Established staging manufacturer Maltbury has announced that it has expanded its stock to include Morgan Trussing, a product new to the UK, which will complement Maltbury’s own demountable staging systems. The Morgan alloy trussing combines strength and a sophisticated appearance with unbeatable prices to reflect the qualities of Maltbury’s staging systems. Available in a number of truss styles and sizes the individual truss sections can be connected quickly and simply by using the double-ended conical spigots which slot easily into each truss tube and are secured with a pin and clip. In addition to an array of standard angled and jointed sections, Morgan Trussing can also be custom-made to meet particular requirements.

Morgan Trussing also comes in a range of styles and sizes from slender trussing, which is ideal for indoor work to the 400 x 600mm beams that are perfect fo

Coemar UK has taken on the UK distribution for Hungarian strobe giants Hungaroflash. According to Coemar UK managing director, Ian Kirby, this is a direct result of having supplied (via Vari-Lite) five of Hungaroflash’s massive T-Light 85K strobes for use on the Rolling Stones’ world tour.

One of the competitive advantages of T-Light - the latest product from the Budapest-based company - is that it can be purchased outright, rather than being restricted to hire use only. Requiring 63A/230V mains power supply, control is either in the form of the pre-programmed lightning strikes, or it can be created by the operator in the T-Light dedicated controller.

The lamp is low pressure non-explosive xenon - offering a flash length ranging from 1/24-sec to 3-sec - and the beam angle can be varied from spot to wide angle. Barn doors and colour filters are optional extras. The unit ha

PLASA 2002 saw the successfull launch of dmXLAN PoCket from ELC Lighting. This application has been written for any Pocket PC, such as the Compaq or Toshiba, and allows the functionality of ELC’s dmxLAN Software. The advantages of this include not only the compact size, but the wireless LAN functions, allowing wireless control of all DMX nodes, patching and merging of universes, monitoring DMX channels and taking wireless control of any fixture, from any place on the stage or in the hall.

Visit the website below for more information, or to download the dmXLAN PoCket.pdf document from the downloads section. As with ELC Lighting’s dmXLAN main software, this application is free of charge.

(Lee Baldock)

After embarking on a successful new line-up of lighting fixtures over the past 12 months, Coemar has now turned its attention to developing a range of unique tools that will become a vital part of every lighting operator’s tool kit. The DR-1 is a remote device which virtually eliminates the need to gain access to fixtures when programming or servicing lighting equipment. This diagnostic instrument allows the functions (and history) of a fixture to be monitored and interrogated from anywhere in a venue. Offering bi-directional communication with the fixtures (which ‘talk back’ to the device over a normal 3-core DMX cable), when inserted into the DMX 512A chain, the DR-1 will replicate all functions and information, which until now were accessed only via a fixture’s on-board display panel.

A single DR-1, for instance, will allow the operator to remote access as ma

Stanton’s new SMX-501 has been designed as a hybrid three-channel, techno/scratch mixer, which will appeal to both the turntablist and club/rave DJs alike. The impressive list of features includes: Effects loop, which can be assigned to each individual channel, plus the mic; Custom high-quality Penny & Giles crossfader with VCA curve; adjustment and crossfader assign; Assignable crossfader (A, B, Bypass); VCA crossfader curve control and reverse; Curve control and reverse on Line faders; Each channel features gain control, slider pan, and a versatile three-band EQ with complete kill; Balanced XLR master output (unbalanced RCA also provided); Booth output; Rotatable three-position phono/line switch with flash feature; Separate channel input and master output LED meters.

Stanton have also announced that the DFX-1, claimed as the world’s first trackball-controlled audio signal

Martin Audio has launched ViewPoint - a Windows-based programme developed to enable W8L line array users to quickly configure their system to suit a particular venue. Straight line arrays are highly directional in the vertical plane - a long, straight array will produce an extremely narrow angle at high frequencies - in some cases 1° or less. Consequently, line arrays need to be physically curved in the vertical plane to cover the audience. In a typical array, the top boxes usually have a flat or shallow curvature and the lower boxes are increasingly splayed.

