In the latest instalment of our ‘Talking Heads’ series, AV News talks to Doug Daube (Category Director for Microphone Systems) and Evan Groom (Product Manager) at global audio manufacturer Shure Incorporated. With deep involvement in Shure’s celebrated Microflex Ecosystem of conferencing products, we wanted to learn more about the past, present, and future of meeting room audio.
AV News: What did Shure hear from the market that drove the development of array microphones?
Shure: The way that people were using videoconferencing was changing. Instead of being reserved for high level calls in specially designed conference rooms it had become a must-have tool for dispersed project teams to work together.
For a long time, there had been a very strong desire to get microphones off the table for a variety of reasons, but it usually didn’t work well unless the room acoustics were exceptionally good. Even when using table microphones, arranging and mounting multiple mics to guarantee optimal coverage was a time-consuming and labour-intensive process, especially in rooms with flexible seating layouts.
Our idea was to apply array microphone technology – which Shure had been experimenting with for many years – to ceiling, table, and wall microphones that would make it easy to get optimal coverage in any type of meeting room.
AV News: What was the initial reaction?
Shure: The MXA310 and MXA910 were introduced at the InfoComm US show in 2016. We demonstrated the mics in the booth on the show floor – not in a separate demo room. People thought it was almost too good to be true. Even with all the noise, you could hear what someone was saying from 10 feet away which people thought was amazing. System integrators immediately started telling us about upcoming jobs where they wanted to use both mics. The biggest questions were “how many can I get?” and “when can I get them?” That’s when we knew we had a winner.
AV News: What did you do for an encore? What kind of improvements did you make?
Shure: The MXA310 and MXA910 included Steerable Coverage technology, automatic mixing, and parametric EQ at introduction. But we wanted to go further and provide a set of components that would work in all kinds of situations.
In 2019, we added single-channel acoustic echo cancellation, electronic noise reduction, automatic gain control, a compressor, and a delay to the MXA910. Even better, these features could be added to existing MXA910’s just by updating the firmware. With that feature set it worked very well in most rooms and saved customers the expense of an outboard echo canceller.
But in larger rooms or those with more difficult acoustics, a single-channel echo canceller wasn’t always enough. So, we also introduced the IntelliMix P300 Audio Conferencing Processor, which had eight channels of echo cancellation and noise reduction on each individual mic input channel and even more input and output options. This provided even better audio performance in challenging rooms and allowed the use of multiple MXA910s in larger spaces.
AV News: Room architecture is constantly changing; did that affect the demand for Microflex Advance?
Shure: Lots of rooms still had drop ceilings, but we were seeing more and more rooms where the ceiling was a true design element. Some rooms had a sculptural decorative ceiling, while others had no ceiling at all. In some cases, the MXA910’s square form factor didn’t really match the design aesthetic of the room.
In 2020, we added the MXA710 Linear Array which offered several new placement options. It could be mounted on the wall next to a video monitor; it could even be recessed into the table or mounted on a stand on a credenza. When suspended from the ceiling, it blended in with almost any functional or artistic structure. With a slim and sleek appearance and a choice of two-foot or four-foot lengths and three colours, the MXA710 fit perfectly in rooms with a more contemporary interior design.
AV News: Up until that point, the Microflex Ecosystem focused on microphones and DSP. What was behind the decision to expand beyond that?
Shure: We wanted to be able to offer a complete audio ecosystem, from the microphone to DSP to controls to the loudspeaker so that each component was perfectly matched to the others. So also, in 2020, we launched the MXN5C Network Loudspeaker and the MXA-MUTE Network Mute Switch. The MXN5C loudspeaker provides high-quality speech reproduction for AV conferencing applications but uses a single network cable for audio, control, and PoE power. It simplifies signal routing and speeds installation in drop ceilings. The MXA-MUTE touch-sensitive mute button is an elegant solution to the problem of audio muting and status indication when the microphones are out of reach on the wall or ceiling. You can easily configure multiple switches in multiple ways using Designer software, again using just one network cable.
AV News: At that point, it seems like a good time to sit back and enjoy the success. Why didn’t you?
Shure: Two reasons. First, we’re constantly trying to deliver better sound quality. Second, system integrators are under constant pressure to get more done in less time. We wanted to simplify the process of setting up an array microphone as much as possible without losing any of its powerful capabilities. This became the MXA920 Ceiling Array Microphone.
We improved the array processing algorithm to maintain its directional performance even at lower frequencies, which are the most challenging for an array mic to deal with. With this next-generation algorithm, the MXA920 sounds even more natural than the MXA910 but it almost never needs any EQ adjustment, even in rooms without great acoustics. It sounds fantastic right out of the box.
We also developed Automatic Coverage technology that automatically directs audio capture wherever the talkers are. Out of the box, the MXA920 covers everyone within a 30 by 30-foot (9 by 9 metre) area. But you can define up to eight distinct coverage areas to suit the room shape or seating layout and the MXA920 will pick up anyone in those areas and deliver a pristine automix output. The MXA920 also delivers real-time talker localization data for every talker to facilitate advanced camera tracking. If your installation needs individual audio outputs and fixed pickup lobes for voice lift or sound reinforcement, you can select Steerable Coverage and it works exactly like an MXA910.
AV News: What’s the difference between the MXA902 and the MXA920?
Shure: In smaller rooms, the installation labour to install an MXA710 or MXA920 plus loudspeakers was not always cost-effective. All in one soundbars had the right price and simplicity, but not always great performance. We wanted to deliver high-tier performance in a package that makes sense for smaller rooms.
The MXA902 Integrated Conferencing Ceiling Array combines an array microphone, IntelliMix DSP, and a wide-dispersion loudspeaker all in one ceiling-mounted device. It automatically provides audio capture and reproduction for everyone within a 20 by 20-foot (6 by 6 meter) area. There’s only one device to mount and one network cable to plug in. The MXA902 is a complete audio solution for AV conferencing in small to medium-size meeting rooms.
AV News: What’s next for the Microflex Ecosystem?
Shure: We’re just getting started. We plan to keep raising the bar for audio quality while enabling system integrators to deliver great results in more rooms in less time for their clients. Large rooms are always the most challenging, and we have some ideas on how to deliver even better results there. And we’re working with a wide assortment of partners to certify the Microflex Ecosystem for seamless integration with the most popular collaboration platforms, control systems, camera systems, and other components. We want to keep the Microflex Ecosystem the most powerful, capable, efficient way to deliver premium audio in a collaboration space.
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