The Andrea Superbeam Array Microphone: Enabling “The Freedom of Voice”
An effective, natural communication interface requires clear, noise free audio input. By ensuring highly
intelligible, low noise audio source input (spoken words),a Andrea Electronics’ digital microphone
products and technologies enable more accurate and reliable communication as well as high performance
speech recognition in noisy office environments. In the past, the only way to obtain a clear voice signal
that provided the optimum level of communication and an acceptable level of speech recognition
performance was to wear a headset. By wearing a headset, the microphone is at close proximity to the
speaker’s mouth, thereby, forcing the voice to be the primary signal (the acoustical environment [noise]
becomes insignificant when the distance between the microphone and the speaker’s mouth is negligible).
Our products and technologies enable a person speaking to be at a distance from the audio input source,
freeing the speaker from having to hold or wear a conventional “close talking” microphone, while
maintaining the same level of performance. We refer to this capability as untethered, “far-field”
microphone operation.
One of the most significant barriers to speech recognition performance and, as a result, in speech
recognition usage and popularity, is the high sensitivity to the acoustic environment and, in particular, to
the surrounding noise in any real office or workstation. The only technically acceptable solution, until
recently, was to use a headset; however, this made the user experience annoying, uncomfortable and
inconvenient. Recent noise canceling microphone array product developments have enabled users to be
untethered; however, these solutions are very expensive and, therefore, less appealing to an average user.
Andrea Electronics, together with Analog Devices, has developed a groundbreaking solution: The Andrea
Superbeam Array Microphone (the “Superbeam Array”). Analog Devices has developed an interface that
allows the Superbeam Array to connect to the PC and run the necessary software instructions on the PC’s
processor. The Superbeam Array is a two-microphone (two-channel ) device that attaches to the top of
any laptop or PC equipped with Analog Devices’ next generation SoundMax Cadenza software. The
SoundMax Cadenza software is integrated with Andrea Electronics' PureAudio and DSDA (Digital Super
Directional Array) noise-cancellation software, thereby removing the high costs associated with required
memory and processing power from the microphone device (now powered by the PC’s host processor).
Andrea’s PureAudio is a voice enhancement noise reduction algorithm that can detect non-voice signals
and eliminate them from the incoming audio stream. PureAudio is very effective in reducing repetitive
and stationary noises such as computer-fans, air conditioners, and other background noises. Andrea’s
DSDA (Digital Super Directional Array) utilizes a two microphone array configuration which studies the
signals that are coming from the two microphones in order to create a narrow reception cone. The array
behaves as a directional antenna that “looks” (or actually listens) to the voices that are coming from its
“look” direction and ignores noises or voices that are coming from other directions, thus eliminating a
large number of interferences, including neighboring speakers and reverberations.
The end result: freeing a speaker from having to hold, or wear, a conventional microphone with a very
high-tech, low cost, sleek hardware accessory.
We developed the attached white paper in order to document the effectiveness of the Superbeam
microphone when compared to that of the conventional alternative microphone products. In particular,
we demonstrate that Andrea’s technologies enable far-field microphone operation that is at least equal to
that of an industry-leading USB headset.
In the attached white paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our technologies through speech
recognition performance results. We show that the Superbeam Array performs at least equivalent to that
of a “close talking” microphone, even though it is used in the “far field” mode, providing the untethered
experience desire by the average user. Speech recognition performance represents the harshest
environment with which to benchmark microphone performance due to the high sensitivity of the
application to the surrounding noise and acoustic environment. The microphone is required to eliminate
the noise but also be able to address the nature, location and intensity of the noise, the size and
reverberant quality of the room, the clarity of the speaker, and the microphone's capability to adjust to
movement by the speaker during dictation. The speech recognition test results provide a quantitative
measure of relative microphone performance.
Although we used speech recognition results as a measure of relative microphone performance, the
Superbeam Array improves the quality and intelligibility of the voice signal. Using communication
applications such as VoIP, audio conferencing or videoconferencing, the improved intelligibility leads to
a better understanding for the listener, thereby enhancing the overall end user experience.
What
is the USB Superbeam®?
The USB Superbeam is a bundle comprised of the following:
Andrea
Superbeam Array Microphone
A
Quick Start publication
|
Microphone
Arrays - USB Superbeam Array FAQ
Do
I need to install software for the USB Superbeam Array Microphone
to work correctly? What is on the CD that comes with the Array?
Yes! You must install the Andrea USB Audio Software from the
provided CD BEFORE plugging in the Andrea Stereo USB adapter.
This is required to insure the Andrea Noise reduction software
loads correctly.
We also
recommend installation of AudioCommander® to aid set up
and use of the USB Superbeam microphone.
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The
CD includes:
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USB
Superbeam software installation
AudioCommander
software installation
USB
Superbeam Users Guide
|
Note:
AudioCommander is not required for proper operation of the
USB Superbeam Array Microphone.
