Ceiling Microphones

In our video conferencing intensive spaces, in collaboration with the Schools that use these spaces, we have integrated microphone systems for audience participation.  

 

Best Practices for Ceiling Microphones

Because they pick up the sound so effectively, here are a few recommendations when using these ceiling microphones.

• Keep the Ceiling Mics muted unless the audience is engaged in a conversation that is meant to be included in the teleconference or recording.
• When Ceiling Mics are in use, notify the people in the room that they are on and to keep sidebar conversations to a minimum as they will likely be recorded or transmitted to the far site of the teleconference (depending on how the system is being used).  
  •  The new Ceiling Tile style microphone has an added indicator light to help with this.  Red means the mic is muted, Green means the mic is unmuted.

Pendant Ceiling Microphones

Suspended from the ceiling strategically around a classroom, these Pendant Ceiling Microphones have been the standard microphone solution for classroom audiences up until the summer of 2019 and are still in use in many classrooms. With mute/unmute controls located at the instructor podium, these microphones provide good pickup of audience conversation speech during teleconferences as well as recorded classroom sessions if desired. 

Locations with Pendant Ceiling Microphones

MCV Campus

KMSB	McGuire Hall	Perkinson	Sadie Heath Cabaniss	Sanger Hall	Smith
104/105	200	3121	1013	B1-020	216
	204		2008j	1-044	224
				1-067
				2-020
				3-016
				6-032
				8-036

Monroe Park Campus

Harris Hall
5182

Ceiling Tile Style Microphone

New to VCU in 2019, these Ceiling Tile Style Microphones are very discrete, but provide excellent sound pick for a classroom audience participation response. The mute/unmute controls for Ceiling Microphones are located on the instructor podium.

 

Locations with Ceiling Tile Style Microphones

MCV Campus

College of Health Professions
1000	3003
1003	3050
1013	4003
1050	5000
1075	6000
2003	6003
2019	8030

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Push To Talk Student Microphones

 Spaces with Push to Talk microphones provide one microphone for every two students. These microphones are muted by default but can be unmuted by pushing the button on the microphone itself.   There are 2 basic styles available in the following Central Classrooms.

MCV Campus

Smith 103
	This style of Microphone is available in Smith 103, School of Pharmacy.

 

Sadie Heath Cabaniss 1011
	This style of Push to Talk microphone is available in Sadie Heath Cabaniss, School of Nursing room 1011.

Wireless microphone systems are integrated into every centrally supported lecture hall on both MPC and MCV campuses.   We have also deployed wireless microphone systems in classes where the physical room requires additional speech reinforcement.  A wireless microphone transmitter packs (pictured above) can be checked out at the IT Support Center for up to a semester at a time*.  All of our microphone systems on both campuses work off of the same set of channels so you'll only need to check out one microphone even if you teach in multiple lecture halls or select classrooms.  When checking out a microphone, you'll need to know in which room(s) you plan on using it. The IT Support Center can assist you in setting up the correct channel.

Please visit your classroom's resource availability either on the Monroe Park Campus or MCV Campus room directory page to confirm the availability of a wireless microphone system. 

*Checkout duration limit subject to change based on available stock and ITSC policies.

Our Podium Microphones are typically used in large lecture halls for speech reinforcement when presenting from the podium.  If the system includes it, the podium microphone will also provide a feed to classroom capture appliances, video teleconferencing equipment, and the podium computer when software conferencing exists in the classroom. Shure MS405 Microflex microphones were installed due to their high-quality speech pickup and discrete size.