Sony MAS-A100 User manual

5-020-095-13(1)
© 2020 Sony Corporation
Microphone Array System
System Integration Guide
Version 1.10
MAS-A100
MASM-1

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction ......................................................................................... 6
2. MAS-A100 Overview ............................................................................. 7
3. System Configuration Example ............................................................. 8
3.1. Recording a lecture in a small room (no speech reinforcement) ............... 8
3.2. Reinforcing/capturing a lecture in a medium-sized room ......................... 9
3.3. Remote lecture .................................................................................11
4. System Design .................................................................................... 15
4.1. System design flow ...........................................................................15
4.2. Installation ......................................................................................16
MAS-A100 installation..............................................................................16
Speech reinforcement level adjustment .....................................................18
Installation environment for speech reinforcement ......................................19
Calculator for speech reinforcement ..........................................................21
Installation environment for audio capture .................................................22
4.3. Network design ................................................................................23
MAS-A100 network function overview........................................................23
IP address design....................................................................................24
Setup network communications protocols and ports ....................................25
Dante network communications protocols and ports ....................................25
PoE .......................................................................................................26
Ethernet power-saving function ................................................................26
IGMP snooping .......................................................................................26
Network sharing with other network devices...............................................27
Connecting multiple systems to the same network ......................................27
Compatible third-party products ...............................................................28
NETGEAR GS108PEv3 setup .....................................................................28
Cisco SG350-28P setup............................................................................29
4.4. Audio design ....................................................................................30
MAS-A100 audio output overview..............................................................30
Routing..................................................................................................30
Transmission method...............................................................................30
Compatible third-party products ...............................................................32
Small-scale audio capture system design ...................................................32
Speech reinforcement system design.........................................................34

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4.5. Remote lecture system design ............................................................41
5. Setup .................................................................................................. 47
5.1. MASM-1 preparation..........................................................................47
Default password setting..........................................................................48
5.2. MAS-A100 initial setup using MASM-1 .................................................49
MAS-A100 discovery and IP address setting ...............................................50
Initialization and user name/password entry ..............................................51
Registering MAS-A100 units in MASM-1 .....................................................56
5.3. Dante Controller preparation ..............................................................57
5.4. Routing of Dante audio ......................................................................59
5.5. Calibration .......................................................................................62
Calibration preparation ............................................................................63
Calibrating .............................................................................................64
5.6. General settings ...............................................................................66
Displaying the settings screen ..................................................................66
5.7. Audio settings ..................................................................................68
Audio settings and signal processing functions............................................68
Noise reduction.......................................................................................69
Ambient noise filter .................................................................................70
Equalizer................................................................................................70
Calibration .............................................................................................71
Feedback reduction .................................................................................71
Bass boost (for Main) ..............................................................................71
Noise gate (for Main)...............................................................................72
Capture range (for Main) .........................................................................72
Microphone gain .....................................................................................73
Muting...................................................................................................73
Output level display.................................................................................74
Gain limit display ....................................................................................74
Bass boost (for Rec) ................................................................................74
Noise gate (for Rec) ................................................................................75
Capture range (for Rec) ...........................................................................75
MASM-1 audio settings ............................................................................76
5.8. System settings................................................................................76
6. Operation and Maintenance ................................................................ 78
6.1. Monitor............................................................................................78

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6.2. Firmware update ..............................................................................79
6.3. Factory reset....................................................................................81
6.4. MASM-1 log files...............................................................................81
6.5. MASM-1 settings initialization.............................................................82
7. Design, Installation, and Operation Example ...................................... 83
7.1. Installation design ............................................................................83
7.2. Network design ................................................................................86
IP address assignment design...................................................................86
PoE design .............................................................................................87
Wiring design .........................................................................................87
7.3. Audio design ....................................................................................87
Speech reinforcement system...................................................................87
Remote lecture system ............................................................................88
7.4. Network settings ..............................................................................90
7.5. Audio settings ..................................................................................93
7.6. Installation ......................................................................................94
7.7. Calibration .......................................................................................94
7.8. Operation ........................................................................................95
8. Usage Precautions .............................................................................. 96
Appendix A. Troubleshooting.................................................................... 97
Appendix B. External Control .................................................................. 112
B.1. Setting external control ................................................................... 112
B.2. Communication specifications........................................................... 112
B.3. Format .......................................................................................... 112
B.4. Command ...................................................................................... 113
SET command ......................................................................................113
GET command ......................................................................................113
Response .............................................................................................114
B.5. Crestron support ............................................................................ 115
B.6. Sample program............................................................................. 116

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Trademarks
Windows is a registered trademark of United States Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and/or other countries.
Google Chrome is a registered trademark of Google Inc.
Dante is a registered trademark of Audinate Pty Ltd.
Other company names, product names, and system names appearing in this
document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Trademarked items are not indicated by ® or ™ symbols in this document.
In no event shall Sony Corporation be liable for the specifications of third-party
products or any part thereof.

