Total Solutions Group seemed upbeat, having used the PLASA Show to highlight its recent re-branding. The 'Group' now serves as an umbrella for the familiar brands - Total Fabrications, Slick, T2, new wave truss and the company's training initiative, Total Training.

Picking up on the increasing convergence between lighting and visual mediums and the need for integrated control, Numark launched its DVD Vision Mixer and AV DJ Mixer. The AVM01 offers audio and visual mixing via the one interface including crossfaders for both types on inputs. It has four video channels for composites and two for S-video. Numark had another first with its HDCD1 MP3/twin CD player, complete with 80Gb hard drive, enough to store 40,000 3.5 minute MP3 clips.

As a main dealer for Sony, pride of place was given to the UWP wireless mic system on the Total Audio Solutions stand; it offers six system packages, including the flagship modular half-unit rackmount system which can contain up to six UWP tuner modules, with 192 selectable frequencies. Main components are lavalier mic and body pack, a uni-directional handheld mic with built-in antenna, and the tuner module. It's aimed at corporate events, lecture, TV and broadcast applications.

5 Star Systems from Holland featured products from a new intelligent lighting manufacturer in Budapest, including a 250W wash fixture. Also showing was a prototype 38-LED moving light, using 3W blue and green LEDs and 1W reds.

Taiwanese company Acme Effects launched the iSoloution range of lighting products in association with UK partner Pro Light Concepts. With no Western backing, the company has worked hard to ensure its products are distributed worldwide.

Alongside its ranges of control options, coloured fluorescent tube specialists Anytronics were showing new additions to the outstation options for its Anylight systems, the new DP804 dimming pack and its enhanced range of T5 fluorescent fixtures.

Swedish company Beacon AB was showing its comprehensive gobo catalogue with over 350 new gobo designs. Still attracting strong interest was its Blackline range of gobos launched at PL

Klaus Weber has recently been appointed as regional manager, Germany, Austria and Switzerland for Columbus McKinnon and was with the team at PLASA for the first time. The Hurricane manual chain hoist designed for inverted and regular use made its UK debut.

Cee Norm UK enjoyed its first PLASA show with its own stand and was pleased to welcome lots of visitors to view its range of custom-built power distribution products. New products included the plug and socket-outlet terminal housing form the Quick Connect range.

American Audio, the sound side of American DJ, featured its new Q Series mixers, now available in black; complete with new PCB design, new mic inputs, stream flow LEDs and aux inputs. The machine's knobs have been upgraded to be more tactile and easier to handle, and all mixer LEDs now sit inside their relevant buttons. On the rear is a limiter for mobile DJs, to prevent speaker damage.

Coolux presented the LED Kachel, a backlight solution to space problems. Based on a tiny single-chip RGB high intensity LED, it comes in two forms - 20sq.cm (16 LEDs) and 10sq.cm (9 LEDs). It offers three channels of DMX, individual address to each square, soft patch and daisy chain connection. Also from Coolux, and reported previously in L&SI, Pandora's Box is a media server with nine layers of control.

The A.C. Lighting stand saw two key products launched. The Jands Vista lighting console (shown last year as a prototype) was demoed extensively this year and a number of sales made. Also launched was the Chroma-Q DB4 Colour Block: using technology licensed from Color Kinetics, this modular LED fixture can be arrayed in various configurations. Also new, was the Chroma-Q 4Play self-healing, four-way DMX buffer.

Litec Srl had plenty of new products, with the debut of the EXE brand, a dedicated range of electric control equipment for electric motors and hoists. The Litecad for final packaging and a new collection of riggers' technical clothing were also launched.

Manufacturer and designer of cable testers, Cable Jog, launched its new 19" 1U rack mounted cable tester, AudioJoG rack. The company was also showing its range of testers for pro audio.

New from British Harlequin is the wheeled roll storage cart, which provides safe storage and easy handling of flooring. The cart holds up to 10 rolls of Harlequin Studio Flooring and has already been supplied to several European venues.

