The secret sauce for all products with STEP OnBoard is the expert acoustic engineering we put into all of our partner products. STEP Labs’ partners each get customized STEPware because we can adjust it to each partner’s requirements through dozens of cycles tuning, testing, and optimizing. We use our 5 labs to run real-world simulations of background noise, sound transmission and reverberation which are used to audibly and visually create acoustical designs for clients. Each product that leaves our labs has received hundreds of tests and hours of tuning and optimization. A full list of tests and tuning tools is detailed in this website under the LABS section, so here we give details on how we put those tests to good use. Maximizing noise reduction Reducing excessive residual noise from both outgoing and incoming communications signals while preserving purity of voice for world beating clarity, understandability, intelligibility and speech recognition. Minimizing echo and acoustic feedback Addressing the effects of acoustic propagation from receiver to microphone to eliminate feedback and echo generated by propagation in product structures. Minimizing vibration feedback Addressing the effects of vibration propagation from receiver to microphone to eliminate feedback and echo generated by propagation. Optimizing frequency response Measurement and correction of frequency dependent non-linearities and flatness in customer product systems, and to achieve standards compliance. Acoustic and electronic modifications are engineered to assure widest possible dynamic range with minimum distortion. Improving sound delivery and associated mechanical Dynamic correction for the deleterious effects of high ambient noise on hearing and understanding to achieve truly hands-free performance.