UK - At the PLASA Show this year, Midas will be showing the XL8 live performance system on stand M40 for the first time at a UK trade show. XL8 heralds the leading console manufacturer's entry into the digital mixing realm, offering an incomparable design combining exemplary sound quality, flexibility and reliability with an ease and familiarity of use unrivalled by other digital control surfaces. XL8 is the first of a new generation of open-architecture, cross-platform, integrated audio control and distribution systems, which brings control of not only audio, but other aspects of live performance to a single, intuitive control centre.
As well as offering classic Midas audio quality and superb reliability, XL8 actually improves upon the performance of the analogue consoles which have established the brand as the number one choice of sound engineers the world over. XL8 represents
Germany - ChainMaster has introduced the JumboLift, designed to lift heavy weights such as video cubes. The BGV-C1 chain hoist will be capable of lifting weights as great as 6,000kg, and is equipped with a frequency converter, incremental encoder and (optionally) with an absolute value encoder. The controller is available in both one- and two-channel configurations; a control cabinet control system with breakdown control can also be implemented. The JumboLift is also available as a BGV-D8 version, say the company.
Also new from ChainMaster is a manual controller for up to 48 chain hoists. With the remote control, which is equipped with a 5.7" touch-screen, it is possible to program runs as well as display individual positions and loads. It will also be possible to effect a group shutdown in the event of the synchronicity tolerance being exceeded, the target position being o
Germany - Protonic Software, developer of the Easyjob rental management system, has introduced what it calls "an easier way to make informed business decisions" - The Easyjob Business Information Center (BIC). This new tool critically analyzes data from an existing Easyjob database and displays key figures on one easy-to-read screen. Users can quickly and easily determine the profitability of projects, the return on investment for purchases, the cost-effectiveness of employees and freelancers, plus much more. Full-colour reports and statistics can be saved and distributed in a variety of formats such as PDF and Microsoft Excel files.
Protonic Software representatives will conduct live demonstrations of the new Easyjob BIC at the 2006 PLASA Show (10-13 September, Earl's Court, London). Protonic software GmbH/Corporation is the leading manufacturer of software solutions
UK - To date, Funktion One's renowned large-scale bass systems have been focused around 18"s in the form of F218s (with their unique and highly efficient loading technique) and the Infrabass/Infrahorn systems (for extreme low end reinforcement down to 30Hz and below).
In the 1980s, Funktion One's Tony Andrews had also pioneered work with Precision Devices on the development of the first widely used 21" (6" voice-coil) loudspeaker. This provided the low end for his highly regarded Flashlight system design of the time which was used on world tours by groups including Pink Floyd and Dire Straits. "In 2006, with F1s access to advanced materials and Andrews' heightened understanding of loudspeaker and enclosure tuning, his original 21" concept was due for a revisit. This work has resulted in a new product with dramatically increased performance," say the
Belgium - Barco are showing the all new MiStrip at PLASA 06, which is making its debut on the Mesh City Bon Jovi tour. At the show, Barco demonstrates that LED no longer has to be rectangular or flat. With the whole portfolio of creative LED solutions on show it is easy to see that the only limits are those of the imagination.
MiStrip, entered in the PLASA awards for innovation competition, sets a new standard for LED display technology in a wide variety of applications. From large free-form video displays to architectural visual design.
High brightness and high pixel density in a slim and lightweight yet rugged package make MiStrip a true all-round performer.The possibilities with this product include not only bright video displays of any size, shape or form but also lighting-type effects, in one package.
Also on show is the MiSphere which pens up the door to new, bold and
UK - Lightfactor Sales is showing a variety of its core theatre and performance orientated products available from Italian manufacturers SGM, LDR and Novalight, VXCO from Switzerland and LightProcessor from the UK.
SGM's new Pilot 3000 is a value-added DMX controller ideal for use with small rigs, with all functionality of larger consoles. This includes 1024 DMX Channels, two DMX outs and four in; touch screen for quick access to all functions. There's six programmable scene control faders and four encoder wheels for attribute control during programming, and effects control during playback. A 'Joy Ball' gives intuitive Pan/Tilt control.
The Genio Mobile is a reliable, compact, stylish LED colour-changing fixture with incredible brightness. Producing a wash light effect generated by 16 high-powered Luxeon LEDs (1,800 lumens). Lamplife is at least 100,000 hours at maximum power.