Up to now, arriving at the optimum curvature to achieve the most even coverage for a particular venue has been a largely hit-and-miss process. The problem is too complex to be solved by simple reasoning alone, and analytical tools that simulate the acoustic properties of each element in the array are required to determine the ove

The new edition of ‘The Source’ product catalogue is now available from Canford Audio. This latest edition contains more new products than any previous Canford catalogue and there are hints that an on-line version will follow shortly. Coinciding with the launch of the new catalogue is the company’s decision to introduce free deliveries across the UK.

The result of a year-long study to match customers’ needs with both stock availability and product depth, Canford’s sales director Barry Revels is suitably confident about the value of the new catalogue. "People have been used to a new edition of The Source arriving every 6 months or so with new products and new prices. This catalogue has taken us almost 18 months to produce and reflects that hard work and thought. The changes we have made to our processes in terms of ordering and stock holding will enabl

The Alien 51S from Mach is a recessed speaker system designed for demanding background installations where wide dispersion and high quality audio reproduction is needed. Designed around a 5" co-axial drive unit with a 3/4" neodymium tweeter, the Alien 51S offers high levels of clarity and a wide and well-controlled dispersion.

The compact design integrates a passive crossover and a 100/70V transformer into the housing and allows the user to operate the speaker from either traditional or 100V amplifiers. Because it is based on the same cabinet as the Alien 05 colour changer, installing multiple Alien products - both colour changers and speakers - is straightforward. Useful in a wide variety of applications, the 110-degree acoustic coverage pattern ensures even sound pressure and tonal balance throughout the coverage area. As a special feature, the Alien S51 comes with a softwa

Canford’s Tecpro range has been expanded to include a completely new digital ‘Wireless’ system. This new development includes the full functionality of the existing Tecpro system, but without all the drawbacks of a ‘hard-wired’ system. A full range of complementary products has also been designed and manufactured by Canford to provide a complete wireless communications infrastructure.

At first glance the new Tecpro Wireless system looks almost exactly the same as the existing hard-wired Tecpro system. This is no doubt as a result of the familiar, robust extruded aluminium cases Canford’s and Tecpro products are so often contained within. However, those sturdy little boxes conceal the latest in DECT technology permitting over 100 wireless beltpacks to be used in the same physical area and at a distance of up to 300 metres from a base station. The digi

Martin Professional has introduced Freekie Control, a new concept in creative lighting control that adds a new element to a DJ’s scratch, backspin, bend, drag, delay, brake, reverse and power down. Packed with easy-to-use features, Freekie features easy pitch and pan/tilt control for instant lightshow to music synchronization.

Freekie is the first real DJ lighting controller with direct pitch control of the entire show on one fader! A full analogue joystick - with fine adjustment - gives fast and easy access to pan/tilt during programming - or grab any fixture manually during a show. Freekie also features a smart macro function for easy creation of circle movements. Features include: Pitch fader allows for instant speed manipulation of lightshow; Joystick for easy pan/tilt control; Controls up to 12 fixtures each with 12 channels; Multi-purpose buttons can be customized to contro

Kino Flo used the recent PLASA Show to launch the latest addition to its range of lighting for the TV and film markets. The dimming ParaBeam continues Kino Flo’s unique development of fluorescent lighting, which began some 15 years ago when, working out of a garage, the small company started to develop new technology, eventually winning an Academy Award for technical achievement.

ParaBeam’s features include proprietary optics that compress the focal range of the light wave to produce a broad soft source along the horizontal axis and a narrow beam on the vertical axis. The 24" x 24" ParaBeam 400, for example, can light a four-person news desk from approximately 15 feet away. It sweeps back the darkness in the foreground without washing out the background on the set. With a simple rotation of the fixture, it can focus like a hard light on just one of the four subjec

Czech moving light manufacturer Robe Show Lighting has signed a deal with DHA Lighting for the latter to supply custom abstract design gobos, made specifically to fit Robe Show lanterns. Having first made contact at the SIB 2002 show in Rimini in March this year, following a process of sampling and testing, DHA’s gobos were selected as providing the best combination of value and quality.

(Ruth Rossington)

Based on the highly successful introduction of its new-wired microphone line earlier this year, Shure is expanding its Performance Gear family to include 17 affordable wireless systems. Formerly T/UT, these wireless systems are updated with a refreshed receiver design and packaging to make them even easier to use.

