Following its mission of ‘teaching and disseminating the ethical, legal and economic principles of a society of free and responsible individuals’, the Universidad Francisco Marroquín (UFM) in Guatemala City is one of the top universities in Latin America. Recently, the university’s IT and A/V team called on Farei to install Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC2) microphones in 52 of its classrooms and various faculty auditoria.

With plans for a new professional audio system in place for several years, the pandemic proved catalyst for the modernisation of the university’s AV and IT infrastructures. It also prompted adaptations to UFM’s collaboration and communication strategy, which now prioritises hybrid teaching models, social distancing and touchless audio. ‘

‘When UFM’s team came to us to work together on finding the best audio solution for their needs, we knew straight away that beamforming microphone technology would be the right way to go forward as it’s one of the latest touchless audio innovations and has really proved its value as an effective and hygienic A/V solution over the last year,’ says Farei General Manager, Fernando Falla.

After speaking with the university’s IT and audiovisual team to determine their precise requirements, Falla and the Farei team determined UFM’s top priority was to achieve as natural a seminar experience as possible for both in-room and remote participants. This included crystal-clear audio and the technical convenience of not needing to pass microphones from one contributor to another.

‘Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 has completely revolutionised connectivity and communication in conferences, meeting rooms and virtual situations by offering extremely clear audio,’ says Farei Project & Service Manager, Annie Falla. ‘Additionally, with TCC2, you don’t need to think about things like RF interference or worry about microphone hygiene ‑ that’s the beauty of a touchless audio solution.’

Apart from its easy installation and sound quality, TCC2’s price point gave the system a competitive edge over other available solutions: ‘We compared it to some other devices on the market and TCC2 was the one that convinced us the most because of the way it functions and also its price,’ explains Víctor Zetina.

According to UFM A/V Coordinator, José Luis Milina, the focus of the project was making the rooms fully hybrid. This involved looking at scenarios for different types of classroom and determining the best environment and mic coverage.

‘With each room having unique acoustics, we had to find a perfect spot for TCC2 in each classroom so that teachers’ as well as students’ voices can be perfectly captured no matter where they sit, or even move, in the room,’ adds A/V Technical Installer, Farei Elder de León.

Thanks to TCC2’s latest firmware update in February, the team was able to make full use of the innovative TruVoicelift function, as well as select five exclusion zones and a priority zone in each classroom. ‘By defining different zones of exclusion, not only could we eliminate unwanted noises, but we could also effectively stop room reflections from building up,’ Annie Falla says.

Sennheiser Business Communication Manager for Latin America, Hernán Domínguez, worked closely with the Farei team on the project, providing support and expertise where necessary. ‘We would like to thank Hernán and the rest of the Sennheiser team for their contribution and the help they offered us for this project,’ concluded Fernando Falla. ‘Thanks to the great teamwork between UFM, Farei and Sennheiser, we managed to successfully finish the project on time, bringing touchless audio into the heart of UFM’s facilities and future-proofing their organisation for many years to come.’

UFM is the founder of the ITA scholarship programme, which identifies the most highly qualified and motivated students among Guatemala’s poorest and makes it possible for them to earn a life-changing UFM degree.