Germany - HK Audio returns to Prolight + Sound this week with two major new product family launches and an extension to the flagship COSMO integrative line array series.
Linear 7 is the latest, most advanced range in HK Audio’s Linear series. The five speaker models that make up the Linear 7 launch portfolio – including four mid/high units and one subwoofer – feature the most powerful and functional feature sets of any Linear product to date
Also new for Prolight + Sound 2019 is the SI series, a family of speakers tailored to meet the demanding needs of today’s installation market.
The first SI speakers – SI stands for System Integrator – to be launched are the P10i and P10j. These high-performance line-source speakers, each loaded with ten 3” high-pe

Poland - Cymatic Audio has extended its European distribution into Poland with the appointment of Konsbud Audio. Konsbud has been introducing new brands to the Polish market for 30 years and is now one of the country’s biggest and most successful distributors of professional audio equipment.
President of Konsbud Audio, Agnieszka Pyrich comments, “We’ve always prided ourselves on our ability to bring new brands to market and help them grow. Cymatic Audio is a young, exciting and extremely modern brand that leads the way in audio recording and playback for live performance, which is of great interest to us as we don’t have anything else like it in our portfolio. We have an extensive sales network and a huge amount of experience so I’m confident that we can be instrumental in making Cymatic Audio a success in Poland.”
Sales and marketing manager for Cymatic A

Brazil - Nexo has made a significant move in Latin America, with the appointment of a new distributor in Brazil. Effective from 1 April, Yamaha Musical do Brasil Ltda. (YMDB) will take up representation of the Nexo brand.
Based in Sao Paolo and led by manager Caio Lenzi, Yamaha’s large professional audio team composed by Giuliano Quiqueto (senior NEXO/PA tech support/sales), Matheus Madeira (PA tech support), Renan Silva (senior CIS sales), Vinicius Mullieri (junior CIS sales), Claudia Pereira (internal sales) and Lucas Prado (MIPA tech support) will be working on promoting, selling and supporting Nexo’s sound reinforcement products in Brazil.
Yamaha has a long-established presence in the Brazilian market, establishing its first office in 1973. “The Nexo name and technology is well-known in Brazil, thanks to the expert work of Torau, which has had a long relation
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Strictly FX, Pushing Boundaries

Strictly FX was founded in 1996 by industry veterans Mark Grega and Ted Maccabee. Our expertise and knowledge of the world’s leading pyrotechnic, laser, and flame manufacturers allows us to curate astonishing live events. With over 500+ shows performed a year, there’s good chance you’ve seen some of our work!

UK - On Friday, 29 March 2019, HRH, The Princess Royal, was the honoured VIP visitor to Le Mark Group, there to open its new high-tech international warehouse facility.
HRH, accompanied by HM Lord-Lieutenant, Mrs Julie Spence OBE QPM, was greeted by senior Le Mark staff members and noted dignitaries from the Cambridgeshire County Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, Cambridgeshire Constabulary and the High Sheriff’s Association.
After touring the sales office, HRH was provided with a manufacturing demonstration of the multi-award winning BlackTak light masking foil. HRH heard of the work undertaken by the company and which countries it sells to.
Linda Gibbons, joint managing director, said: “We have an amazing performance flooring department and one particular project I was proud to present to HRH was our printing and fitting of the world’s largest pr

UK - Tourflex Cabling has invested in new state of the art machinery to provide customers with a service that offers even more customisation options for their cabling and connectors, including overmoulding, engraving and different colours.
Cabling and connectors can be overmoulded and sealed in a thermoset material, making them highly resistant to fluids – suitable for outdoor use. The overmould makes products more robust to withstand shock, vibration, and continual flexing without damage to the termination point. Customers can also opt to have their company logos moulded onto their connector to clearly identify it as their property.
Tourflex Cabling now has the capability to provide customer personalisation by laser engraving, allowing the customer’s logo or other information to be etched onto the side of a range of connectors. Engraving provides a perma

