The 3 Main Devices in a Conference Microphone System
Get to know the 3 main devices in a conference microphone system: the controller, the microphone for the chairperson, and the microphone for participants.
A conference microphone is a type of microphone with a gooseneck and a base, designed to sit on the tables in a meeting room. It is mainly used in executive board rooms and meeting rooms with a chairperson and participants. Conference microphones offer many functions for users to choose from, such as managing speaking order in a discussion, indicating or confirming the identity of the person speaking, and casting votes among participants. Generally, a conference system has three main devices: the controller, the conference microphone for the chairperson, and the conference microphone for participants.
The Controller
The controller is the main device of the system, responsible for supplying power and controlling everything for every conference microphone in the system. Its main functions are raising/lowering the conversation volume and providing ports to connect audio signals with external devices. Most controllers support connecting an average of 50 microphones, but some models can support more than 50, such as the CONFD controller from PROEL, which can support connecting up to 64 microphones. The controller also has functions for controlling conference microphones in 4 main modes, as follows:
FREE MODE: In this mode, the chairperson and all participants can freely press to turn their conference microphones on/off. FIFO MODE: In this mode, whichever conference microphone is activated first gets the right to speak first (excluding the chairperson's conference microphone). If another participant wants to use an additional conference microphone, the first microphone that was in use is automatically turned off and replaced by the most recently activated one. LIMIT MODE: In this mode, the number of conference microphones is limited to the number of users the operator has set in the system. C.ONLY MODE: In this mode, only the chairperson's conference microphone can be used, and the participants' conference microphones cannot be used.
The Conference Microphone for the Chairperson
The conference microphone for the chairperson is the microphone for the chairperson presiding over the meeting. This type of microphone consists of a microphone with an on/off button and a built-in speaker. Its special feature is the mute button (PRIORITY), which cuts off the operation of the participant microphones that are not wanted, allowing the chairperson to manage speaking and organize the discussion.
The Conference Microphone for Participants
The conference microphone for participants is the microphone used by meeting participants. This type of microphone consists of only a gooseneck and a base with an on/off button and a built-in speaker. It does not have the mute button (PRIORITY) like the conference microphone for the chairperson.
The LED Ring Light
Some conference microphone models have an LED ring light. When the on/off button is pressed, the LED ring light shows the operating status of that conference microphone, just like the BM Series conference microphone: when the activation button is pressed, the LED ring showing the microphone's operating status lights up, and when the deactivation button is pressed, the LED ring showing the microphone's operating status goes out.