Pioneer launched its DVJ-X1, based on CDDJ technology, but also allowing the DJ to manipulate visuals in the same way as an audio source. Pioneer's new EFX 500R was announced at the show, a special issue colour edition of the EFX unit for manipulating sounds, demonstrated by James Zabiela.

There were three lines of new Chevin Research products. The ROD series (at prototype stage), has three active loudspeaker modules which should find homes in an array of applications. The Line 250 and 500 amplifiers are for 100/70V line applications, while the company's flagship A Series stretches to 12 models, seven into a minimum four ohm load and five into two ohms.

Autograph Sales showed Aviom's new AN-16/I-M mic input module. The AN-16/I-M is a rack mounted mic and line level input device that contains 16 high-quality mic preamps with 24-bit A-to-D converters. It can be used as part of a digital snake, along with all existing products in the Distributed Audio Network line, including the A-16ii personal mixer and Aviom16/o-Y1 Yamaha output card.

According to Monica Rigono, boosting the profile of the Manfrotto brand was a key objective on the Lino Manfrotto & Co stand, aided by the latest 196 and 396 series of articulated lighting support arms. A range of new Litec product was also on display, including new ranges of host controllers' and accessories, plus a new range of technical clothing: "It's designed from scratch, manufactured in Italy and is not merchandise!" said Litec.

With there being so much LED-based lighting in the show this year, it was good to see a change in the shape of Par Opti Projects' fibre optic products. An eye-catching London skyline scene was a good reminder that fibre optic is inherently safe, looks effective and is straightforward to use for non-technicians.

Another company launching a new range of faders was Seltron Components, which developed the X Fade crossfader with torque control in conjunction with DJ company Eclectic Breaks. The new product is designed specifically for DJ use and was being put through its paces on the EB stand.

New from ShowCAD was Automaton, a low-cost show controller which can be programmed via a web browser and will replay programmed shows without the 'host' computer. The latest updates to the flagship Artist control system were also being discussed, including a Microsoft Powerpoint interface and the implementation of WYSIWYG protocol.

Acustica - an installation range of speakers from RCF, covers compact and full size cabinets, mostly two-way. The portable PA system Move 100 is, as the name suggests, a self-contained 100W nominal PA set-up. Master controller includes three inputs, wired and wireless mic, plus programme input; voice EQ (tone control) and master volume.

Milos Structural Systems was showing its new image and logo along with its 120-page catalogue detailing the company's huge product range. A new addition to its xStage systems is a lightweight, low profile stage.

Several new pieces of audio equipment from Yamaha: on the MI front, the MG8/2 FX is an analogue mixing desk with built-in effects, particularly multiple reverbs and flange; also available in 12-channel version.

The PC-N series is an existing range of power amps for the professional user. Two new models have been added: PC9500N is 925W per channel, and the PC4800N offers 475W each side. Main characteristics are high linear power, and low distortion, EEEngine technology for increased efficiency, optional networking compatibility with ACU/NHB, 10-point LED metering and many more - all in a 2U case with tamper-proof cover plate.

Pride of place for Yamaha, however, went to the PM5D. Launched only five months ago, the desk is already gaining widespread acceptance. The company is now drawing attention to increased connectivity available on all the digital desks in its fleet via Cobranet, An

Swing-wing trussing has been with us for a while, but Tomcat has taken the concept further, combining load strength of over 3000kg UDL on a 12m span. Designed primarily to carry a variety of moving lights, fix points are also available for conventional lamps. Brilliant Stages shared the stand and had refined its Dek product to a lighter variant called Dekex. A weld-less extruded aluminium deck frame houses all the usual convenient fittings; an 8ft x 4ft section weighs just 40kg, yet on six legs supports 560kg per sq.m. One for the educational market.

OPTI was highlighting recent additions to its famous Optikinetics range including DMX versions of the GoBoShow and GoBoPro and the X-Y mirror attachment for these projectors. Also new were the 50mm Effect Cassette, 6" Effect Wheel titles and an improved Clock Attachment for use on all OPTI projectors.

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