USA - ADJ has announced the expansion of its range of DMX control solutions with the introduction of the mydmx GO tablet-based system. Designed for use by mobile entertainers and for installation in bars, leisure venues and small nightclubs, this revolutionary new lighting control system is extremely powerful but also incredibly easy to use.
ADJ’s mydmx GO combines an app-based control surface with a compact interface that connects wirelessly to an Apple, Android or Amazon Fire tablet and provides a standard 3-pin XLR output for connection to a lighting system. Thanks to its design, the mydmx GO app requires no programming but can be used to create synchronized lightshows across any combination of DMX compatible lighting fixtures.
The app is supplied pre-programmed with a wide variety of easily customizable effects which can be used on any type of fixture. It feature
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The Many Looks of Zeo

Delivering ultimate brightness and unique looks, Zeo’s distinct face design is defined by a central LED monolith and four reflectors, backed by four RGBW engines. As a blinder or strobe, Zeo promises powerful impact with 30,000+ lumens. With its sheer brilliance and playful effects, Zeo is ready to amplify the energy on any stage.

Germany - On its first anniversary, the entertainment industry’s open file format, General Device Type Format (GDTF) version 1.0 is available. Through collective feedback from the GDTF founders, MA Lighting, Robe lighting and Vectorworks, Inc., as well as other participating manufacturers, the file format has received numerous updates since it was first introduced and can now be used by manufacturers around the world.
GDTF 1.0 and the My Virtual Rig (MVR) file format - which creates a two-way connection between planning, previz and console systems - are now implemented with Vectorworks 2019, Vision 2019 and grandMA3.
“A driving force for creating the GDTF was to fix a glaring problem of disconnected workflows for professionals within the entertainment community,” said Dr. Biplab Sarkar, CEO at Vectorworks, a global design and BIM software solutions provider. “W

Germany - WORK PRO has announced a significant software upgrade for its LightShark DMX-based hardware lighting console, resulting in major improvements to its features and functionality. The company has also revealed that from April 2019, LightShark users can purchase a new bundle incorporating a Capture Visualizer licence from Capture Sweden.
WORK PRO’s software version 1.1.2, which is available as a free download from the company’s website, makes LightShark even more intuitive and responsive by giving end users enhanced control over a much wider range of features.
“Since launching LightShark in 2017 we have paid close attention to the functionality of our software and have already incorporated numerous upgrades,” says Juan Jose Vila, CSO of Equipson, WORK PRO’s parent company. “Software version 1.1.2 seamlessly integrates all of these developments and add

Germany - This year, TMB introduces a wide range of products. The one-of-a-kind, multiple award-winning ProPlex IQ Tester LV will be on display for hands-on demos.
Also a tradition at select Messe Frankfurt shows, super-bright Solaris Flare IP fixtures will be seen lighting the Grandhotel Hessischer Hof facade, opposite the Messe main entrance, every night during the show. HD single-head and HR dual-head versions of the LED Flare IP are available for a variety of architectural applications and can be seen up close at our show stand.
Premiering this year is the latest member of the Solaris product family, the Solaris Flare 210 IP. First in the new Flare 200 Series, this compact, IP65 outdoor wash fixture features Flare brightness, brilliant colours, and ultra-smooth colour mixing at any distance – even skimming surfaces. Complementing the fixture are a complete range

Germany - Ocean is an innovative lighting console, designed for theatres, opera houses and multi-purpose venues. The Ocean's most striking feature, as well as one of its main strong points, is its high-resolution touch screen, with a 70-cm-wide (27½-inch-wide) viewing area. It provides operators with full access to all functions and control of all parameters through a single screen, which greatly simplifies control desk ergonomics.
Due to its ultra-stretched display format, the console and screen itself are still very compact, both in depth and height. This means the operators have a perfect view of the stage from every angle, regardless of where they are sitting, and can place the console on small surfaces. Moreover, its shallow depth allows them to access the touch screen very easily.
The ergonomic and practical advantages of the Ocean, however, should not be allowe

