Amplifying Voices: Logitech's Approach to Meeting Audio Equity in Larger Meeting Spaces

Without sound, a video conference call is useless. Clear audio and the ability for participants at one end of the call to clearly hear every participant at the other end of the call is a critical component for a productive virtual meeting. 

However, medium and large meeting spaces can present unique audio issues where the placement of microphones and the room’s layout can negatively impact the ability to capture participants in the back of the room. These meeting room audio challenges can lead to an inequitable and unproductive meeting. 

The Logitech conference room portfolio excels at providing the adaptability teams need for various work styles and spaces. This flexibility extends to large conference rooms, which are the most challenging rooms when it comes to placement of video conferencing solutions such as video bars, microphones, and cameras. 

The Audio Challenges of Medium-to-Large Conference Rooms

The larger the conference room is, the more difficult it can be to ensure that each in-room participant is heard equally by the remote attendees. Larger rooms pose difficulties due to the increased number of participants and diverse layouts, leading to irregular distances between the microphone and the person speaking. Long and narrow setups, classroom arrangements, or irregular layouts with obstacles like columns can all impact acoustics and audio setup. 

Take the typical large conference room setup, which includes a display, microphone, camera, and speaker at the front of the room. While these solutions can be effective for midsize meeting rooms, the in-room participants at the far end of the conference table may have to speak up to be adequately heard. 

How the Logitech Rally Mic Pod System Solves These Unique Speaker Pickup Issues

With meeting participants seated far away from the front-of-room video bar, additional microphones placed throughout the room can help ensure that their voices are heard during the call. 

The Logitech Rally Mic Pod system enables the versatile placement of peripheral microphones around the conference room. Each Rally Mic Pod features four omnidirectional microphones forming eight acoustic beams and comes equipped with Acoustic Echo Cancellation, Voice Activity Director, and AI noise suppression that eliminates unwanted background noise. 

These microphones can be daisy-chained and connected directly to Logitech Rally Bar and placed at key points on the table to give each participant an equal shot at being heard. 

The standard Rally Mic Pod design has each Mic Pod being placed directly on the table, but Logitech also offers Mic Pod Mount to anchor Rally Mic Pods to the table.

However, you can also opt to save table space by leveraging the Mic Pod Pendant Mount, which suspends mic pods from the ceiling. 

We said the Rally Mic Pod system was versatile, and Rally Mic Pod Hubs make it even more versatile, giving installers the flexibility to customize microphone placement on any conference table. Rally Mic Pod Hub is an alternative to daisy-chaining mic pods to one another and provides three connections to support any combination of mic pods or additional hubs. The hub can be mounted under the table to help conceal cables and save table space. 

But the customization and flexibility offered by the Logitech Rally Mic Pod system doesn’t stop there, as Rally Mic Pod CAT Coupler enables customizable lengths between mic pods using category cable for a longer distance than the mic pod cable allows. This additional option makes the Rally Mic Pod system perfect for a meeting room of virtually any size or configuration.

The versatile and customizable Rally Mic Pod system, along with the mounting options and the CAT Coupler, make it the perfect solution for any meeting room with a Rally Bar video bar. 

Logitech Sight: Crystal-Clear Audio For Your Next Conference Call

Logitech Sight is an AI-powered tabletop camera that works in conjunction with Rally Bar or Rally Bar Mini to capture each in-room meeting participant and track conversations as they move around the conference room. Sight is designed to give remote attendees a view of each in-room participant as if the remote attendee was physically present in the middle of the room. 

Along with dual 4K cameras, Sight includes seven beamforming microphones that capture audio from each in-room participant equally. This makes Sight function as both a center-of-the-table camera and a robust mic pod. 

Rally Bar: All The Audio Power You Need Out Of The Box

When it comes to speakers, Rally Bar offers all of the audio output needed for a larger meeting room. 

Rally Bar features ultra-low distortion speakers with RightSound technology to convey every word with outstanding clarity. The device features two 70mm drivers capable of an output up to 99dB SPL. Rally Bar also includes a port tube for enhanced low frequencies.

We designed the entire Logitech Rally ecosystem to be flexible and accommodate any needs of larger rooms, and audio output with Rally Bar can be increased with the help of Speaker Boost, a feature that increases the volume of Rally Bar by up to three decibels when using the Rally Mic Pod system. 

Even More Versatility With Third-Party DSP Providers

For those seeking even more flexibility, Logitech offers the option to integrate audio DSP, or digital signal processing. Audio DSP allows users to leverage external processors for connecting to third-party microphones and speakers. Logitech supports audio DSP equipment from partners like Shure, Extron, Q-SYS, Biamp, and Nureva, enabling direct integration into the USB port of a Rally Bar camera or Logitech RoomMate compute device.

For example, leveraging Shure Intellimix P300 Audio Conferencing Processor enables the use of Shure’s line of advanced peripheral in-ceiling microphones and networked loudspeakers. IntelliMix P300 is designed to enhance every aspect of conference audio and eliminate echo, unwanted noise, and distortion.

Other third-party DSP systems such as Biamp TesiraFORTE X 400, Nureva HDL Series, Extron DMP Series, and Q-SYS Core Series enable similar functionality, including integration with other peripheral microphones and speakers, as well as custom designer software to to customize a meeting room’s audio features.

Your IT team can leverage those systems from our partners to add even more robust and flexible solutions into their Logitech meeting rooms. While these partner solutions can take your conference room audio to the next level, it’s important to note that some Logitech features will be lost, such as active speaker tracking. This is because Logitech’s cameras use “voice direction of arrival” technology that isn’t passed through from third-party audio providers. In addition, Logitech Sight isn’t compatible with these third-party DSPs. 

Unrivaled Meeting Room Versatility

Tired of muffled voices and missed contributions in your meetings? Logitech's innovative audio solutions bridge the gap between remote and in-room participants, ensuring everyone is heard loud and clear.

Here's how Logitech can transform your meeting experience:

• Crystal-clear audio, no matter the size of your room: Rally Mic Pods along with Rally Bar deliver exceptional audio pickup and coverage, eliminating the limitations of the front-of-room-only microphone.

• Flexibility to fit any configuration: Daisy-chained mic pods, ceiling mounts, and table stands adapt to your unique space, while third-party DSP integration offers even more customization.

• Unmatched clarity and power: Logitech's beamforming microphones and advanced audio processing ensure every word cuts through, while powerful speakers guarantee everyone hears the message.

Don't let poor audio silence valuable voices. Take control of your meeting audio today! Be sure to check out our ProSupport page for verified devices.