Logitech RALLY MIC POD User manual

RALLY MIC POD
PLACEMENT GUIDE

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RALLY MIC POD PLACEMENT GUIDE
In this article we explain how you can optimize the microphone pickup for Logitech’s Rally
family of products in rooms of varying sizes, with dierent table layouts. The article includes
specic guidance about the optimal placement of external mics.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHOOSING THE RIGHT VIDEO CONFERENCING SYSTEM FOR EACH ROOM
MIC PODS ON THE CEILING VS. MIC PODS ON THE TABLE
RALLY BAR & RALLY BAR MINI
SPEAKER MODES: DEFAULT VS. SPEAKER BOOST MODE
TYPICAL MIC POD CONFIGURATIONS
MIC POD CONFIGURATIONS FOR SPEAKER BOOST MODE
RALLY PLUS
ACCESSORIES

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RALLY MIC POD PLACEMENT GUIDE
CHOOSING THE RIGHT VIDEO
CONFERENCING SYSTEM FOR EACH
ROOM
When deciding which camera system is best for a
given room, it’s important to consider a number
of factors. A combination of camera zoom
performance, speaker output volume, and mic
pickup range can help guide the best choice.
Below are general guidelines*to follow when deciding
on which Rally device to place where.
• Rally Bar Mini is ideal for small to medium sized
rooms that generally seat 3 to 12 people, up to
18’ x 20’ (5.5 x 6m or 33 m2).
• Rally Bar is ideal for medium to large rooms
that generally seat up to 20 people, up to 15’ x
26’ (4.5 m x 8 m or 36 m2).
• Rally Plus is optimized for larger rooms that
generally seat up to 46 people, up to 28’ x 40’
(8.5 m x 12 m or 102 m2).
*For optimal performance, follow these guidelines or
test the system in individual rooms.
The Rally systems are quite exible and, with
additional mic pods, can accommodate rooms of
larger sizes. The built-in microphones in Rally Bar and
Rally Bar Mini both support a mic pickup range up
to 23 ft (7 m). However, there are situations where
a room would benet from additional microphones
such as U-shaped tables or especially long tables. For
these situations, Rally Bar supports up to four Rally
Mic Pods, and Rally Bar Mini supports up to three.*
For larger rooms, Rally Plus supports up to seven Rally
Mic Pods.
*See “Accessories” below for recommended products
when using external mic pods.
MIC PODS IN THE CEILING VS. MIC
PODS ON THE TABLE
After deciding the appropriate Rally system and
number of mic pods, you may also consider whether
to mount mic pods on the table or on the ceiling.
Both options – mounting on a table or mounting
on the ceiling – provide comparable performance,
as long as the mic pods are positioned and spaced
relative to one another in the same conguration
and the ceiling height is 10 ft or less. With higher
ceilings, space the mic pods closer together. As
room acoustics can vary, testing the conguration is
recommended.
In most rooms, satisfactory performance can be
achieved with ceiling mounted mic pods. However, in
situations with atypical HVAC systems or signicantly
higher ceilings, several Logitech Collaboration
Partners oer ceiling mic solutions for these
acoustically challenging environments.

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RALLY MIC POD PLACEMENT GUIDE
RALLY BAR & RALLY BAR MINI
Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini are the latest video
conferencing room solutions from Logitech. These
two video bars can be run as standalone appliances
or as USB video bars connected to virtually any PC or
Mac. See logitech.com/vc for more information.
SPEAKER MODES: DEFAULT VS.
SPEAKER BOOST MODE
When external mic pods are connected to Rally Bar or
Rally Bar Mini, they can function in one of two modes:
the default speaker mode or Speaker Boost Mode.
• In the default setting, the camera’s internal
microphones automatically work in concert
with the external mic pods.
• In Speaker Boost Mode, only the external
mic pods function. The camera’s internal
microphones are turned o.
Speaker Boost Mode has a couple advantages
over the default setup. It’s louder, for one. By
default, the camera’s speaker volume is set at an
appropriate level for the echo canceler. Because
Speaker Boost Mode turns the internal mics o, the
speaker volume can be increased by 3 decibels (dB)
without creating echo.
The second advantage of Speaker Boost Mode is that
voices in a video meeting will sound more consistent
when they’re picked up using one type of microphone
(external mic pods only) rather than two (external
mic pods plus internal mics within the bar).
Whether you choose to use Speaker Boost Mode
or the default settings depends on the size and
conguration of the room. In the rest of this article
we will provide diagrams for rooms optimized with
and without Speaker Boost Mode.