USA - The Long Reach Long Riders (LRLR) celebrated their upcoming ride with a raffle and live auction to benefit Behind the Scenes during the USITT Stage Expo last week in Louisville, KY.
A myriad of activities including sales of raffle tickets, a live and silent auction, challenge grants, swag sales, and sales of Neal Preston’s books, posters and prints raised over $18,000 for the charity. The LRLR 2019 ride, dubbed the Altimeter Tour, starts on 7 July in Denver Colorado. The riders cover all their own expenses so everything they raise goes to the charity. Sponsor a rider today at www.behindthescenescharity.org/lrlr.
The booth featured a display of some of The Lightpower Collection’s photographs by Neal Preston including those of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Robert Plant, Bob Marley, Ray Charles and others.
Raffle festivities led off with the traditional kaz

New Zealand - Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School puts on six productions a year covering a range of genres, from drama, to comedy, to musicals. In 2019, these shows will not only be more rewarding for the community to watch, they’ll also afford students at New Zealand’s largest theatrical arts school with a more enriching learning experience, thanks to the addition of 55 Chauvet Professional Ovation fixtures, supplied by MDR Sound & Lighting.
“Colour mixing with LED fixtures is playing an increasingly important role in stage productions, so I think the school felt that adding these lights was essential to helping their students develop the skills needed to prepare for their future careers in theatre,” said MDR Sound & Lighting’s Brodie Noon. “The school received a Lotteries Grant to upgrade the kit in its main Te Whaea Theatre, which had consisted of generic

Germany - Italian loudspeaker and FPGA-based technologies manufacturer Outline will be showcasing a series of new products at Prolight+Sound.
The new Monaco 215 CX SP is a powerful self-powered point-source system featuring 2 x 15” woofers plus a coaxial 3” diaphragm compression driver. Configured as a ‘two-and-a-half’ way system, this loudspeaker delivers audio performance approaching a three-way design with extended low frequency.
The built-in amplifier platform with four selectable EQ pre-sets and input gain enables to use this enclosure as part of a plug & play solution. The maximum available power from the amplifier module is 2 x 1500 W EIAJ at 8 ohm, 6000 W peak (total). The SPL is 140 dB (peak @ 1 m). Monaco is also available in passive version (Monaco 215 CX). Thanks to Outline’s exclusive internal crossover designs it can be driven by a single c

Germany - Powersoft returns to Messe Frankfurt in force for this year’s Prolight + Sound (PL+S) with a full suite of industry audio solutions, including the new X4L amplifier; the LOTO DSP 1-2 in / 4 out Advanced DSP board; the DSP-Lite ETH 1-2 in / 3 out DSP interface; and an update for its Snapshot Selector mobile app.
The company’s stand, which can be found in Hall 8.0 (G40), will also feature some of its more established products, including the T Series amplifier platform.
As the latest addition to Powersoft’s range of amplifiers, the X4L, has been created to drive modern high SPL woofers that require very high voltage in order to deliver their full potential. The product is specifically designed to deliver up to 300 V (peak) to the loudspeakers, which translates to more audible impact from the music itself.
“In our research activity and during inter

Germany - Following on from their X4 Bar series, GLP is introducing the FR10 Bar, a linear format fixture.
With a new optical system, the FR10 Bar uses a larger size output aperture, as featured in the impression FR1, giving a new look from a familiar style. The FR10 Bar contains 10 sources, each with a high output 60 Watt RGBW LED that colour matches with the entire GLP X4 and FR series of fixtures. Each individual source features smooth, full range colour mixing with strong, punchy output from a homogenised Fresnel lens. Along with individual colour control, the FR10 Bar contains a series of built-in colour macros and a large reference of industry standard colour filters.
The GLP FR10 Bar has a 10:1 ratio zoom range of 3.5 to 35 degrees, but what separates the FR10 from any other product on the market is the ability to control each of the zoom lenses individually an

