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PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

Events

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>An elegant line array system, the distinctive Butterfly from Outline was launched in Frankfurt back in March, but this is its first appearance in the UK. The sub cabinet features an 18" front speaker with a 15" at the rear for cardioid dispersion. The elaborately curved mid/high box, made from steam mould ply, contains 4 x 8" drivers, two diametrically opposed, and a 3" compression driver on a DPRWG (Double Parabolic Reflective Wave Guide). Its flying system is very neat, with a very simple toothed plate connector that allows angle variation between 0° and 12.5° on half-degree increments. GL-based (rather than Excel) software provides comprehensive array curve and delivery calculations.

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>Adda Super Cases was celebrating its 25th anniversary at the PLASA Show this year, and enjoying a very busy show. Monica Saunders commented particularly on the very high level of interest from the Far East.
PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

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>On a stand dominated by a display of the Nexo GeoT system, it is flightcases and supplementary packaging that SSE supply for this PA. Big users themselves in their rental operation, SSE has an unrivalled reputation for the logistical simplicity of its packaging. As UK distributor for InnovaSON, SSE also presented the new Sy80. This desk features 80 motorized faders (an unusually large number for any digital console, making it very 'hands-on') and 48 mix buses, the fact of 80 in/outs and multiplicity of buses making the console suitable for monitors or FOH, and at 94kg including dual PSUs, it's not a bad lift for a touring desk of this capacity.

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>Audient showed a new range of Digiboxes from LA Audio (now an integral part of the Audient brand, but retaining its own established identity). Aimed at the broadcast and studio environment (though not without application for live use), these boxes included AES/EBU channel divider; word/superclock generator and 4-way S/PDIF splitter box, as you'd expect. Audient itself had three new products: the G400, C400 and GC400 are all four-channel devices - gate, compressor, and gate/compressor combinations as the names suggest.

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>The new RVE Dimkit dimming system was launched by ESP (UK). Available in six models, this is a flexible dimming system that you build yourself to suit your own specifications. The system is easily updated by the user. Also new from ESP's sister company Mobil Tech was the AlpTek 6.5m stand, which takes up to 250kg in weight. A further new product from the International range was the StandTek 3000.

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>New from beyerdynamic were the Opus 300, 500MKII and 800 series wireless radio microphone systems. Alongside the company's own-brand products was a wide range of distributed products, including Bittner amplifiers, the UK debut of the Renkus-Heinz PNX102 line array, ClearOne's PSR 1212 audio matrix processor and XTA's new DP6I loudspeaker management system for the installation market. Biamp's Audia digital audio platform was showcased, along with two new versions - AudiaSolo and AudiaFlex. Complementing these was Cue's media control system line, while ASL's WS Series digital wireless intercom was also on display.

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>Power Gems' innovative HP575 ballast brings hot restrike capability to discharge lamps. In 1999 the company began to investigate if it would be possible to drive a 575W at high frequency and, furthermore, to be able to hot re-strike the lamp. They had to overcome the problem of acoustic resonance, then build a cold strike prototype to examine the system's performance, before finally designing a new type of ignitor to achieve the hot re-strike, because with a lamp drive frequency in excess of 300kHz, conventional ignitors simply burn out.

The result is a patented 575W ballast with integrated hot re-strike ignitor (a cold strike version is also available) with fewer parts and generating less heat than conventional systems. It does not ordinarily require fan cooling, is light-weight and cheaper to manufacture than its conventional counterparts. Furthermore, tests at Philips in Belgium ha

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>Causing a bit of a stir at Marquee Audio was the Teqsas Reco wireless control system, an 8" touch-sensitive colour screen which will run any computer's software. Once the driver is installed on the computer and a wireless LAN connection established, total remote control is possible. Marquee was also showing the Optocore DD32 system - devised for the transmission of a maximum amount of digital data via optical fibre from a 1U rackspace - as well as Sabine SMW7000 wireless microphone systems (see Audio-Technica).

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>Award for Design Excellence

>Arbiter Group Plc

>AKG WMS 4000

The AKG WMS 400 is an innovative wireless microphone system which will be welcomed by installers, contractors and sound companies in general. It is an incredibly versatile wideband UHF system with a True Diversity receiver, software control capability, 1200 frequencies in each of six bands - with different bands available for different countries - an innovative battery charging system, and a line of extremely useful accessories which will expand its potential applications.

Optimized for ease of use, all transmitters and receivers provide a backlit display for clear status indication and a turn/push jog control of single-handed adjustments. Frequency presets, auto set-up and frequency scanner functions make it easy to set up a multi-channel system. The frequencies can be set automatically or manually selected fro

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>MilTec presented two new speakers from Ecler - the Philos 10" and Philos 15" polypropylene speaker cabinets, handling 200W and 300W respectively. MilTec's own MTG sb112 is a compact sub cabinet with a single 12" capable of handling 1200W peak (600W RMS).

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>Coef's latest introduction is the MP700, a new version of its zoom and wash automated lamps with attention given to the studio environment by the implementation of noise control: it's a play-off between light output and fan noise from cooling, but they seem to have got their sums right with just a loss of 5% on light output to gain an 80% noise reduction.

