It has been suggested that beam-steering microphone arrays may provide considerable improvements over conventional directional microphones. This paper describes some of the relevant acoustic factors, and relates them to two basic methodologies of array beam-forming: source isolation/tracking and interference null steering. The basic theory of beam-forming is then reviewed, and methods of predicting array performance suggested. Results from practical work implementing an adaptive source isolation system in anechoic conditions are described, strongly validating proposed theory. Finally, deteriorated array performance in a real-room environment is presented, confirming the acoustic problems highlighted.
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