As a general rule, unless you’re a musician, in the business of audio content creation, or a member of the KGB, microphones aren’t products you should get excited about.
The newly unveiled RAY XLR microphone from Austrian audio equipment maker Lewitt should go down as the lone exception.
It offers so-called AURA technology that Lewitt generally describes as “autofocus” for your voice, as well as a potentially even more useful mute-by-distance feature. The new functionality makes so much sense that I’m genuinely dumbfounded about why it’s taken this long for someone to think of it.
Embedded sensors that constantly measure a user’s distance from the microphone are the key innovation. Like a car equipped with an adaptive cruise control system that leverages front-facing radar to monitor the distance of the vehicles ahead, the RAY uses proximity data to automatically mute or unmute the microphone based on a user’s preferences. Users can even customize the distances that are needed to trigger the feature. As a backup, there’s also a physical mute button right on the front of the mic.
