Audio Technica ES954 User manual

1
User Manual
Hanging Microphone Array
ES954
Features
•Ideal, cost-effective solution for huddle rooms, conference rooms and
other meeting spaces.
•Quad-capsule steerable microphone array designed for use with the
ATDM series DIGITAL SMARTMIXER™ and other compatible mixers.
•When controlled by a compatible mixer, provides 360° coverage from
a potentially limitless number (bound by mixer channel count) of virtual
hypercardioid or cardioid pickups that can be steered in 30° increments
to clearly capture every person speaking in a room by using original
synthetic technology (PAT.).
•Mixer-controlled tilt function provides a vertical steering option to
accommodate ceilings of different heights.
•Includes UL 2043 plenum-rated AT8554 Ceiling Mount with RJ45
connectors and push-type wire terminals for simple, secure installation
with seismic cable to secure to a drop ceiling grid.
•Integral, logic-controlled red/green LED ring provides clear indication of
mute status.
•High-output design with low self-noise delivers strong, natural-sounding
vocal reproduction.
•Low-reflective white finish matches ceiling tiles in most environments
•Includes two 46 cm (18") breakout cables: RJ45 (female) to three 3-pin
Euroblock connector (female), RJ45 (female) to 3-pin Euroblock connector
(female) and unterminated LED conductors.
•The 3.0 m (9.8') microphone cable is secured at the celing tile with a
locking grommet for quick microphone height adjustment.
•Audio-Technica's proprietary RFI-shielding technology thoroughly
eliminates radio frequency interference (RFI).
•Requires 11 V to 52 V DC phantom power.
Trademarks
• SMARTMIXERTM is a trademark or registered trademark of Audio-Technica
Corporation.
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing this product. Before using the product, read through the
user manual to ensure that you will use the product correctly.
Safety precautions
Although this product was designed to be used safely, failing to use it correctly may
result in an accident. To ensure safety, observe all warnings and cautions while
using the product.
Cautions for the product
• Do not subject the product to strong impact to avoid malfunction.
• Do not disassemble, modify or attempt to repair the product.
• Do not handle the product with wet hands to avoid electric shock or injury.
• Do not store the product under direct sunlight, near heating devices or in a hot,
humid or dusty place.
• Do not install the product close to air conditioner or lighting apparatus to prevent
malfunction.
• Do not pull on the product with excessive force nor hang on it after it is installed.

2
Connection
1 2 3
LED
4
Connect the output terminals of the microphone to a device that has a microphone
input (balanced input) compatible with a phantom power supply.
The output connector is a Euroblock connector with polarity as shown in the figure
below.
Use STP cables to connect from the ceiling mount RJ45 jacks to breakout cables.
Output terminals
The product requires 11V to 52V DC
phantom power for operation.
Wiring Chart
RJ45 connector
pin number Function RJ45 breakout cable
wire color
OUT A
1 MIC2 L(+) BROWN
2 MIC2 L(-) ORANGE
3 MIC3 R(+) GREEN
4 MIC1 O(-) WHITE
5 MIC1 O(+) RED
6 MIC3 R(-) BLUE
7 GND BLACK
8 GND BLACK
OUT B
1 BLANK -
2 BLANK -
3 LED GREEN GREEN
4 MIC4 Z(-) WHITE
5 MIC4 Z(+) RED
6 LED RED BLUE
7 GND BLACK
8 GND BLACK
• Output from the microphone is low impedance (Lo-Z) balanced. The signal
appears across the pair of each output Euroblock connectors on the RJ45
breakout cables. Audio ground is the shield connection. Output is phased so
that positive acoustic pressure produces positive voltage on the left side of each
Euroblock connector.
• MIC1 is “O” (omnidirectional), MIC2 is “L” (bidirectional (figure-of-eight))
positioned horizontally at 240°, MIC3 is “R” (bidirectional (figure-of-eight))
positioned horizontally at 120°, and MIC4 is “Z” (bidirectional (figure-of-eight))
positioned vertically.
Pin assignment
MIC 1
O +
O -
GND
MIC 2
L +
L -
GND
MIC 3
R +
R -
GND
MIC 4
Z +
Z -
GND
LED Control
LED GREEN
LED RED
GND
1
2
3
4
LED
STP cable
(MIC1-MIC3)
Ceiling mount (AT8554)
RJ45
Breakout cable-A
MIC 3MIC 2MIC 1 LED ControlMIC 4
or
RJ45
Breakout cable-B
ATDM series DIGITAL SMARTMIXERTM
3rd-party mixer
STP cable
(MIC4 / LED Control)