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RALLY MIC POD PLACEMENT GUIDE
TYPICAL MIC POD CONFIGURATIONS
This section provides examples of mic pod placement when using a Rally conference camera in a default setup—
without Speaker Boost Mode.
In the default setup, both external mic pods and internal mics are active. The internal mics pick up voices closer
to the video bar, while the external mic pods pick up voices that are farther away.
The diagram below is the most basic conguration for expanding the mic pickup range. The rst mic pod should
be mounted 12’ (3.7 m) from the video bar to ensure sucient mic pod range overlap. Each mic pod has a
pickup range of 15’ (4.6 m) diameter.

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RALLY MIC POD PLACEMENT GUIDE
Each additional mic pod should be spaced 8 ft (2.4 m) apart as this provides the best overlapping coverage.
You’ll also nd that this is the spacing dened by the mic pod cable length when using Rally Mic Pod Mounts.

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RALLY MIC POD PLACEMENT GUIDE
A common conguration where two mic pods are recommended is a triangle-shaped conference table. Here the
mic pods are mounted on either side of the table. This provides mic coverage not only at the table, but also to
those seated along the wall or writing on a whiteboard.

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RALLY MIC POD PLACEMENT GUIDE
For U-shaped tables or classroom congurations, three mic pods1are ideal, providing excellent mic coverage.
Here again, the two mic pods closest to the video bar should be spaced no more than 12 ft (3.7 m) from the
camera. A viable option for U-shaped tables is to run the system in Speaker Boost Mode (see below).

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RALLY MIC POD PLACEMENT GUIDE
MIC POD CONFIGURATIONS FOR SPEAKER BOOST MODE
This section provides examples of mic pod placement when using a Rally conference camera in Speaker Boost
Mode.
When using Speaker Boost Mode, only the external mic pods are active. So, while similar in conguration to a
typical setup, now one additional mic pod is used nearer the video bar to pick up voices near the front of the
room.
Two microphone layout:

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RALLY MIC POD PLACEMENT GUIDE
Another two microphone conguration is shown below. Again, a triangle-shaped table is used; however, in this
case it’s only important to pick up the voices of those seated at the table.

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RALLY MIC POD PLACEMENT GUIDE
In a scenario where there are seats along the periphery of the room or whiteboards are commonly used, an
alternate layout of the mic pods enhances coverage for those away from the table. In this case, a Rally Mic Pod
Extension Cables is used between the rst and second mic pods to allow greater spacing.

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RALLY MIC POD PLACEMENT GUIDE
Another common conguration is three mic pods on a longer table. Again, the mic pods are spaced 8 ft (2.4 m)
apart.

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RALLY MIC POD PLACEMENT GUIDE
In a U-shaped table conguration, mic pods are biased towards the front of the room to ensure appropriate
coverage for those seated nearest the front of the room and facing the camera. Again, the mic pods should be
spaced no more than 8 ft (2.4 m) apart.

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RALLY MIC POD PLACEMENT GUIDE
RALLY PLUS
Designed for greater exibility in larger rooms, Rally Plus supports up to seven mic pods and seven mic pod hubs.
As Rally Plus uses only external mic pods, their placement replicates what’s described above with Rally Bar and
Rally Bar Mini in Speaker Boost Mode. Again, mic pods should be spaced a maximum of 8 ft (2.4 m) apart and
consideration should be given to where people will be in the room, either at the conference table or also seated
along the walls.
With up to seven mic pods, a variety of larger congurations can be supported, such as large U-shaped tables:

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RALLY MIC POD PLACEMENT GUIDE
Or V-shaped tables:
Or even simply longer tables:

RALLY MIC POD PLACEMENT GUIDE
ACCESSORIES
There are three accessory products we recommend for any installation using external mic pods:
For more information about conguring any of the Rally conference cameras and sound systems, visit
prosupport.logi.com
Rally Mic Pod Extension Cable is a 10 meter, plenum- and ECA-rated
cable that allows mic pods to be placed farther away from the video bar.
Up to two extension cables can be used with Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini,
and one can be used with Rally and Rally Plus.
• With Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini, the two extension cables can be placed anywhere
in the sequence of mic pods and extension cables.
• With Rally and Rally Plus the extension cable must be connected to the table hub.
Rally Mic Pod Hub includes three connectors and a 9.5 ft (2.9 m)
cable that provides installers the exibility to customize microphone
placement.
Note: Rally Bar supports two Mic Pod Hubs and four Mic Pods. Rally Bar
Mini supports two Mic Pod Hubs and three Mic Pods. With Rally and Rally
Plus, seven Mic Pod Hubs and seven Mic Pods can be used.
Rally Mic Pod Mount secures the mic pod in a desired location on the
table or ceiling while keeping the cables hidden. Available in graphite or
white.
1Rally Bar supports four Rally Mic Pods; Rally Bar Mini supports three.
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owned by Logitech and may be registered. All other trademarks are the properties
of their respective owners. Logitech assumes no responsibility for any errors
that may appear in this publication. Product, pricing and feature information
contained herein is subject to change without notice.
Published March 2022
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