UK - This year sees the 22nd Reproduced Sound conference and the agenda, as ever, will be packed with the latest in audio technology, acoustics and real world applications and the presentations by the international line-up of industry-leading experts never disappoints. Organised by the Electroacoustics Group of the Institute of Acoustics, in collaboration with AES, ABTT, APRS and ISCE, this year's conference will be held on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 November at the Oxford Hotel, Oxford.
Over the two days, papers and discussions will cover a range of topics including Loudspeakers, Speech Intelligibility, Distribution/Networking, Digital Audio Networks, Lossy Compression and Bitrate Reduction, Ultrasonic Audio, Sound System Applications and Virtual Acoustics.
The Reproduced Sound conferences will feature presentations from some of the industry's leading academics, consultants, sup
UK - Visitors to the PLASA Show can join Halls for a glass of something chilled on Monday afternoon (11 September) as they launch the all-new website - over 700 pages of useful information on every product. The new site will have technical details on all key aspects of the catalogue and Halls are building a great deal of interesting stuff in as well, from 'how to' installation guides, links, archives, project shots, downloads, free stuff and more, say the company.
The company will offer its usual hospitality on the stand - along with new products from Visual Act, ASM Steuerungstechnik and Hof Alutec. The main display this year will be the Visual Act 3D, an add-on module for Visual Act's Stage Control System. Visual Act 3D creates an interactive workspace for creating, programming and operating 3D flying objects. Objects are created quickly and easily by selecting an object type
UK - Leading UK loudspeaker system manufacturer Martin Audio will be celebrating its 35th birthday at PLASA 2006. On show will be examples from its product ranges - including line array, Wavefront, stage monitors, AQ, Blackline, Ceiling, Stadium, Contractor, Cinema and accompanying dedicated control electronics and amplifiers.
UK - No, we're not talking about standards of excellence (well, not in the usual sense) and not a length of metal to attach lights to, either. We're talking about a large bar where industry people can meet to socialise and have a drink or two.
Socialising and networking will be very much to the fore at PLASA06: the large Central Bar's opening hours are being extended, for the first time, as it becomes the official PLASA06 After Show Bar, which will remain open until 8pm each night, following the 'soft close' of the show at 6pm.
Sponsoring the PLASA06 After Show Bar will be some of the entertainment industry's major players, including Aviom, Avolites, DiGiCo, Lab:Gruppen, Mobil-Tech, Stardraw and XTA Electronics. Those who visit the sponsors' stands will get complimentary drinks, entry into a free prize draw and the chance to win £1,000.00.
UK - The V-440HD, a flexible and affordable video mixer, is the latest flagship video mixer/switcher from Edirol. Building on the success of the Edirol V-4 VJ mixer, it was designed as a professional solution for live concerts, corporate events and outside broadcasts - or any application requiring seamless mixing of SD and HD video and computer signals up to SXGA. The mixer sports eight individual inputs and Edirol say it offers "exceptionally clean transitions" augmented by a joystick-controlled Picture-in-Picture facility. Two separate Keyers for SD and HD are accessible from the user interface.
Expandability has also been a key design feature and Edirol says it has ensured that chaining together multiple units of the V-440HD is pain-free, enabling a single HD image to spread across multiple output displays - ideal for multi-screen performances. The V-Link control sy
UK - PLASA 06 will see the UK launch of InOut Digital, on the stand of its UKdistributor, CUK Audio.
InOut Digital is an Italian based manufacturer, designing and manufacturing advanced audio devices utilising solid-state memory. These devices have been designed to automatically reproduce warning messages, voice alerts, music and sound effects, in fact all types of audio files in a vast array of situations. The main advantage to this approach is reliability as, unlike hard disk based solutions, there are no moving parts. The memory is also extractable making files quick an easy to update. The four devices within the range cover all applications where audio needs to be repeated / reproduced.
The Panel Player can manage more than 16 hours of MP3 audio files and incorporates a stereo Class D 20W + 20W amplifier, which can also be bridged to provide a single channel of 40W. 6/8 mu
UK - HSL is supplying a variety of lighting equipment to four separate performance spaces and the bar in the main C venue at the heart of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. C is the largest of four different sites containing a total of 11 venues being run by C venues at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Across the three week Festival period, they will host over 180 different shows representing approximately 10% of the Festival's creative output - a vibrant mix of all types of performance genres including dance, drama, comedy, physical theatre, musicals, film, cabaret, events and workshops.
