First thought into my head was - probably better / cheaper / safer / easier to just buy a job lot of cheap earphones for those people without them - and just do it on a BYOD / smartphone device...
Mike
_____________
Mike Ellis
Thirty8 Digital: a small but perfectly formed digital agency
https://thirty8.co.uk
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On 14 Dec 2021, 10:51 +0000, David Slater <[log in to unmask]>, wrote:
> Hi Kath,
>
> I’d be really happy to have a chat about this if it would help. There isn’t any one solution that fits all situations, what’s best will be entirely dependent on your needs and location.
>
> There are a number of directional audio solutions, but ‘ye canna change the laws of physics’ as a famous fictional Scotsman would have said. Unlight light, sound does not travel in straight lines. Sound can be localised, but from speakers, all you can really do is make one sound more audible than others at a location. There are a number of tricks that can be used to increase the impression of localisation, but which is best will depend on your situation.
>
> If you want a peaceful atmosphere in the gallery, handsets are probably the only practical option. There isn’t a major risk of spreading covid with ones that are just held over the ear, but I’d avoid ‘telephone’ style ones with anything in front of the mouth. (However norovirus is a different matter!).
> Another option is to give people audio tour handsets or a simple way to listen on their own phones. The phone option is very simple and cheap, so you could offer it alongside handsets and give people the choice of whether to touch things or not.
>
> Once again, I’d be very happy to talk about all of this in more specific detail. Directional audio is a bit of a minefield and most products overstate their effectiveness. There is an unavoidable trade-off between directionality and sound quality because high frequencies are much more directional than low ones.
>
> Kind regards,
> Dave.
>
>
> David Slater,
> Managing Director.
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> From: Museums Computer Group <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Katherine Biggs
> Sent: 13 December 2021 15:30
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [MCG] Delivering localised audio in galleries
>
> Hi all,
>
> Hoping the MCG hive mind might have some thoughts on the best way of delivering localised audio within a gallery/exhibition space. We’re a bit limited by a lack of high level data and power so sound showers are probably out.
>
> Vistaton or similar speakers in setworks – do these deliver localised enough sound? Is the quality rubbish? Do they last?
> Handsets (looking at Molitor) – do people actually use them? Is the cleaning post Covid a nightmare? How robust are they?
>
> Other thoughts? And if there’s anywhere you’d suggest visiting that you think does audio well, let me know.
>
> Kath
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Katherine Biggs
> Senior Digital Manager
> National Portrait Gallery St Martin's Place London WC2H 0HE
> www.npg.org.uk
>
>
>
>
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