How to Hang a Microphone From the Ceiling
When outfitting a conference room, boardroom, or huddle room for recording a meeting or participating in a remote conference, clear audio is of paramount importance. The audio quality can spell the difference between a successful meeting or a waste of valuable time. One of the challenges meeting organizers face is finding the best placement for the microphone.
Many naturally decide to place the microphone on a table, but that’s not always the best solution for those looking to save space and avoid clutter.
A better solution might be a microphone mounted above the participants. Ceiling microphones offer several advantages compared with a table-mounted mic, including broader coverage, eliminating clutter from wires running across the table, and minimizing RF interference caused by cell phones and other devices.
How to Install a Ceiling Mounted Microphone
The way you’ll mount a microphone in the ceiling depends on the type of ceiling in the room where it will be mounted. If it’s a suspended or “drop” ceiling, it should be easy to cut a hole and hide wires and other hardware out of sight above the tiles. For a ceiling that’s not suspended, you’ll need to be creative in running wires, ensuring that the runs are straight and neat.
Additionally, the design of the microphone itself will dictate how it’s to be mounted. Most conference room audio packages will likely include a ceiling microphone array installation guide if the microphone is designed specifically for such mounting.
With Yamaha UC’s ADECIA ceiling microphone conference system there are two main ways of mounting the microphone: flush against the ceiling tile or by use of a microphone ceiling hanger, such as a wire mount or Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) mount. VESA is a trade association that helps define standards for the mounting of electronic devices.
WAYS TO INSTALL THE RM-CG and RM-CR
The ADECIA system includes a bracket for flush-mounting the microphone against the ceiling, creating a clean look that makes the microphone nearly invisible. If the ceiling isn’t suspended or is too high for audio to be picked up clearly, a wire mount or VESA mount may be in order.
A VESA mount consists of a thin pole extending down from the ceiling, with a bracket at the bottom that attaches to the microphone via four hooks and wire. This method offers a fixed solution that can be easily adjusted for optimum height. The back of the ADECIA microphone features four VESA screw mounts, but you would need to buy the VESA bracket and pole separately. ADECIA-VESA.jpg
Once the microphone is installed, grab some other people in the office and run tests on different seating configurations to ensure the system delivers the quality audio you seek.
To learn more about products for boardrooms, check out Yamaha UC’s complete audio solutions for large conference rooms. For information about the importance of audio in face-to-face, remote, and hybrid education, read The Importance of Classroom Audio.