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>The iColor Tile FX is, as the name suggests, an effects ceiling tile for installation use. Made by Color Kinetics Inc (CKI), and basically an array of 432 tri-colour LED pixels in a standard 600sq.mm tile, the colour modelling potential of this unit is immense. Controllable by DMX, and with pre-programmed effects, the tile has very high-resolution colour mixing control thanks to CKI's own Chromasic control chip. The Acrylic cover can be personalized (etched with logos, artwork or graphics) and, once sealed, is IP66 rated. CKI's iColor Flex is single 'pixels' of LED nodes on a daisy chain power/data cable. More than a sophisticated Christmas tree light set, the Flex allows all 50 nodes on a string to be individually controlled and coloured. During the course of the show, it was announced that Altman Lighting Inc will license Color Kinetics' patented Chromacore technology for a new line o

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>Award for Design Excellence

>Stage Technologies

>Visual Creator

Visual Creator brings sophisticated control of motion-through-time out of the realm of specialist applications and makes it available to all. The advantages of theatrical automation are clear. At the push of a button, a modern power flying system can move a substantial load from A to B with pinpoint accuracy time after time. But what about the movement along the way between A and B? To date, most flying systems have been unable to handle the sophisticated motion profiles through time that designers and directors imagine in their shows.

Visual Creator addresses this need: gauzes drifting in a breeze, an automated bouncing ball, an acrobat flying in 3D around the auditorium - all these effects and more can now be drawn as imagined and executed seamlessly with Stage Technologies' standard automation systems.

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UK - Stanton Magnetics scooped two of the top awards at this year's highly-prestigious DJ Magazine T-Scan Awards, held at fashionable London restaurant Momo, while their UK distributor Lamba plc, in turn won accolades from Stanton themselves.

The Sunday night of PLASA 2003 was Stanton's night, as for the second consecutive year they ran away with the Best MP3 Hardware Player (for Stanton's Final Scratch) and Best Turntable Award (for Stanton's new ST-150/STR8-150). Then, on the following night, the spotlight turned to UK distributor, Lamba plc, which walked away from the Stanton Distributors' Convention with the award for 'Exceptional Business Partner'.

"This award underpins the strength of the Lamba and Stanton relationship," said Lamba sales director, Gerry Frost. "It is testament to the work our sales and marketing teams have done in reinforcing the Stanton b

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UK - The sound of a gavel on wood will be resounding round the Newbury Showground, on 23 October, when the Showman's Show's first auction of event equipment takes place. Over its 18-year history the Showman's Show has kept up to date with the latest trends, continually developing to meet the needs of visitors and exhibitors and, they claim, the auction will be no exception.

With technology developing on a daily basis, it is important to keep up to date, providing clients with the very best equipment available. Often the larger event company stock room is cluttered with items, which despite being in excellent condition are surplus to requirements. However for a smaller company these pieces of equipment would be of great benefit. The idea of the auction is to help all parties through the exchange of these items. The seller gains a return on their original investment and the buyer

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UK - For the first time this year, the PLASA Show installed a central feature as part of its stand plan, in the form of a large circular bar, above which was a high-resolution LED information screen, supplied by CT Screenco. The display specialist was able to field its latest, state-of-the-art Lighthouse LVP-1650 high brightness LED screen, displayed in a 5x5 format and offering clear visibility to all the visitors.

Reinforced by 13 plasma screens in various sizes, positioned around the entrance to the Hall, Lighthouse's LVP-1650 is a 16mm pixel pitch screen that fills the gap in the marketplace where a true outdoor screen in required, coupled with a high resolution image, at a cost-effective price. It produces 5000 nits of brightness and its high definition gives TV-quality images from a distance of 16m.

(Lee Baldock)

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Germany - More than 50,000 revellers descended on the Hunsrück mountains in Germany last month for one of the country's biggest and most popular outdoor Raves. The annual Nature One festival (now in its ninth year) is held over a weekend every August at a former US Army Missile site.

Lighting designer Martin Khun, who has created lighting designs for the event since 1997, was looking for something 'a bit special' to ensure this year's event surpassed previous occasions. He wanted to create something no one had ever seen before which is why the focus of his design involved extensive use of the G-LEC Curtain. Martin first came across the Curtain, which is made from LEDs in transparent tubes, at the ProLight and Sound show in Frankfurt and presented the idea to Nature One's producers who jumped at the chance to experiment with something new. "Having worked on Nature One for t

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UK - CT Screenco folded back time and helped bring a 'Fly To The Past' revival to real life when they supplied a 60sq.m (12 x 5) LED display for the weekend event at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. Blenheim, the home of the Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, provided a perfect setting for the event. Produced by Harvey Goldsmith CBE and co-produced by Francis Rockliff, 'Fly To The Past' celebrated 100 years of music and flight, and concentrated on a 1940s revivalist theme.