Are
your USB drivers Microsoft approved and digitally signed?
Yes. Our USB drivers have successfully passed Microsoft
WHQL testing and are digitally signed by Microsoft.
How does AudioCommander work with the USB
Superbeam Array?
AudioCommander offers centralized control of multimedia audio
on your computer and enhances use of your USB Superbeam Array
Microphone with:
- Audio
Wizard to set microphone levels to optimum
- Playback
and Record controls including the ability to "tear-off"
individual controls and keep them conveniently on your desktop
- Access
Andrea Noise Cancellation features
- Audio
Record/Playback feature
I
installed the USB Superbeam and now my speakers do not work.
What do I do?
When you plugged in the USBD-2A it replaced your sound card
as the audio input and output device. You can do one of two
things:
- Plug
your speakers into the USBD-2A headphone jack instead of
your sound card.
- Change
the sound playback device in Windows from Andrea USB USBD2-A
to your sound card. This is done in Windows XP from: Start,
Control Panel, Sound Speech and Audio, Sounds and Audio
Devices and select the Audio Tab. Change the Sound Playback
device from "Andrea USB USBD2-A" to your sound
card device.
I
installed the USB Superbeam and my speech recognition accuracy
went down. What do I do?
You need to rerun your speech training since you changed
microphones.
Where do I plug the Superbeam microphone
into?
The Superbeam Array Microphone plugs into the microphone
input of the USBD-2A adapter.
Can
I use a headset with the adapter instead of the Superbeam
Array?
Yes, the USBD-2A adapter microphone input supports Andrea
NC and ANC headsets.
(When
used with ANC headsets the TRS1 Adapter must be used for the
microphone input.)
Can
the mic be placed anywhere else besides the monitor?
Our testing has shown the "above the monitor" location
to perform best for speech recognition software like IBM's
ViaVoiceTM and Microsoft Office XP's built in speech recognition
program.
Other
locations will work but may pick up additional noises.
- The
Superbeam Array Microphone can be placed on a table or desktop,
but can pick up acoustic noise from a hard tabletop or desktop.
If table or desktop placement is required, try isolating
the microphone by placing it on a foam mouse pad or similar
material. Make sure to point it to yourself.
- The
Superbeam microphone is sensitive, so can pick up keyboard
clicking and mouse clicks. Try to keep the microphone away
from these areas.
Note:
The Superbeam Array Microphone is designed for horizontal
mounting only. Do not mount the microphone vertically or the
noise cancellation feature will not work correctly.
How
far away should the mic be placed?
For speech recognition software the microphone should be 12
- 18" from your mouth. For less demanding applications
like Internet telephony and voice recording the range extends
out to about 48". Remember to readjust the microphone
level by using AudioCommander whenever you significantly change
your distance from the microphone.
How
do I adjust microphone levels?
The easiest way is to install Andrea's AudioCommander software
(included on the CD with your USB Superbeam Array Microphone).
AudioCommander includes an "Audio Setup Wizard"
that steps you through the microphone level adjustment,
automatically setting the optimum level.
Alternatively,
if you are familiar with Windows you can always manually
set the "Record Microphone Level."
Do
I need to sit directly in front of the Array?
Yes, the Superbeam Array is a directional microphone, so
it needed to be "aimed" at you (the sound source).
What applications does the USB Superbeam
Array work with?
The USB Superbeam Array Microphone works with any application
that needs voice input.
When I use Net2Phone, people I talk
to tell me they hear an echo of their own voice, why?
You are probably using your speakers. The sound from
your speakers (the person you are talking to) is picked
up by the Superbeam microphone and sent back to the person
you are talking to (acoustic echo). Using headphones will
remove the acoustic echo. The Andrea HS-75 headphones are
perfectly matched for use with the USB Superbeam. There
may also be "line echo" that is usually much lower
in level, but will not be eliminated by using headphones.
What PC's are compatible with the USB
Superbeam Microphone?
Any PC's that have USB ports and Windows XP, 2000, Me, or
98 SE are compatible with the USB Superbeam.
Can
I use the USB Supebeam with Windows 98 or 95?
No, Windows 98 and 95 do not have reliable support for USB
Audio.
What
is the difference between the USBD-2A adapter that is part
of the USB Superbeam bundle and the Andrea USB Adapter?
The USBD-2A adapter has a stereo microphone input and a
stereo headphone (or speaker) output for full duplex operation.
It includes Andrea Pure Audio and DSDA noise reduction software.
The
USB Adapter has a mono microphone input only. Output is
from your computer sound card. The USB adapter uses default
Windows and Mac drivers and does not include any noise reduction
software.
Can
I use the USB Superbeam for recording music or musical instruments?
No. The Superbeam Microphone and Andrea noise reduction
software is optimized for voice only. We do not recommend
it for recording music or musical instruments.
Product
Features |
