A Sound Solution

Most people in the market for a touch screen kiosk probably put little thought into the sound options available.  To be completely honest, 90% of the museums and corporate customers who purchase touch screen kiosks from us are perfectly happy with the standard, “built-in” speakers we provide.  But in some cases, there is a need for special consideration in the area of sound.

Before we get into special circumstances, I’ll give some pointers to kiosk “do-it-yourselfers” for setting up a basic sound solution for a standard kiosk.  Forgive me if some of this seems like common sense, but I’d rather not assume anything.  If you are building or buying a kiosk, you will want amplified speakers.  Non-amplified speakers (typically the ones that do not need AC or DC power) will not produce the volume needed for a public setting.  You will want a volume control that can be accessed pretty easily so that you can adjust for different scenarios.  Keep in mind that most amplified computer speakers have the volume control right on the speakers, so if you want added convenience in volume control, you can purchase a separate volume control that plugs in between the computer and the speakers and will give you easier access to the volume.  Finally, make sure that the sound can get out of the kiosk.  You can simply drill holes in the kiosk in front of the speakers or you can get louvered faceplates or other durable screens.  Plan ahead and this will be very easy.

Now let’s discuss some special circumstances.  Let’s say that you intend to put your kiosk in an area of your museum or venue that is particularly quiet, where the sound of the kiosk will be a great distraction or annoyance.  You can replace the standard amplified speakers with vandal resistant headphones or a handheld audio stick (like a phone receiver).  These work very well and good ones are easy to clean.  Just make sure that they are secured to the kiosk so you don’t end up supplying the community with free audio equipment.  We offer a number of solutions like this if you need a source.

Some museums and corporate venues are extremely noisy or have a number of sound emitting exhibits.  In these cases you probably want a directional audio solution so that the sound produced by the kiosk is directed to a specific and small area (like right in front of the kiosk).  There are a number of solutions for these scenarios including overhead sound “cones”, sound “pads” that go on the ground and direct sound up, and super directional speakers that send the sound out in a very “pointed” direction.  Again, if you need help with a special sound scenario, we’d be glad to help.

So there are some sound solutions to many of the audio concerns we assist our clients with from project to project.  If you have any questions or comments on sound solutions you’ve tried or are interested in, please take a moment to post a comment here by clicking the “Comments” link below.  We’d love to hear from you!!

Chris Meyer
President
CD Meyer, Inc./point2explore

point2explore is product line of customizable touch screen kiosk programs including interactive games and informational programs.  point2explore products are currently running in over 70 museums and have been used in corporate events across the country. Visit our web site at www.point2explore.com.