The show included a three-hour air display, featuring The Red Arrows, with Lancaster, Spitfire, Swordfish, Harrier, Mustang and Falcon aircraft, while the music included Sir George Martin and The RAF Central Band and The Glenn Miller Orchestra (as well as local Fairport Convention man Ric Sanders and his Group). The revival show even offered a trip to New York for the best-dressed 1940

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USA - ESTA (the Entertainment Services and Technology Association) announces the finalists for the 2003 Dealers' Choice Customer Service Awards and the finalists for the 2003 Manufacturers' Choice Awards: the 10 Manufacturers vying for the Prestigious Dealers' Choice Awards are as follows: Doug Fleenor Design, Johnson Systems, L.E. Nelson Sales Corp, and Production Intercom in the category of manufacturers with 1-6 employees. City Theatrical, Lighting & Electronics and SSRC in the category of manufacturers with 7-25 employees, and Apollo Design Technology, Electronic Theatre Controls and Lex Products Corp, in the category of manufacturers with over 25 employees.

And for the manufacturers awards the finalists are: Circuit Lighting, Indianapolis Stage Sales & Rentals, Murphy Lighting Systems and Premier Lighting & Production Co, in the category of dealers with 1-6 employees; BMI S

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UK - If you want to hear the latest in audio technology from the industry's leading manufacturers and consultants, then take time out to attend Reproduced Sound 19. This residential weekend, held at the luxurious Oxford Hotel in Oxfordshire on the 7- 9 November, has been organized by the Electroacoustics Group of the UK's Institute of Acoustics to increase the understanding of all fields of Reproduced Sound.

The conference covers modern audio and acoustics in an informal environment allowing consultants, manufacturers, contractors and end users to share insights and information. It will incorporate papers from ADA (EASE), AMS Acoustics, Arup, BSS Audio, Celestion, d&b, Duran Audio, EAW, Genelec, Harman International, ISVR, JBL Professional, Martin Audio, Meyer, NXT and Peter Mapp & Associates.

For more details call Linda Canty on +44 (0) 1727 848195 or use the e-mail or web ad

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UK - Light Relief, the charity established to support lighting industry people who find themselves in emergency situations, will benefit from the 'open house' that was White Light's 2003 PLASA Show stand. Without a stand of his own this year, Howard Eaton spent most of the show holding court on the White Light stand with its popular bar. Howard did manage to combine work with socialising, since the LED colour changing starcloths which formed the backdrop to the White Light stand were built by Howard Eaton Lighting Limited for drapes specialist Blackout. However, as a thank you for providing him with a base during the show, he has offered a donation to Light Relief.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

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USA - This year's AES show in New York (10-13 October) will mark the 25th anniversary of EAW in the professional audio industry. Since its founding in 1978, when EAW first appeared at the 61st AES Convention, the company has introduced hundreds of successful loudspeaker products and has grown to become one of the most influential and respected manufacturers of professional audio products in the world.

For the forthcoming AES show, EAW will celebrate its silver anniversary in style both on and off the booth. The celebration begins with a special EAW trivia contest to be held on the EAW booth (#412) at 5:00pm every day of the show (10-13 October) as well as at midday on 11, 12 and 13 October. Up for grabs are seven limited-edition 25th anniversary black leather jackets.

Also on show will be live product demos of EAW's innovative new Digitally Steered Array (DSA) series and DSAPi

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UK - PLASA 2003 closed its doors after four days of lively business, as a year of planning had resulted in one of the best shows in PLASA's history. During the course of the event, numerous exhibitors not only generated leads, but also took large orders - a sure sign that the industry is beginning to turn the corner.

Feedback from exhibitors has been excellent - Steve Warren from Avolites commented: "We have generated stunning amounts of business and a number of new distributors." Chris Rolph from LED specialist Tryka said: "Its my 13th PLASA - its been phenomenal! We ran out of brochures on Monday," while Dennis Harburn from Shure Distribution UK said: "The layout has made the show more accessible, with a revitalised injection of life and new better quality visitors."

This year, the New Technology Gallery introduced the visitor to an impressive d

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UK - Rola-Trac installed the ground protection required around the motor circuit at this year's Goodwood Revival festival, to ensure the site was not damaged by the vehicles and crowds. The Goodwood Revival runs for three days in September each year, celebrating the racing venue's active years of 1948-66, by re-enacting the races that once occurred there. This year 94,000 racing fans visited the event.

Each year owners of vehicles from the pre-1966 period descend on Goodwood to display their treasures for the first two days, when visitors can take a good look at the cars. For the owners there is also the business of winning, after two days of qualifying and warming up, the third and final day of the event offered some surprisingly competitive races around the circuit.

This year event was blessed with fine weather, which meant the ground remained very dry and the Rola-Trac gro

  1. Matchbox Twenty tour with Martin Pro
  2. Midas & KT host conference at Lake Como
  3. Imagination creates Bollywood-style exhibition stands for Mela 2003.
  4. Star Rigging brings Disney to life
  5. Clay Paky And Festival Show 2003
  6. MCL London helps Elsevier fuel the Hydrogen Debate
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