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How to Use the Scanner Microphone (Thompson-Schill Lab, March 2011)

How to Use the Scanner Noise-Canceling Microphone

Some information about the microphone:

  • The new noise-canceling microphone was purchased in December 2010 by the CfN and the contributions of the Thompson-Schill, Coslett, and Hamilton labs.
  • The installation of the microphone occurred in the winter of 2011.
  • The vendor is Optoacoustics, Ltd. ( and their contact person is Yuvi Kahana ()
  • The model is: FOMRI III Dual Channel Microphone System for fMRI

Permanent Installation Information:

  • The microphone is located in the scanner room. It is hanging on the right side of the scanner from a small plastic hanger. Two small Velcro bands hold the fiber-optic cord together. The microphone unit is placed on a wooden stool on the right side of the scanner.
  • The fiber-optic cords extend from the scanner to the ceiling and come out in the control room. They are permanently attached to the microphone console, which is placed on the top left shelf of the controls (next to the CD player and over the main monitor). There is enough cord to take the microphone console and place it on the desk during use and then put it back on the shelf.
  • The microphone console main power is permanently installed and plugged in the main outlet that’s on the desk. Given that the microphone is coming from Europe, the outlet includes an adapter for US plugs. Do not remove the power or unplug the adapter for any reason. There is a white hospital tape over it with a note to leave this as is.
  • The outlet that connects the power cord to the microphone console is a little loose, that’s why it has been stabilized with white hospital tape. Do not remove this for any reason.
  • The USB and TTL cords that are needed to connect the console to the user’s PC are located in a rectangular white box on the last top cabinet in the control room (the one closest to the door). The cabinet is typically locked. The key can be found in a transparent round plastic box in the top drawer of the technologists’ desk and it’s labeled ‘HUP6 cabinets). The white box is located on the top shelf of the cabinet.
  • The white box includes: 2 beige USB cords and 1 black TTL cord, a copy of the software CD, a copy of the microphone User’s Guide, and a copy of this document. The original CD and User’s Guide are stored in the Thompson-Schill lab.
  • The contents of the box (particularly the cords) should be returned to the box after use. Do not leave the USB & TTL cords attached to the microphone console unit! Remove them after use, place them back in the box, and lock the box in the cabinet.

How to use the microphone:

  1. The software needs to be installed on a laptop PC that runs Windows XP. None of the HUP6 desktops have the new software installed (the installation attempts appear to violate the computers’ administrative privileges). Note that the laptop that will be running the microphone software cannot be running concurrently a different program (e.g., EPrime for stimulus presentation, etc.)
  1. Take the microphone console from the shelf and place it on the desk. Do this with caution so that the power cord is not removed and the fiber optic cords are not bent in any way.
  1. Turn the microphone console on. There is a small round button on the lower right side of the console; push it down; the console will light up in 1-2 seconds.
  1. Get the key from the top drawer of the techs’ desk and unlock the top cabinet (the one closest to the door).
  1. Take the white box off the top shelf, open it, and retrieve the 2 USB cords and the black TTL cord.
  1. Attach the black TTL cord to the TTL extension on the HUP 6 main controls switch board panel (right above the main monitor). Attach the other end on the first TTL input on the left top part in the back of the microphone console unit.
  1. Take the 1st USB cord that has a yellow label reading MAIN REF/EOU and attach this end to the top USB port in the back of the microphone console unit. Attach the other end labeled PC to one of the USB ports on the laptop that is running the microphone software.
  1. Open the software and test if the microphone is picking up sound. If not reattach the software and try again. Close the software.
  1. Take the 2nd USB cord that has a yellow label reading TTL and attach this end to the bottom USB port in the back of the microphone console unit. Attach the other end labeled PC to one of the USB ports on the laptop that is running the microphone software.
  1. Open the software again. Make sure to select the right input for the dropdown menus for the MAIN/REF and DEP_OUT/TTL options in the software. They should have some label that includes USB in the title (e.g., USB Audio CODEC). You may need to play with those a bit to make sure they work right, as this may vary from computer to computer. More information on the software can be found in Ch. 3 of the User Guide.
  1. You can create different root directories so as to know where the audio data are stored on your laptop. Read the User Guide carefully for detailed information on the software.
  1. Once the participant is on the scanner bed, and before the coil is placed over their head, take the microphone from the right side of the scanner. Remove the two small Velcro bands carefully and place them on the wooden stool so that you have enough cord to allow for the microphone to slide in the scanner.
  1. Loosen the 3 Velcro bands that are attached on the microphone. Place the microphone on the coil and attach it carefully with the Velcro bands. Pictures on how to do this can be found in pages 20-24 of the user guide.
  1. Take an alcohol pad and clean the transparent screen on the microphone. We don’t have extra screens, so this will allow for appropriate microphone hygiene.
  1. Place the microphone very close to the participant’s mouth (almost touching it).
  1. Make sure the microphone is securely attached to the coil and that the participant can speak comfortably.
  1. Make sure there are no bends on the fiber optic cords. Do not bend the fiber optic cord in any way. Do not step on the cord. Be careful that the cord doesn’t get caught anywhere while the tech slides the subject in the scanner. This is very important. A tiny bend of the cords will completely destroy the fibers and then the microphone is useless.
  1. Start the scan. Hit ‘RECORD’ on the software. You should be able to hear the subject’s response clearly as well as visualize it on the screen.
  1. After the scan, slide the participant out of the scanner.
  1. Remove the microphone from the coil and roll back the Velcro straps as they were prior to use.
  1. Place the microphone on the wooden stool.
  1. Carefully wrap the cord as much as possible and attach it to the plastic hanger gently. Use the 2 small Velcro straps to keep the cord together, as was prior to the scan. Do not leave the cord on the floor. ALWAYS place it carefully as it was on the side of the scanner. If the cord stays on the floor and someone accidentally steps on it, it is destroyed and the microphone is useless.
  1. Turn off the microphone console unit.
  1. Remove the 2 USB cords and the black TTL cord from the back of the microphone console unit and the PC. Wrap them carefully and place them in the white box. If you used the CD or the User Guide, or this document, put them back in the box as well. Place the box on the top shelf of the last cabinet; lock the cabinet; place the key back to the top drawer of the techs' desk.
  1. Carefully place the microphone console unit back on the top shelf (next to the CD player).
  1. Do not unplug the microphone console unit.
  1. Do not remove any other cords from the microphone console unit.
  1. Locate the audio files on your PC for analysis. More information on this can be found in the User Guide (chapters 2 and 3).

Good Luck!