Performance Gear Wireless systems feature receivers outfitted with an attractive sloped metal front panel and repositioned LEDs making them easier to view and understand. Additionally, receiver rear panels are updated with easier to read two-colour labels highlighting connectors and controls. Performance Gear Wireless offers a variety of UHF and VHF diversity configurations designed expressly for vocals, instruments and presentation use including the Beta 58, PG58, and SM58 transmitters.

Model numbers for Shure's Performance Gear wireless systems remain unchanged from thos

Jem has added to its extensive line of smoke machines with the launch of the compact Magnum 550 and the powerful Magnum 950. Housing a 600W ECO-Mass Vaporizing System for economical and even distribution of haze, with fast heat-up time and extended operation, the Magnum 550 is supplied with remote control and fitted with the same high quality overheat protection as models from Jem’s professional range.

The Magnum 950, the big brother to the Magnum 550, houses a more powerful 1500W system. Supplied with remote control, 2.5 litre fluid container and again the same overheat protection as other models in the range, the 950 will give many years of maintenance-free operation.

(Ruth Rossington)

L-Acoustics has remained faithful to the principle of coaxial technology that it pioneered in the late eighties with the introduction of the MTD product line, and has recently released the XT line, featuring the latest generation in coaxial components. Compared with traditional horn and woofer combinations, L-Acoustics systems are ideal for distributed sound reinforcement, and demonstrate the benefits of coaxial technology, such as single point source radiation and excellent phase response; total wavefront coherency at any frequency; axi-symmetrical directivity and dispersion characteristics free of polar lobbing.

The end result is natural, studio monitor level sound quality, ideal for proximity use and perfectly matching semi-reverberant environments. Multi-purpose in their format, MTDs and XTs are all-in-one products that can be used as a compact FOH system (with or without subwoofe

Derivative Inc has teamed up with NVIDIA Corporation, the worldwide leader in visual processing solutions, to advance the art of real-time visual performance with an impressive display of 3D animation set to the music of legendary rock band Rush. As part of the band's current 40-city, 'Vapor Trails' concert tour of North America, Derivative's Touch 012 visual performance tools and NVIDIA GeForce4 Go graphics processing units (GPUs) are being used to deliver on-the-fly improvisation of 3D animations projected during 11 songs, providing concert-goers with an exciting new way to experience live music.

Designed for creators of interactive artworks, the Touch tool set uses powerful Academy Award-winning visual effects technology to enable digital artists to author, perform and share expressive interactive 3D visuals from their PCs. On the 'Vapor Trails' tour, Touch artist James Ellis is usi

At the 113th AES exhibition in Los Angeles, Yamaha Corporation of America has introduced an additional solution for digital mixing with the debut of the DM1000 Digital Production Console. Designed to meet the needs of the audio for film, video, post-production, and broadcast markets, the multi-platform DM1000 delivers 48 channels of transparent, dynamic 24-bit/96kHz audio, effects and processing on every channel, extensive surround production features, integrated control for digital audio workstations and automated recording into a very compact rack-mountable package. "The DM1000 has been engineered for permanent or portable applications where high quality digital audio production is paramount, but space limitations are a major consideration," says Larry Italia, general manager of Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems Division: "The DM1000 will be a valuable tool for digital edi

Hand Held Audio has recently developed a new strain of custom ear monitors. The company was approached by Craig Donaldson, sound engineer for the Super Furry Animals, to see if acrylic ear moulds could successfully be coupled to Sennheiser IE3 generic monitors. This made a lot of sense for the band who are Sennheiser endorsees.

Acrylic ear moulds were the original custom ear monitors developed by Garwood back in 1990 which remain ever-popular today. They were designed to couple with Sony Walkman-style drivers to produce a great-sounding and inexpensive ear monitor. The challenge in adapting the design for the Sennheiser drivers lay in their radically different shape, particularly the sound exit tube. A certain amount of head scratching is normal in such circumstances, and after due process it magically produced a couple of new engineering techniques. The drivers were in the moulds - no

Continuing with its commitment to integrated audio systems, Yamaha has introduced the PC Series power amplifiers, NHB32-C Cobranet Network Hub Bridge and ACU16-C Cobranet Amplifier Control Unit at the AES exhibition in Los Angeles. The PC4800N and PC9500N amplifiers are powerful, efficient and surprisingly quiet choices for any fixed or mobile application, say Yamaha. Both models have been engineered to reproduce power linearity and very low distortion - even when driven hard - resulting in an uncoloured, "three-dimensional" feel of the original sound source.

