Established in 1912 and serving more than 20,000 individuals annually, the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo is the largest and oldest provider of legal services to the indigent in Western New York. Their Civil Legal Services Unit provides a range of services for domestic violence victims, abused and neglected children, and children facing a multitude of challenges in obtaining equal access to education.
Much of this important legal work is done in a large, uniquely shaped meeting room that now prominently features solutions from ClearOne.
Brian O’Leary, account executive at VeraView, designed and specified ClearOne’s patented Beamforming Mic Array Ceiling Tile (BMA CT) for the room’s drop ceiling, along with a ClearOne CONVERGE Pro 2 48V to provide different combinations of audio inputs, audio outputs, network interfaces, peripherals, and software for configuration and control. Both were chosen specifically because they performed well in overcoming the room’s acoustical challenges and are aesthetically pleasing, even in a room of irregular shape.
“The legal professionals at the Bureau wanted everyone to be involved in meetings, even if they can’t be there in person, so having a reliable conferencing system was a huge factor,” O’Leary said. “The system needed to be able to clearly capture all the audio and make sure to mitigate the issues caused by the room’s noisy HVAC system.”
The BMA CT proved to be well suited for the room, given the low ceiling and irregular wall shape. Meeting participants can be clearly heard, even if moving freely about the room, and can sit/stand in any location without compromising audio quality.
Coupled with the Converge Pro 2 DSP mixer, which adapted to the existing audio characteristics of the room, the system provides clear audio quality, even for conferencing sessions with 20-30 participants.
“This was our very first installation utilizing the BMA CT and Converge Pro 2 DSP together and it definitely was the right choice,” O’Leary said. “With the room’s ceiling height and unconventional layout, it made a world of difference to have a solution that blended right in, without sacrificing audio performance.”
O’Leary also specified the Unite 150 PTZ cameras in the 20X20 conference room, citing their versatility as a key element. Supporting USB 3.0 or 2.0 interfaces, it’s compatible with popular applications such as COLLABORATE Space, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, WebEx, GoToMeeting, and more.