3
LED control
• To control the LED indicator ring, connect the LED Control terminals of the RJ45 breakout cable to the GPIO port of the automatic mixer or other logic device.
• When using the product with a mixer with no GPIO terminal, the LED ring can be kept permanently lit by connecting the black (BK) or violet (VT) wire to the GND terminal.
When the black wire is shorted, the LED ring will be green. When the violet wire is shorted, the LED ring will be red.

4
Parts, name and installation
Cable
Retaining nut
Backplate
Ceiling mount
(AT8554)
RJ45 connector
Latch
Ceiling tile
Isolator
Threaded bushing
Locking grommet
Microphone
Isolator
(receiver)
Adjust the length
of cable.
Turn the locking
grommet to secure
it.
Seismic cable
Cable tie
Terminal
connector
Release bar
Ceiling
1
2
Make sure to attach the included seismic cable to the
ceiling to prevent the ceiling mount from falling.
Using the cable tie, fix the remaining cable to the inside of
the ceiling mount to prevent the microphone from falling.
90°
0°
(Front)
180°
(Rear)
270°

5
Notices
• When installing the product, a hole must be cut into the ceiling tile so the ceiling mount can be fixed in place. Remove the ceiling tile first if possible.
• To mount the threaded bushing in a ceiling tile without the isolators:
20.5 mm (0.81") diameter hole is required and the ceiling tile can be up to 22 mm (0.87") thick.
• To mount the threaded bushing with the isolators:
23.5 mm (0.93") hole is required and the ceiling tile can be up to 25 mm (0.98") thick. Place the isolators on either side of the hole to achieve mechanical isolation from the
mounting surface.
Installation
1. Remove the backplate of the ceiling mount and place it against the back of the ceiling tile, allowing the threaded bushing to pass through.
2. Once in place, thread the retaining nut onto the threaded bushing, securing the ceiling mount to the ceiling tile.
3. Connect the microphone cable to the terminal connector on the ceiling mount by pressing down the orange tabs on the terminal strip.
4. Once all connections are made, fix the remaining cable to the inside of the ceiling mount using the cable tie.
5. Adjust the cable to desired microphone height by either feeding or pulling the cable through the ceiling mount.
6. Once the microphone is in the desired position, gently turn the locking grommet clockwise to secure. (Do not over tighten and pull the cable strongly).
7. Coil the excess cable into the ceiling mount and replace the backplate.
Recommended position
Change the height and tilt position according to the environment in which you use
the product.
MIC position
Tilt
Minimum
Height Typical Height Maximum
Height
Tilt up 1.2 m (4’) 1.75 m (5.75’) 2.3 m (7.5’)
Tilt down 1.7 m (5.6’) 2.2 m (7.2’) 2.7 m (9’)
Coverage examples
• For 360° coverage, create four hypercardioid (normal) virtual polar patterns at the 0°, 90°, 180°, 270°
positions. This setting is ideal for providing omnidirectional coverage of four people around a round
table (see Figure. A).
• For 300° coverage, create three cardioid (wide) virtual polar patterns at the 0°, 90°, 180° positions.
This setting is ideal for covering three people at the end of a rectangular table (see Figure. B).
• For installation of two or more units, we recommend that you install them at a distance of at least
1.7m (5.6’) (for hypercardioid (normal)) so that the coverage ranges of the microphones do not
overlap (see Figure. C).
Figure A Figure B
Figure C
1.7 m (5.6')
1.2 m
(4’)
1.75 m
(5.75’)
2.3 m
(7.5’)
Max. 3 m (10')
1.7 m
(5.6’)
2.2 m
(7.2’)
2.7 m
(9’)
Max. 3 m (10')