The PC4800N amplifier delivers two channels of 800W power (20Hz to 20kHz) into 4 ohms, and a bridged mono channel of 1600W. The PC9500N amplifier offers two channels of 1500-watt power at 4 ohms (20 Hz to 20 kHz), or a single channel of 3000W, bridged mono. Total Harmonic Distortion is 0.5%. Both PC Series models feature

Selecon and Rosco will be hosting a joint ‘Hands-On Day’ at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in Mallet Street, London, WC1 on 31 October 2002. The event, running from 11.00-15.30, will provide visitors with a chance to use and get to know the latest products from the two companies in a suitable theatre setting. These products include, from Selecon, the Pacific 80v, Pacific MSR with dowser, the Pacific range with Rosco’s ImagePro, the Arena Theatre fresnel and PC and the Finelite II image projector. From Rosco will be the ImagePro with a selection of iPro slides, the 1700 fog machine, the Vortex dual gobo rotator, a selection of the company’s 60 new gobo designs and, finally, Rosco Supergel and E-colour+ filters, including 24 additional colours.

Those interested in attending the event should register their interest with Selecon’s Mike Goldberg at the e-mai

Following the successful launch of its illuminated colour changing columns and cubes at the recent Retail Interiors & IDW2 exhibition, Rare Basics Ltd, in conjunction with AVR Colourmaster, is now to supply the hospitality, leisure and hotel industries. Manufactured in unbreakable, translucent polyethylene, the illuminated columns are extremely versatile, as each independently controlled stand-alone unit utilizes a single light source, which can be set at one colour or can morph through a sequence of colour changes. Alternatively, the cubes and columns can be capped with table tops in acrylic or metal.

(Ruth Rossington)

Flying Pig Systems announces the first ‘Release’ version of its v1.0 software for the Wholehog III control system after completing its final round of beta testing. This is the first version of software for the state-of-the-art control system that has been given the coveted "show-safe status" by Flying Pig Systems. To reach this point it has gone through extensive testing, both within the company and with the many users who are involved in beta testing the product.

"This is an important landmark for us," said Richard Mead, Flying Pig product manager. "Above all else our customers require their control system to be reliable, and so that has been our absolute priority. But this is really just the beginning. Now that we have established this stable foundation, we will be moving forward rapidly with new versions and new features."

The beta version

SCV London has announced the availability of a raft of new products from leading pro audio manufacturers including Mipro, who claim to have developed the world’s first ACT (Automatic Channel Targeting) system. This allows the user to automatically set the transmitter channel to the same operating frequency as the receiver, protecting from errors, mechanical breakdown and accidental changes which are all too common when relying on manual adjustment. The transmitters come in two forms, beltpack or microphone and there are three models in the microphone range: ACT707HS in a plastic casing, ACT707H in a durable plastic casing with a large easy to read LCD for display of groups, channels, error codes and battery condition, and the ACT707HM, which includes all the features of the H, but is housed in a professional metal casing with a balanced XLR connector.

Acid Pro 4.0 is the latest v

Swedish lighting CAD software makers, Capture, have released the latest version of their CAD and visualization software, 3.0.4. The latest developments to the package include improved moving light performance; the ability to export the fixture list to a text file; improved patching by drag and drop from simulator views (using the selection order for automatic sequence patching); support for the E:Cue lighting control system; refined color mixing and focusing of moving lights; shutter simulation in moving lights; new arch, blackbox and proscenium object wizards, and the inclusion of MAC 2000, HES Studio Beam and LSD truss to the library.

The latest release builds on Capture 3.0.3, which was released last month and introduced gobo and color wheels in moving lights, support for HogPC (as of build 164) and support for patch information from Pronto 3.0.

(Lee Baldock)

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