Audio-Technica brings in yet another microphone that hangs from the ceiling

Popular audio equipment maker Audio-Technica has introduced the ATND1061 Beamforming Ceiling Array microphone, which is said to be an ideal solution for quality audio in conference rooms, boardrooms and meeting spaces of all sizes.

The microphone can be used as a single unit or in multiples (for larger spaces) to capture clear natural audio of every speaking person in the room while reducing the distracting environmental sounds.

The device can be flush- or surface-mounted in a drop ceiling or hard ceiling or mounted in open architecture spaces via a standard VESA mount. The unit’s low-reflective white finish matches ceiling tiles in most environments.

The ATND1061DAN, which is roughly the size of a wireless access point, is easy to install, set up, and operate. It works with the AT Digital Microphone Manager app that makes room configuration, zone setup and other settings a child’s play.

The microphone supports six individual output channels, which can collectively be configured with up to 32 user-defined microphone pickup zones, providing the flexibility to cover a wide variety of room sizes and meeting types. Across all the output channels, the microphone’s 90-degree orthogonal beams can focus on a particular space point, preventing unwanted noise pickup.

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Audio-Technica, in a statement, said the ATND1061 incorporates the proprietary voice activity detection (VAD) technology. The VAD technology enables the microphone to discern between a voice and unwanted noises. For installations without external digital signal processing (DSP), the ATND1061 features powerful onboard DSP, including automix, acoustic echo cancellation (AEC), noise reduction, automatic gain control (AGC) and four-band EQ.

One can set exclusion zones to avoid known sources of unwanted noise, helping to maximize the effectiveness of the built-in noise-reduction and automatic-mixing functions.

User-defined “Coverage Zones” and “Priority Zones” allow custom room coverage and optimized signal flow across the room.

Configure output Channel 1 with 16 user-defined Coverage Zones. The beam will track and keep the microphone focused on the speaker’s voice, minimizing room noise. Only one of the 16 Coverage Zones can be open at a time with the microphone automatically selecting the zone with the strongest signal identified as speech. Configuration of output Channels 2–6 can be done with 16 user-defined Priority Zones, which receive priority over Coverage Zones. A maximum of five Priority Zones can be open at a time.

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The included IR remote allows users to quickly mute the microphone when a muting function is unavailable in the room configuration. The IR Remote allows the user to recall presets or toggle the Power Save Mode on and off.

The ATND1061 is UL 2043 compliant for installation in plenum spaces. The microphone comes with safety wiring, mounting hardware and accessories.

The Dante-enabled ATND1061DAN has two network ports, allowing configuration to fit any installation requirement. Network PoE powers the ATND1061. Plug-ins are available for popular control systems, the company said in a statement.

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