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1. Introduction
This document describes the design of a system that uses MAS-A100 Beamforming
Microphones and an MASM-1 Microphone Array System Manager, and the required
information for setup and operation. Refer to the MAS-A100 Operating Instructions
and the MASM-1 Help Guide.
The MAS-A100 Beamforming Microphone is a beamforming type, ceiling-mounted
microphone with a speech reinforcement and clear audio recording system for
hands-free, hassle-free operation covering locations over a wide area.
Lecturers and presenters can use both hands freely when giving lectures and
presentations, without troublesome preparation and equipment operation.
The unit also supports Dante audio transmission and PoE (Power Over Ethernet)
power supply. It can be connected to various Dante-compatible audio systems using a
single network cable.
The MASM-1 Microphone Array System Manager is Windows application software for
configuring and operating an array of MAS-A100 Beamforming Microphones
collectively by remote control via a network.

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2. MAS-A100 Overview
This section provides an overview of the MAS-A100 Beamforming Microphone.
Audio capture function
The MAS-A100 integrates eight directional microphone capsules and the signal
processing functions, as shown in the following diagram. It enables audio capture
features for speech reinforcement and for recording, corresponding to the Main output
and the Rec output, respectively.
The Main output exploits a unique feedback reduction technique, and can be
connected to a speech reinforcement system and played back by loudspeakers in a
room. The Rec output is optimized for recording of clearer audio over a wider area.
Audio output function
The MAS-A100 is compatible with the Dante system and achieves long-distance
transmission of low-latency, high-quality, digital audio. Main and Rec (2) outputs are
multiplexed and output using a single Cat 5e LAN cable. Also, the power supply for the
MAS-A100 is supplied by the same cable using PoE.
Setup and management function
The MAS-A100 has two IP addresses. One IP address is for output of the captured
audio using the Dante system. The other IP address is for MAS-A100 setup using the
web app or external API.
MASM-1 and Dante Controller software by Audinate (referred to as “Dante
Controller”) on a PC connected to the same segment (same layer 2 network) are used
to initialize the MAS-A100 units and route Dante audio, respectively.

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3. System Configuration Example
This section shows an example system configuration using the MAS-A100.
3.1. Recording a lecture in a small room (no speech
reinforcement)
The following system configuration shows the unit installed for recording a lecture in
a small room with a width of 7 m, a depth of 9 m, and a ceiling height of about 3 m.
One MAS-A100 unit mounted on the ceiling in the center of the room above the
lecturer is used to capture audio.
The capture range of the Rec output is a hemisphere of 7 m radius (14 m diameter), and
one unit can cover the recording of the lecturer and audience. The Rec output of the
MAS-A100 connects to the recording system via a Dante/Analog converter (Audinate).
Room floor plan
9 m
7 m
: MAS-A100

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Connection diagram
Required equipment
Label in figure
above
Name Qty. Remarks
A MAS-A100 1
B Dante DAC ADP-DAO-AU-0X1 1 Audinate
C PoE HUB GS108PEv3 1 NETGEAR
D Windows PC 1 For setup
E LAN cable (Cat 5e or higher) As required
F Audio cable 1
3.2. Reinforcing/capturing a lecture in a medium-sized
room
The following system configuration shows units installed for reinforcing speech and
recording a lecture in a medium-sized room with a width of 10 m, a depth of 20 m, and
a ceiling height of about 3 m. Three MAS-A100 units mounted on the ceiling at
intervals of 2.7 m above the lecturer are used to reinforce speech and capture audio.
Network (E)
Analog audio (F)
PoE L2
switch (C)
Lecture capture
recorder
Dante audio PoE
Dante/Analog
convertor (1-ch) (B)
Dante audio
PC for control (D)
Microphone (A)

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The Main output and the Rec output of these MAS-A100 units are mixed by a Dante
DSP mixer and connected to a speech reinforcement system and a recording system,
respectively.
The speech reinforcement quality and volume can be increased by not installing
loudspeakers near the front of the room.
Room floor plan
20 m
: MAS-A100 (3 units)
10 m
: Ceiling mounted loudspeakers for speech reinforcement (8 units)

