What environments do you typically install the Clear-Com Freespeak 2 system?
We frequently install this into theatres and venues like concert halls and conference centres. Used behind the scenes by anyone who needs to communicate clearly in a busy production but without being tethered by a cable, it’s become the industry standard where safety matters above all else.
Why do you specify this product over competitor offerings?
Clarity and low latency are important areas in which Freespeak 2 excels, but it also has very good dynamic range, so it’s particularly good at separating voices from the background noise in loud environments. It was the first of its kind to have multiple intelligent transceivers, so you can cover incredibly large or complicated buildings that traditional RF can’t.
What are the most impressive elements of its feature set?
I love its flexibility. People generally all communicate in group ‘partylines’, but it can also do sophisticated point-to-point calls while simultaneously routing in programme feeds of the show. All of this can be changed on the fly, so as soon as someone identifies a need it can be satisfied without interrupting everyone else.
“I’m a firm believer that as the technology we use gets more complicated, it shouldn’t get more intimidating”
What elements of the feature set make your job easier?
All of the setup and configuration is done from a very easy web interface, so there is no software to download or problems with having the wrong version installed. It even works on a phone. Its very fast to learn so customers soon gain the confidence to tailor it to exactly how they want it. I’m a firm believer that as the technology we use gets more complicated, it shouldn’t get more intimidating.
If an updated version of this product was to be released, what upgrades would you like to see?
It would be great to see more external IO on the base station, for linking into wired systems or bringing more feeds in. You can never have enough IO!