6
Using the product with the ATDM series DIGITAL SMARTMIXER™
Use the latest firmware for the ATDM series DIGITAL SMARTMIXERTM.
1. Connect Mic 1-4 of the product to input 1-4 on the ATDM series DIGITAL
SMARTMIXERTM. Launch Web Remote, select “Administrator”, and log in.
• When using two units of the product with ATDM-1012/ATDM-1012DAN at the
same time, connect INPUT 1 to 4 and INPUT 6 to 9.
2. Click the icon ( ) on the top right of the screen then select "System Settings" >
"Audio". Activate "Virtual Mic Mode". This automatically sets the input type of input
channels 1 to 4 of the ATDM series DIGITAL SMARTMIXERTM to "Virtual Mic".
• For input channels other than "Virtual Mic" which is automatically selected by
default, you can also select "Virtual Mic" and make the same settings.
About Operator Access / Operator Page in Settings &
Maintenance
When "Virtual Mic Mode" and "Array Mic Switch" are enabled, an array mic mute
ON/OFF button appears on the operator page. The microphone can be muted on the
operator page.
• This setting is not saved on the device, so rebooting the ATDM series DIGITAL
SMARTMIXERTM restores it to its default position.
Administrator page's input tab on the main screen
1. In the Input tab, check that the input type for input channels 1-4 is set to "Virtual
Mic".
• For input channels other than "Virtual Mic", which is automatically selected by
default, you can also select "Virtual Mic" and make the same settings.
2. Adjust the gain to the required level (a).
• Setting the input gain on one channel will simultaneously change it on all four
channels. Low cut, EQ, Smart Mix and output bus assign can individually be
assigned for each channel.
3. Clicking "Pattern" of the Virtual Mic box (b) opens the settings tab for the directivity
pattern. These can be adjusted between “Normal” (hypercardioid) , “Wide” (cardioid)
and "Omni".
4. Clicking the blue button around the circle sets the orientation of each Virtual Mic.
5. Adjust the Virtual Mic direction towards the talker to be picked up.
• The Audio-Technica logo is located on the front of the microphone. The
microphone must be oriented correctly to operate properly.
6. Using the “Tilt” function, you can adjust the directivity on the vertical plane to adjust
the angle depending on whether the talker is sitting or standing.
7. Adjust the individual volume of each Virtual Mic using the Volume Fader.
(a) (b)

7
Using with other compatible mixer
When connecting and using the product with a mixer other than the ATDM series DIGITAL SMARTMIXERTM, directivity can be controlled by adjusting the output of each
channel according to the following mixing matrix.
Mixing matrix Normal Wide
Tilt up
Tilt down
Polar pattern
Directivity
direction
O L R Z
φLevel φLevel φLevel φLevel
0° + -4dB - 0dB - 0dB -∞
30° + -4dB - +1.2dB - -4.8dB -∞
60° + -4dB - 0dB -∞ -∞
90° + -4dB - -4.8dB + -4.8dB -∞
120° + -4dB -∞ + 0dB -∞
150° + -4dB + -4.8dB + +1.2dB -∞
180° + -4dB + 0dB + 0dB -∞
210° + -4dB + +1.2dB + -4.8dB -∞
240° + -4dB + 0dB -∞ -∞
270° + -4dB + -4.8dB - -4.8dB -∞
300° + -4dB -∞ - 0dB -∞
330° + -4dB - -4.8dB - +1.2dB -∞
Directivity
direction
O L R Z
φLevel φLevel φLevel φLevel
0° + 0dB - 0dB - 0dB -∞
30° + 0dB - +1.2dB - -4.8dB -∞
60° + 0dB - 0dB -∞ -∞
90° + 0dB - -4.8dB + -4.8dB -∞
120° + 0dB -∞ + 0dB -∞
150° + 0dB + -4.8dB + +1.2dB -∞
180° + 0dB + 0dB + 0dB -∞
210° + 0dB + +1.2dB + -4.8dB -∞
240° + 0dB + 0dB -∞ -∞
270° + 0dB + -4.8dB - -4.8dB -∞
300° + 0dB -∞ - 0dB -∞
330° + 0dB - -4.8dB - +1.2dB -∞
Directivity
direction
O L R Z
φLevel φLevel φLevel φLevel
0° + -4dB - -3dB - -3dB + -3dB
30° + -4dB - -1.8dB - -7.8dB + -3dB
60° + -4dB - -3dB -∞ + -3dB
90° + -4dB - -7.8dB + -7.8dB + -3dB
120° + -4dB -∞ + -3dB + -3dB
150° + -4dB + -7.8dB + -1.8dB + -3dB
180° + -4dB + -3dB + -3dB + -3dB
210° + -4dB + -1.8dB + -7.8dB + -3dB
240° + -4dB + -3dB -∞ + -3dB
270° + -4dB + -7.8dB - -7.8dB + -3dB
300° + -4dB -∞ - -3dB + -3dB
330° + -4dB - -7.8dB - -1.8dB + -3dB
Directivity
direction
O L R Z
φLevel φLevel φLevel φLevel
0° + 0dB - -3dB - -3dB + -3dB
30° + 0dB - -1.8dB - -7.8dB + -3dB
60° + 0dB - -3dB -∞ + -3dB
90° + 0dB - -7.8dB + -7.8dB + -3dB
120° + 0dB -∞ + -3dB + -3dB
150° + 0dB + -7.8dB + -1.8dB + -3dB
180° + 0dB + -3dB + -3dB + -3dB
210° + 0dB + -1.8dB + -7.8dB + -3dB
240° + 0dB + -3dB -∞ + -3dB
270° + 0dB + -7.8dB - -7.8dB + -3dB
300° + 0dB -∞ - -3dB + -3dB
330° + 0dB - -7.8dB - -1.8dB + -3dB
90°
120°
150°
180°
210°
240°
270°
300°
330°
60°
30°
0°
LEGEND 1kHz
SCALE IS 5 DECIBELS PER DIVISION
90°
120°
150°
180°
210°
240°
270°
300°
330°
60°
30°
0°
LEGEND 1kHz
SCALE IS 5 DECIBELS PER DIVISION