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Connection diagram
Required equipment
Label in figure
above
Name Qty. Remarks
A MAS-A100 3
B Dante Mixer Prism 4x4 1 Symetrix
C PoE HUB GS108PEv3 1 NETGEAR
D Power amplifier 1
E Ceiling speaker 8
F Windows PC 1 For setup
G LAN cable (Cat 5e or higher) As required
H Audio cable As required
3.3. Remote lecture
The following system configuration shows units installed for reinforcing speech and
recording a lecture with a remote classroom, using bidirectional communication, in a
medium-sized room with a width of 10 m, a depth of 20 m, and a ceiling height of
Dante DSP mixer (B)
PoE L2 switch (C)
Lecture capture
recorder
Power
amplifier (D)
Dante audio PoE
Dante audio
PC for control (F)
Network (G)
Analog audio (H)
Ceiling speaker (E)
Microphone × 3 (A)
Ceiling speaker (E)

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about 3 m. Three MAS-A100 units mounted on the ceiling at intervals of 2.7 m above
the lecturer are used to reinforce speech and record audio. Three MAS-A100 units
mounted on the ceiling above the audience are used to record audio. The recorded
audio is sent to the remote room.
The Main output and the Rec output of these MAS-A100 units are mixed by a Dante
DSP mixer and connected to a speech reinforcement system and a remote
conferencing system (PCS-XG100), respectively. In order to improve the speech
reinforcement performance, only the remote sound is output from the loudspeakers
close to the MAS-A100 units near the instructor, and both the reinforced speech of the
lecturer and the remote sound are output from the loudspeakers on the audience side.
Room floor plan
20 m
: MAS-A100 for speech
reinforcement (3 units)
10 m
: MAS-A100 for recording audio
(3 units)
: Ceiling mounted loudspeakers for
speech reinforcement (8 units)
: Wall-mounted loudspeakers for remote
audio (2 units)

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Connection diagram
Required equipment
Label in
figure above
Name Qty. Remarks
A MAS-A100 6 3 units each for speech
reinforcement and audio
capture
B PCS-XG100 1
C Dante Mixer Prism 4x4 1 Symetrix
D PoE HUB SG350-28P 1 Cisco
E Power amplifier 2
F Loudspeaker 2
G Ceiling speaker 8
H Windows PC 1 For setup
Loudspeaker
(F)
Network (I)
Analog audio (J)
Dante DSP
mixer (C)
PoE L2 switch (D)
Teleconference
system (B)
Dante audio PoE
Dante audio
Remote audio (bidirectional)
Power amplifier
(E)
Microphone × 3 (A)
Microphone × 3 (A)
Loudspeaker (F)
Ceiling
speaker (G)
Ceiling
speaker (G)
PC for control (H)

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Label in
figure above
Name Qty. Remarks
I LAN cable
(Cat 5e or higher)
As required
J Audio cable As required

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4. System Design
4.1. System design flow
The following shows the procedure for MAS-A100 system design, installation,
connection, and configuration.
Determine necessary equipment and installation positioning from information,
such as room structure, material, loudspeaker system, network, etc.
(See “4.2 Installation” (page 16))
Design the control network and Dante network.
(See “4.3 Network design” (page 23))
Configure Dante network settings.
(See “5.4 Routing of Dante audio” (page 59))
Perform calibration.
(See “5.5 Calibration” (page 62))
Adjust audio quality for usage environment.
(See “5.7 Audio settings” (page 68))
Design the connections with audio devices.
(See “4.4 Audio design” (page 30))
Perform initial setup using MASM-1.
(See “5.2 MAS-A100 initial setup using MASM-1” (page 49))

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4.2. Installation
MAS-A100 installation
When using speech reinforcement loudspeakers (Main output)
The audio capture range of an MAS-A100 for speech reinforcement is a hemisphere of
2 to 3 m radius (4 to 6 m diameter) with the MAS-A100 at the center. Consider the
height of the ceiling, the posture of the lecturer (sitting or standing), and the position
of the lecturer’s mouth, then design the installation so that the lecturer is within the
audio capture range.
It is recommended that the MAS-A100 be within 2 m distance from the lecturer.
Audio capture range for speech reinforcement
When using recording output (Rec output)
The audio capture range of an MAS-A100 for recording is a hemisphere of 7 m radius
(14 m diameter). Consider the height of the ceiling, the posture of the audience
2 m
3 m
3 m
1.2 m
2.5 m
Height of lecturer: 170 cm
Floor plan level with lecturer’s mouth
Side view

