The World of Audio Integration: A Peek Beyond the Obvious
As I delved into the world of audio integration, I couldn't help but think about all the different types of microphones and how they can be used to enhance our listening experience. From surface, multi-directional mics for differing speakers, conference mics that pick up everything, to halo goosenecks with LED indicators right around the mic, it's clear that there are countless options available when it comes to choosing the perfect microphone.
But what really caught my attention was the variety of setup solutions that these microphones can be used in. I mean, who wouldn't want a mic that can be easily adjusted to fit their needs? The folks at Clock Audio have clearly thought this through, offering everything from suspension mics that are perfect for fitness or yoga teachers who need to move around without wires and gear getting in the way. These mics can provide great audio even when you're on-the-go, making them a fantastic solution for anyone who wants to stay mobile while still delivering high-quality sound.
I also had the chance to try out some of their other setup options, like the boundary style mics that are designed specifically for work-from-home or teaching scenarios. These mics are perfect for setting up a quiet and focused space without sacrificing audio quality. They're also great for podcasting setups, where you need to capture clear and crisp sound from multiple sources. And let's not forget about the suspended mics - they're another fantastic option that can be used in a variety of settings.
One of the things that really impressed me about Clock Audio's setup solutions was their attention to detail. They've clearly thought long and hard about what users need, taking into account factors like positioning and directionality. For example, I noticed that some of the microphones had a little pickup range there, which picked up reflections off of nearby surfaces. This got me thinking about how different mics handle these kinds of situations.
Of course, when it comes to audio quality, we all know that positioning is key. And while Clock Audio's setup solutions may not be the most expensive or high-end options out there, they still deliver a completely natural and pleasant sounding experience. Whether you're doing voiceovers, teaching, or streaming, these microphones can help you achieve professional-sounding results without breaking the bank.
As I continued to explore the world of audio integration with Clock Audio, one thing became clear: there's no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to choosing the perfect microphone. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, it's essential to take some time to experiment and find the right fit for your specific needs.
Brilliant Learning Opportunities
But what really got my creative juices flowing was thinking about how these audio integration solutions could be used in even more innovative ways. As someone who is building their entire studio from scratch, I found myself wondering if one of Clock Audio's suspended mic setups would be the perfect solution for PC building streams at my workbench. The possibilities are endless!
If you're feeling inspired by this and want to improve your own technical skills, then you have to check out today's sponsor, Brilliant. Brilliant is math and science enrichment learning that takes a more active approach to education, teaching us how to learn by doing instead of just listening. They offer daily challenges pulled from ongoing courses that provide context and framework for tackling each challenge and learning concepts through application.
Brilliant has been super key to me learning topick up Python to enhance my projects, taking me from a passing interest saying "oh that would be cool" to a proper learning experience and developing a new skill. If you're feeling inspired to learn something new, head over to brilliant.org/eposvox to sign up for free. The first 200 people who use that link will save 20% off the annual Premium subscription too!
Clock Audio - A Community of Learners
As I wrapped up my time with Clock Audio, I couldn't help but think about how much I've learned from this experience. Not only have I discovered some amazing audio integration solutions, but I've also been inspired to think outside the box when it comes to applying these concepts in real-world scenarios.
One thing that really struck me was the importance of community in learning and growth. Clock Audio has a thriving community of learners who are always sharing their ideas and experiences - and that's exactly what made my time with them so valuable. If you're interested in getting some Clock Audio gear set up for yourself, be sure to shoot an email to (mailto:info@clockaudio.com) and they'll connect you with local distributors or reps who can get you squared away.
Conclusion
As I came to the end of my time with Clock Audio, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. The world of audio integration is full of possibilities - and it's clear that these amazing setup solutions are just the beginning. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, there's never been a better time to explore the world of audio integration.
So what are you waiting for? Dive in, experiment, and discover the incredible possibilities that await you in the world of audio integration!