Specifications
Elements Fixed-charge back plate, permanently polarized condenser
Polar pattern Omnidirectional (O) / Bidirectional (figure-of-eight) (L/R/Z)
Frequency response 20 to 16,000 Hz
Open circuit sensitivity O/L/R: -36 dB (15.85 mV) (0 dB=1 V/Pa,1 kHz)
Z: –38.5 dB (11.9 mV) (0 dB=1 V/Pa,1 kHz)
Impedance 100 ohms
Maximum input sound level O/L/R: 132.5 dB SPL (1 kHz THD1%)
Z: 135 dB SPL (1 kHz THD1%)
Signal-to-noise ratio O/L/R: 66.5 dB (1 kHz at 1 Pa, A-weighted)
Z: 64 dB (1 kHz at 1 Pa, A-weighted)
Phantom power
requirements 11 - 52 V DC, 23.2 mA (all channels total)
Weight Microphone: 160 g (5.6 oz)
Ceiling mount (AT8554): 460 g (16.2 oz)
Plenum rating UL 2043
Dimensions (Microphone) Maximum body diameter: 61.6 mm (2.4”)
Height: 111.8 mm (4.4”)
(Ceiling mount (AT8554)) 106 mm (4.2”) × 106 mm (4.2”) × 45.6 mm (1.8”) (W × D × H)
Output connector Euroblock connector
Accessories Ceiling mount (AT8554), RJ45 breakout cable × 2,
Retaining nut, Seismic cable, Isolator, Cable tie
• 1 Pascal = 10 dynes/cm2= 10 microbars = 94 dB SPL
For product improvement, the product is subject to modification without notice.
Polar pattern / Frequency response
Omnidirectional (O)
Bidirectional
(figure-of-eight) (L/R/Z)
90°
120°
150°
180°
210°
240°
270°
300°
330°
60°
30°
0°
LEGEND 1kHz
SCALE IS 5 DECIBELS PER DIVISION
10dB
5020
20k
(Hz)
10k5k2k1k500200100
Response in dB
LEGEND
0°, 50 cm
90°
120°
150°
180°
210°
240°
270°
300°
330°
60°
30°
0°
LEGEND 1kHz
SCALE IS 5 DECIBELS PER DIVISION
10dB
5020
20k
(Hz)
10k5k2k1k500200100
Response in dB
LEGEND
0°, 50 cm
142419271-02-01 ver.1 2022.11.15
Dimensions
φ61.6
111.8
106
102
10645.6
Audio-Technica Corporation
2-46-1 Nishi-naruse, Machida, Tokyo 194-8666, Japan
©2022 Audio-Technica Corporation
Global Support Contact: www.at-globalsupport.com
Made in Japan
Frequency in Hertz
Frequency in Hertz
(Unit: mm)