C stages the biggest of the C venues productions across four floors of its Chambers Street building, which is normally used as an examination hall for Edinburgh University. C +3 on the third floor and C -1 in the basement are used for most of the larger shows and musicals on C venue's busy sched
UK - The IBC and PLASA 2006 shows will see several major new product releases from ADB Lighting Technologies, as well as an expanded accessory range.
On PLASA stand H19, the company will unveil two new ranges of luminaires in the award winning Warp series - the HMI Warp/Daylight and the cool running, long lamp-life Warp/Ceramic, along with new Warp series accessories. Two new dimmers will also be on show - the Eurodim Sine Wave series and the Erack 50 Plus economy dimmer rack.
On IBC stand 11.539, ADB will show the improved Softlight Rah2502/S and Rap2502/S - the first units were recently supplied to Flemish Television studios - and the Eurodim Sine Wave Dimmer.The new, HMI powered Warp/Daylight automated spot luminaire range, available in both motorised and manual versions, provides the brightest beam in the 575 discharge lamp range. A new fixture range with electronic flicke
UK - PLASA 2006 will see the worldwide launch of Audica, a new brand to the professional audio installation market, on the stand of its UK distributor, CUK Audio. Audica focuses on three key elements; style, audio quality and innovation.
Cambridge-based Audica Professional Ltd products are designed the heartland of UK audio in Cambridge and engineered by a world-leading acoustic design house in Germany to meet the very highest standards for discreet elegance and application flexibility for high fidelity installed sound. The Audica Microseries is ideal for background music systems in applications such as restaurants, retail outlets and hotel public areas and for AV systems in boardrooms, meeting facilities, museums, visitor centres and hotel bedrooms.
Microseries consists of two ultra-compact wall-mount and one ceiling-mount 'micro-spot' loudspeaker which give wide-band audio s
UK - On 31 August and 1 September, the Association of Lighting Designers is holding its first Forum, in collaboration with Rose Bruford College. A two-day event, the Forum is comprised of "Pick and Mix" workshops and discussions based around a central theme, relevant to modern theatre practice to help educate members and share ideas.
The "Pick and Mix" format has been designed to make the event as flexible as possible to those with work commitments. The event is free and food and drink will be provided. This year the theme is Digital Scenography. With the use of video projection and other digital media becoming more widespread in Theatre, the worlds of video and lighting are converging. The aim of the Forum is to raise awareness of this equipment and it's use, and discus how it is going to affect designers in the future.
UK - Speaker company JBL will exhibit a new addition to the existing popular VRX900 line array at the PLASA Show this year, and also show a new, affordable PA line for the first time at an exhibition in the UK - the MRX500 series.
The VRX900-series 'constant curvature' line array is designed for small to medium-sized venues, and can be used in a fixed installation, or to form a portable PA. The first speakers in the series to be launched, the two-way VRX932LAs, featured the JBL-patented 'constant curvature' waveguide which lends its name to the series as a whole. Three compression drivers are mounted on a continuous arc in each speaker, and when further VRX932LAs are added to the system, the speakers fit together in such a way that the arc of drivers continues. In use, the acoustic effect of this is that the drivers work together as though they were a single driver on a continuo
UK - This year's PLASA Show will be Harman Pro UK's first European showing for three new Lexicon products which are now shipping to dealers. The Lexicon MX400 and MX400XL are 1U, 4-in 4-out hardware reverb processors aimed at studio and live users which expand upon the spec of last year's successful MX200 reverb. The MX200 was a stereo device with two effects engines, and as their name suggests, the two MX400 models are four-input, four-output devices with four independent effects processors each. The only difference between the two models is that the analogue inputs and outputs on the MX400XL are professional XLR connectors, while the MX400 sports standard TRS jacks. S/PDIF digital I/O is also available on both models.
The effects engines offer the usual complement of high-quality, rich-sounding Lexicon reverbs (a total of 17 different types), say Harman, plus delays and effect
UK - AKG are renowned for the quality of their microphones, and for the intense research and design that goes into them. In recent years, competition in the budget mic market has been fierce, and so to keep up with developments at the ultra-affordable end of the microphone business, AKG released the Perception Series 100 and 200 condenser mics last year. Designed in Europe but made in the Far East, the 100 and 200 manage to be excellent value without sacrificing design standards, says the company.