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI have a secret to tell you.What if I told you there was a whole industryof audio products, microphones and interfaces,etc. that you never really see?Literally, you don’t see it, where’s mymicrophone?OH CRAP WHERE DID IT GO?Video calling mics that sound great and sayout of frame, microphones for board roomsor conference meetings, teaching mics thatsuspend from the ceiling or are embedded intothe ceiling - tools that “just work” andare designed to be plugged in, out of sight,and run for years with minimal to no maintenance.Sounds too good to be true, right?Well it’s not!And it’s actually the subject of today’svideo.I’m EposVox, the Stram Professor, and todaywe’re talking about audio integrators.These are companies that typically don’tmake mass-market audio products you’d buyoff a store shelf, but something you’d payan audio integrator to kit your your new office,LAN party room, or conference room with.These are tools that have been built to satisfycustomers who never want to think about ormess with the actual product themselves, andhave something that will always work whenneeded - and have been refined over and overto best suit those goals.Or, they’re tools that have been made basedon a specific need that hadn’t been implementedbefore.Do you need a boundary mic that sits flushwith the desk to pick up your meeting?Easy.A podium mic for State of the Union speechesfor an entire nation?Done.What about a retractable mic that drops downout of the ceiling when needed?C’mon, what else you got?These are companies you’d never really hearabout at CES or NAB, but rather at shows likeInfoComm.There’s some really awesome tech at playhere, too.If there’s an idea for how you want audioto be done that a conventional desktop microphoneisn’t doing, these are the people who cando it.Just as I’ve been diving into the worldof broadcast tech to see the innovations there,I also wanted to see what the audio industryhad to offer.For this, I sat down and had a chat with ClockAudio- a small audio systems company based outof the UK - with offices in Montreal and Singapore- headed up by former designers from somepretty major audio companies.In an era where most streaming microphonesetups are all about giant microphones inyour face, RGB lighting and the like - I wantedto see what options there were for the businessmanor the minimalist.And there’s far more than I had imagined.For a little taste, ClockAudio sent out anice kit consisting of their CUI-2 audio interfaceand pre-amp, a gooseneck mic setup, and afew different mic capsules to take a lookat.This particular setup is what you might seeset up at a big conference room table, a podium,or a desk where you don’t want big mic armsand giant mics just to get good audio.The only issue with setting this up was…had to drill a hole in my desk!Yes, many of these audio solutions are designedto elegantly fit into your environments asif they were part of it.THAT BEING SAID… before you get scared off,I have been told that ClockAudio is workingon an alternative solution that can just siton your desk or otherwise not required drillingspecifically for the work-from-home crowd.So if DIY-ing isn’t your thing, don’tworry, they’re on it.Making new tools to fit new scenarios is literallytheir thing.The timing was great, I was right in the middleof building my new desk at the new studio,so a quick paddle bit through the MDF topmakes a nice hole.This particular kit fits in with a screw-postXLR connector that tightens with a nut onthe bottom of the table, with gaskets on bothsides to help absorb any rumble or bumps ofyour desk but also cover up any imperfectionsin your hole.This is designed to look as clean and professionalas possible.Paired with the mic mount is their quiet touch-capacitivemute button and status indicator.The bottom of the desk is where the audiointerface goes, with a XLR run to the bottomof the stud we attached to it.The CUI-2 interface is minimal but as flexibleas it gets.One side features the USB port, a 12V DC jackin case extra power is needed (usually foradding extra mute buttons), the 5-pin phoenixstyle connector for connecting up to two microphonesfor stereo audio, and a RJ45 jack for connectingthe mute button interface, which I also attachedto the bottom of my desk here.The front of the interface sits two recesseddials: One for controlling the brightnessof the mute status LED, and one for controllingthe mic pre-amp gain.These are adjusted with something like a smallflathead screwdriver or a pocket knife - thatway these can’t be accidentally changedby whoever is using it.There’s also a series of dip switches whichcontrol various settings and functions ofthe interface: Whether the mic is in stereoor mono mode for 1 or 2 mics, as well as controlover the mute button LED.By default it’s set to Red for Mute andGreen for unmuted or active - which now alsoreflects in your mute status in Zoom whichis neat - but for accessibility, you can changethe colors to assist colorblind users, suchas setting active mic to blue instead of green.You can also change the function of the LEDentirely to be a VU meter to indicate thelevels of the speaker so they know when they’repeaking or clipping the mic, etc.Useful for podcasts!Additionally, Clockaudio provides a platethat can be mounted with the interface