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(standing or sitting), and the position of the audience’s mouths, then design the
installation so that the audience is within the audio capture range.
Capture range when recording
Multiple unit installation
To capture a wider area, install multiple MAS-A100 units separated at fixed intervals,
and mix the output of the units at the same volume. In such an installation, the
MAS-A100 units capture audio with less noise, so sound quality abnormalities due to
interference between the MAS-A100 units are less likely to occur, making the audio
capture clearer.
Multiple MAS-A100 installation example
Make sure to mix the audio channels of the Main output and audio channels of Rec
output separately.
7 m
3 m
Height of lecturer: 170 cm
Height of seated
audience: 120 cm
Front view
2.67 m
3 m
Height of
lecturer:
170 cm
Front view
2.67 m
8 m

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Do not mix the Main output and Rec output together. If the Main output is connected
to a mixer that has an automatic gain control function, the system will not work
properly.
Multiple MAS-A100 units connection diagram
Speech reinforcement level adjustment
By exploiting the beamforming function and feedback reduction technique, the Main
output of an MAS-A100 unit can be connected to a speech reinforcement system and
played back to achieve hands-free speech reinforcement.
When using the Main output of the MAS-A100, a test signal generated by the
MAS-A100 is output from the loudspeakers and is used to optimize the mixer settings,
power amplifier settings, and acoustic positional relationship with the speech
reinforcement loudspeakers. The audio captured by the MAS-A100 is used for
calibration. For details about the calibration process, see “5.5 Calibration” (page 62).
After calibration is finished, take care not to change the mixer settings (gain,
equalizer), power amplifier settings (gain), and loudspeaker position or orientation.
To adjust the speech reinforcement level, adjust the volume using the speech
reinforcement adjustment function of the MAS-A100, not by changing the gain of the
mixer or amplifier.
Audio mixer
For Main ch
Audio mixer
For Rec ch
Lecture capture
system
PA system
Unity gain mix
Unity gain mix
Main output
Rec output
1
2
3
1
2
3
Room
loudspeakers

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Installation environment for speech reinforcement
The speech reinforcement performance of the MAS-A100 is affected by the quality of
the loudspeaker, installation location, shape of the room in which it is installed,
materials of the room, and ambient noise environment.
This section describes the recommended installation environment for the MAS-A100.
Speech reinforcement loudspeakers
Use speech reinforcement loudspeakers that have sufficient output margin. Proper
speech reinforcement cannot be achieved if distortion, crackling, or chattering occurs.
Due to problems with volume, the use of small loudspeakers for computers or built-in
loudspeakers, such as in TVs, radio cassette recorders, or karaoke players, are not
recommended.
Install speech reinforcement loudspeakers such that their directivity field does not
point towards the MAS-A100, and with a separation of 2 m or more from the
MAS-A100. Installing 3 m or further away is recommended.
When installing MAS-A100 units on the ceiling above a classroom dais, it is
recommended that the loudspeakers be placed close to the audience.
By using loudspeakers with narrow directivity, such as line array loudspeakers, you
can increase the sound pressure on the audience side and decrease the sound
pressure returning from the loudspeakers to the MAS-A100, allowing you to increase
the loudspeaker volume.
If the loudspeaker installation position cannot be separated from the MAS-A100, the
sound quality will deteriorate because of the narrower audio capture range or the
application of strong feedback control, although this will suppress the occurrence of
feedback.

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Example of loudspeakers in non-recommended locations
Room acoustic characteristics
It is recommended to use a room with low reverberation and low reflection acoustic
characteristics. In an environment with reverberation or reflection, the intelligibility of
the sound may be poor and the sound quality may make hearing difficult.
The upper limit of speech reinforcement may be reduced in the following cases if audio
re-enters the MAS-A100 with little attenuation from the loudspeakers.
Small rooms (e.g., smaller than 5 m × 5 m)
Rooms with reflective interiors (glass, tile, or stone walls and floors)
Rooms with high-reflectivity ceilings
Measures to prevent general feedback (use of sound absorbing material, curtains,
diffuser on flat surfaces, etc.) are effective.
Noise
The MAS-A100 has two functions to reduce noise.
One is a noise reduction function that reduces continuously occurring noise. This
function makes fan sound from projectors and air conditioners, and sources that
generate continuous sine wave sounds less likely to be captured.
: MAS-A100 for speech reinforcement (3 units)
: Loudspeakers non-recommended locations (2 m radius)