[AG-TECH] Mute button

Russ Wolf russ at bu.edu
Mon Mar 18 09:23:13 CST 2002


Let me chime in here since Marty referenced the BU site.

At Boston University we have 8 table top mics positioned so that they 
are on tables in front of the audience members. Our space is configured
[http://www-fp.mcs.anl.gov/fl/accessgrid/ag-space-captures/bu-space4.jpg]
with 8 tables and one mic per table.

Frequent visitors find it easy to use.  They mic itself has a single red 
LED and a button labeled "touch"  When the button is presses the light 
toggles on/off and the lit state represents the "open mic"

Users have fighred out that they can have the normal whispering to thie 
neighbor happen - just like a real meeting - if they tuen their mic off.

For us in the more formal seating arena we use works very well - it is 
easy to see the status of the light and easy to toggle it - I'm not sure 
thie approach would work in other room configurations.

	-Russ

Marty Hoag wrote:
> "S.Booth" wrote:
> 
>>Sometimes it is much nicer to allow participants to be able to mute the
>>mics themselves without having to catch the eye of the node operator.
>>
>>Has anyone built (or bought) a hardware mute button for the DB25
>>control/status port of the gentner?
>>
>>It looks like all you need is a 5v led between pins 4 and 25 and a push
>>button between 3 and 25 (or maybe 24?). You could program the pins
>>differently but this looks like the default.
>>
>>                                Stephen
>>
> 
>    I know that Boston University has table mics with an on/off button.
> I was toying with that idea (it gives the user direct control at the
> point of pick-up).  But there is a learning curve as evidenced in
> a demo of the room to a group of people last week.  
>    I've been told by audio people in the past that they prefer to 
> control all the audio so people don't "forget" to turn it on or off.  
> Of course that is a bit different situation than the AG so I'd be 
> interested to hear how the mute button fits with the AG design 
> point of "always on" audio (subject to interpretations of what 
> that means ;-).
> 
>    Marty
> 





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