thattotally blocks off these controls - a mustfor installations in offices, board rooms,or stage scenarios where a multitude of differentusers will use the setup and someone mightget a bright idea to change a setting, messingup the audio for the next person.I’ve been there when shooting client gigs,it’s annoying to try to go back and fix.On top of the XLR stud sits the gooseneck- they have a few different styles, mine isthe CA30.Then you plug the mic capsule end to this.The end is miniXLR, the XLR routes entirelythrough this, so as far as the top of yourdesk is concerned, there are NO cables!It’s brilliant, but quite the stark contrastto all the other things I have going on withmy desk setup.I want to go ahead and mention now that thisis just ONE of MANY configurations they haveavailable.They have boundary mics that sit flat on thesurface, multi-directional mics for differentspeakers, conference mics which pick up *everything*,Halo goosenecks that have LED indicators rightaround the mic, and suspended or ceiling-integratedmics.So if you’re looking at this particulargooseneck setup and being like “well that’snot what I want” they have others, we willtake a look, too.In terms of audio quality, I’m pretty impressed.The mic capsule you’re hearing now is theirC1000H bigger capsule, but they also sentover their C3H smaller capsule and C800H smallshotgun setup - which can be used for differentscenarios.Here’s a super quick comparison.As I’ve covered a million times, positioningmatters, too - and the best place ergonomicallyto put this mic was with the back of the micup against the corner of my two computer monitors,so mic capsules that have a little pickuprange there will pick up reflections off ofthose monitors.The truth is, compared to a large diaphragmmic like my Lewitt LCT440 or CAD E100s, oreven the bigger dynamic mics I have here,no the overall audio “quality” won’tquite be the same for specific voiceover orstudio scenarios.But for conferencing, teaching, and even streaming,these can still provide a completely naturaland pleasant sounding experience while beingcompletely out of your way.I will say the boundary style mics are bestsuited for having either a keyboard tray belowyour desk, or putting on a monitor shelf orsomething, because it will not play nice withkeyboard noise.These goosnecks are fine for this scenario,though they’ll pick up more keyboard soundthan a mic that is closer to your mouth, ofcourse.Can’t beat physics.Honestly, this is one of the more mundanesolutions they have - but I thought it wouldbe most appropriate to showcase for the work-from-homeor teaching part of my audience.Other solutions I’ve looked at that theyprovide are tracking microphones to trackdirectionality to specific speakers, backto back mics for a small podcasting setup,a huddle mic for huddlerooms if..We ever get back to that life, things likethat.The suspended mics can provide great audiofor fitness or yoga teachers who have to movearound and can’t have wires and gear intheir way.There’s no end of possibilities, which Ifind really neat.As someone who is building my entire studioto have ultimate function without stickingto traditional gear setups, it has been reallyneat to take a look at some of these.I kinda wonder if one of the suspended micsetups would be a great solution for PC buildingstreams at my workbench.What do you think?If you’re feeling inspired by this and wantto improve your own technical skills, thenyou HAVE to check out today’s sponsor, Brilliant.Brilliant is math and science enrichment learning,taking a more active approach to education,as many of these skills you learn by doinginstead of just listening.They have daily challenges pulled from yourongoing courses that provide you with thecontext and framework to tackle each challengeand learn concepts through application.If there’s a specific problem you’d liketo learn more about, there’s course quizzesand more detailed avenues to follow.If you get stuck or confused, there’s acommunity of thousands of learners discussingthose problems and solutions.This has been super key to me learning topick up Python to enhance my projects, asit took me from a passing interest saying“oh that would be cool” to a proper learningexperience and developing a new skill.To get started mastering your own dream skills,head over to brilliant.org/eposvox to signup for free.The first 200 people that use that link willsave 20% off the annual Premium subscription,too!Happy learning!Honestly, what really frustrates me aboutmaking videos like this, is I not only comeaway with solutions to specific problems,but I wind up coming up with new ideas thatcould overhaul entire setups I’ve done - orfinish ones I’ve neglected like my workbench.What ideas do you have for integrating audiointo your future builds?What questions do you still have about audiointegrators?Sound off in the comments below.If you’re interested in getting some ClockAudiogear set up for yourself, they don’t havea direct consumer-facing store, so shoot anemail to (mailto:info@clockaudio.com)and they’ll connect you with local distributorsor reps that can get you squared away.I hope you enjoyed today’s peek at the otherside of the audio scene.If you enjoyed, hit that like button and subscribefor more tech education and stream guides.I’m EposVox, and I’ll see you next time.\n"