Germany - PL+S 2019 heralds the global launch of the most compact loudspeaker yet in the KV2 Audio range. The ESD Cube ultra-compact passive 5-inch loudspeaker utilises a trans-coil design for superior vocal reproduction, extended high frequency response, increased dynamic range and low distortion.
According to KV2’s founder and chief engineer, George Krampera, the ESD Cube’s design makes it stand out from the crowd sonically, even though physically it is designed to blend seamlessly into its environment.
“What sets the Cube apart from similar offerings by other manufacturers is the unique trans-coil technology incorporated into its 5-inch twin cone speaker,” he states. “We had already seen excellent results using our AIC technology in other, larger systems, and I was determined to develop it still further for the Cube. The results have been beyond even our o

Latvia/Ukraine - In response to significant business growth across Europe, Sixty82, a manufacturer of trussing and staging systems, has announced it has entered into a strategic agreement with JSA Stage Company as its exclusive distributor for Latvia and Ukraine.
From this point forward, JSA will serve its customers by providing a complete range of Sixty82 solutions.
“JSA’s distribution with Sixty82 is a crucial step to better serving our customers in Latvia and Ukraine,” says CEO Fokko Smeding. “With their history of representing leading manufacturers of trussing and staging equipment, they have built an excellent reputation in the industry and form an opportune extension to our already existing distribution network. In the many years that we have worked together we have established mutual trust, which is crucial in this ever-changing industry.”
Alexa

UK - For over a decade, Backstage Academy has been working with the South African Roadies Association (SARA) to explore the creation of a training initiative for the live events industry in South Africa. The ultimate goal of this collaboration is to establish a live events training institution based on the Backstage Academy model to provide the young people of South Africa with the skills and opportunities needed for the successful and continuing growth of the live events sector on the African continent.
In March 2019, this journey took a major step forward as Backstage Academy welcomed a VIP delegation of South African dignitaries from the Department of Culture and Arts to their campus at Production Park in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.
Led by Vusumuzi Mkhize, the director general of the Department of Arts and Culture, the delegation spent four days in the UK, visiting

Thailand - Waves Audio recently held a partner enablement camp at the Holiday Inn Sukhumvit in Bangkok on 25-27 March.
In support of the ongoing increase and expansion of Waves’ live and install business in the region, a three-day workshop camp was organised in Bangkok with Waves dealers from Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, India and the Middle East.
The Waves team – Mick Olesh (Waves EVP of sales & marketing), Noam Raz (live marketing manager), Michael Adams (Waves product specialist) and Ravisankar Nadiyam (regional sales manager) – was on hand contributing to the success of this event. The team led in-depth demos, product presentations and technical breakdowns pertaining to Waves MultiRack/SoundGrid, the Waves eMotion LV1 Live Mixer, using Waves plugins for studio and live sound and more.
Ravisankar remarks, “I believe tha

Germany - Solid State Logic has announced Audio Pro as its new professional console distributor in Germany. The team have a prolific record of providing high-end audio solutions and support for live and installed audio systems.
As part of the announcement, Audio Pro will be showcasing the new L550 and L100 live consoles at Prolight + Sound 2019 at the Vintage Concert Audio Show at Forum 0 this week.
“SSL and Audio Pro Elektroakustik worked together for a significant time in the 1990s and it feels good to be coming back together,” comments Jim Motley, SSL SVP of sales. “We are more than confident that the team will be fantastic ambassadors for our brand in the Live and Installed markets with our System T, Network I/O and Live consoles.”
Audio Pro’s product manager Joerg ter Veer adds, “The SSL Live series is a perfect addition to the top end of our cu

UK - Solid State Logic and UK distributor Sound Technology have announced the immediate availability of the SiX desktop mixer. SiX is a classic SSL design, with a carefully considered feature set that is driven by an obsessive desire for total flexibility, to encompass every creative eventuality. It carries the DNA of 40 years of expertise in creative studio workflow.
As a condensed professional console for use in the studio, in post-production, on stage, and for podcasting, SiX offers big console sound and an impressive set of utility features in a format that is small enough to stick in a bag. SiX offers two recording channels with SuperAnalogue mic pres, an essential one knob version of the classic SSL Channel Compressor, a new two-band Channel EQ, inserts and 100mm faders.
There is a two-knob version of the G-Series Bus Compressor on the main mix bus and the uniqu

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