Founded in 1831, New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is one of the most
prestigious law schools in the United States. Located in New York City’s Greenwich
Village, NYU Law is a venue where leaders from government, business, and the
legal community deliver speeches and participate in panel discussions. In each of
these events, styling performance and clear sound are of utmost importance for
speech intelligibility and hearing. When searching for a conference microphone
system, Kevin Fox, Associate Director of Media Services at the law school, chose to
install a portable Shure DDS 5900 Digital Discussion System with 40 channels. This
all-in-one sound system enables the staff at NYU Law to tailor audio performance to
different sized meetings based on several factors that impact performance,
including room acoustics, table dimensions, and seating arrangement.

The Shure DDS 5900 Digital Discussion System combines a microphone,
loudspeaker, interpretation audio, and user controls into one integrated system for
pristine sound in any sized room. While this particular installation used portable
discussion units, the DDS 5900 is also available as a permanently-installed, flush-
mounted unit. It easily connects to videoconferencing systems or recording
equipment, and allows for simultaneous translation for multi-lingual meetings. With
NYU Law having more than 30 spaces with a multitude of conference rooms and
lecture halls, the DDS 5900 stood out as the ideal audio system, capable of
accommodating the school’s diverse needs.

“Presentation was key for this installation. We needed something that looked
presidential, but was also easy-to-use and flexible, allowing us to make
adjustments depending on how the room was set up and who was using it,’ said
Fox. “Knowing we’d be making constant adjustments, we couldn’t just install any
system. We needed a portable solution that would adapt to our needs, and the
Shure DDS 5900 was hands down the perfect choice.’

While NYU Law is currently using 40 channels for the DDS 5900, the system can
accommodate up to 250 participants. The system also supports four microphone
operation modes: Automatic, First-In/First-On, Manual, and VOX (voice activation),
showcasing its versatility. Another important feature of the DDS 5900 is the ability
to control the system with a tablet or PC through a web browser interface, or with a
third-party room control system.