Audio

3. Expand Audio

4. Enable Mic Zone

5. (Optional) Click the text beginning “Right:...” to change the Mic Zone detection area from the default values

   1. Adjust the Right, Left and Depth values and click Confirm

Mic Zone Limitations and Known Issues

• Mic Zone may only be configured from CollabOS settings or Local Network Access (LNA). Support for Sync App and Sync portal will be added in a future release.

• Mic zone boundaries have a margin of +/- 0.5m. Speakers standing at the edge of a mic zone boundary may experience unexpected audio suppression.

• When speakers are outside of the defined zone, but very close to the device (1.1m or less), it may take up to eight (8) seconds for their audio to be suppressed.

• When a speaker moves from inside the defined to outside the defined zone, their audio may be suppressed harshly, with no fade-out.

• If speakers inside the defined zone are not sufficiently separated from those outside it, the system may be unable to suppress the outside audio. A minimum horizontal separation of 20 degrees is required for suppression.

• Mic Zone is not available when a Rally Mic Pod 2 is connected to the system.

• When Mic Zone is active, microphone audio may have intermittent bursts of static. This issue will be resolved in a future release.

• When Mic Zone is active, non-speech noise inside the defined zone may occasionally cause speakers outside the defined zone to be heard. This issue will be resolved in a future release.

• When Mic Zone is active, speakers standing at the edge of a Mic Zone boundary may experience unexpected audio suppression, especially if they are facing away from the device. This issue will be resolved in a future release.

• When Mic Zone is active and a user changes the RightSight 2 camera mode (e.g. from Group View to Speaker View), it may cause a temporary lapse in audio suppression of speakers outside the defined zone. This issue will be resolved in a future release.

• When Mic Zone is active, the audio meters in CollabOS settings may still move in response to a speaker outside the defined zone who is being suppressed. This issue will be resolved in a future release.

Third-party USB audio devices

If your 3rd-party USB audio device isn’t recognized as an external audio device by RoomMate, Rally Bar or Rally Bar Mini, it may need to be added to the device safelist. To make a request to add a device, please reach out to our support team. Please include the following information about your device:

• Device Name

• USB VID (Vendor ID)

• USB PID (Product ID)

Note: Requests to have a device safe listed may take 2+ months.

To find the USB PID & VID on Windows:

1. Go to Control Panel > Device Manager and find your USB device.

2. Double click the device or right-click and select Properties.

3. Go to the “Details” tab and select Hardware ID to view its PID and VID.

To find PID & VID on Mac:

1. Go to About this Mac > Overview > System Report.

2. Under “Hardware,” select USB.

3. Find your USB device and select it to view its PID and VID.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why are the built-in microphones on Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini disabled when using Mic Pods with Speaker Boost?

   • Speaker Boost makes the speakers on Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini louder by up to 5 dB, which is approximately twice as loud as the default setting. However, at this high volume level, internal microphones may experience interference, resulting in reduced audio quality. To prevent this, Mic Pods are used instead of the built-in microphones. Without Mic Pods, Speaker Boost will not work, and the built-in microphones will not be disabled.

If you are facing any device-specific issue, we recommend opening a ticket with Prosupport.