AKG are now introducing the Perception 400 at this year's PLASA, a new microphone which sits at the top of the Perception range, creating 'good, better and best' models for purchasers to choose from. The Perception 400 is a large-diaphragm condenser microphone with multiple pickup patterns (cardioid, omnidirectional and figure-of-eight) designed for both live and studio-based applicati
UK - UK distributor Stagetec has announced the product line-up from Compulite for the PLASA Show. The company's Dlite range was officially launched at PLASA last year and has already been popular in a wide range of applications including TV studios, theatres, arts centres, schools and colleges. This year sees the launch of the largest system in the Dlite family with an integral 48/96 channel manual console.
Also new, CompuPACK is a range of portable digital dimmers being launched at PLASA.Available in either 12 x 2.5kW or 6 x 5kW power ratings, a range of formats will be shown including hard-wired, UK 15A, Ceeform, Schuko, Socapex and Weiland. CompuPACK can be controlled via DMX or Ethernet and incorporates both MCB protection for the incoming mains supply and an MCB per output channel. The built-in LCD display and function buttons allow quick and easy set-up of a whole host of
UK - PLASA 2006 will see the first pre-production unveiling of EM Acoustics' new take on self-powered loudspeaker technology - the DA-1 amplifier module. Although the product will not be shipping until 2007, PLASA 2006 marks the first opportunity for people to get to see the unit "in the flesh", and hear about it from the EM Acoustics designers, as well as see the products that the unit will fit into.
A unique "one size fits all" approach was the core ethos behind the product concept, and as such the DA-1 "will be the most flexible self-powered module on the market today" say EM Acoustics. The DA-1 is a lightweight, two-channel Class-T amplifier, designed to fit into a variety of EM Acoustics' current product range. By using the onboard DSP power, a few button presses can reconfigure the amplifier from 2-channel to bridge-mono mode, and recall limit
UK - HSL Group Holdings is exhibiting at PLASA 2006 for the second time in its own right, highlighting its diverse range of products and services. The Blackburn-based company has three divisions - HSL Rental, HSL Rigging and HSL Sales & Distribution.
Recent concert touring projects include Massive Attack's summer festival tour, which saw HSL investing over £100,000 in new Chroma-Q ColorBlock LED fixtures for their distinct 'visuals wall' designed by UVA. They also supplied Robe Robe ColorWash and ColorSpot 1200AT moving lights, PAR cans and scrollers, ZR 33 smokers, two hazers, a technician and a Wholehog II console run by lighting director Rohan Harrison.
HSL also supplied all lighting and rigging to LD Dave Byars for the Beautiful South's Superbi tour, and will be supplying eight arenas, including the main outdoor stage, of lighting for the 2006 Creamfields fest
USA - Recognised worldwide as the most comprehensive training course of its kind, the Tomcat Hoist and Rigging Workshop is a unique learning opportunity for those new to the entertainment industry, as well as veterans of the business. And until August of this year, you had to come to Midland, Texas to take part in this course.
However, after years of enquiries from various companies and groups around the US, Tomcat USA has reported that the first ever Hoist and Rigging Workshop took place August 1-4, 2006 at the historic National Theatre.
Working with I.A.T.S.E. Local 22 in Washington D.C., Tomcat provided comprehensive training for over 50 union members. Many were from the Baltimore/D.C. area - and some participants traveled in from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York, New Jersey and Delaware to be a part of the training.
Don Dimitroff of Columbus McKinnon coached participan
UK / USA - New York City-based City Theatrical is launching a new line of CE compliant products at PLASA this year, and for the first time, CTI's most popular products will be fully compliant with the new Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations, as well as having CE certification.
Products that already had CE compliance and are now also RoHS compliant include AutoYoke, EFX Plus2, and all products in the WDS Wireless Data System family. Products gaining CE with full RoHS compliance for the first time include four products in the PDS family of power/data supplies for Color Kinetics products: PDS-750 TR; PDS-375 TR; PDS-375 TRB; and PDS-50, as well as the City Theatrical Projector Dowser and DMX Iris.
CTI's president Gary Fails commented: "The entire world is increasingly aware of the hazards of electronic waste, particularly leaded solder. Since our products