Events

High End

Details: 14 March 2016

Hot news on the High End stand was the Studio Command H, which was launching at Frankfurt. High End's Fons de Vreede demonstrated a new 1kW tungsten fixture which will be shipping in a couple of weeks, and hinted at more news to come before PLASA.

G-LEC

Details: 14 March 2016

G-LEC launched its walk-through LED system, the G-LEC Tube, which is similar to the company's transparent LED frame systems - but without the frame. Each individual transparent tube hangs free, for a kind of 'beaded curtain' effect, and the tubes can be constructed in different lengths, from 10cm up to 6m.

Turbosound

Details: 14 March 2016

Turbosound had three major launches at the show. TSB118 and TA500 are wide-dispersion models in the Aspect range for installation. "That's because Aspect is only 25°," explained European sales manager Dominic Harter, "so on smaller shows it can be expensive to cover a room. Also we have lots of Floodlight installations that are 10 or 12 years old, and we weren't previously offering an upgrade path to those customers. Now we are."

The other news surrounded the TCS52 ceiling speaker. "Turbosound hasn't had a massive name in contracting," said Harter, "so we launched a range at PLASA in that direction - although we still make the Impact speakers. It's important to service the whole job in installation - if you get the cloakrooms and ceilings, you'll probably get the PA as well. So it's all about colour options, weatherproofing and covering every angl

SIB 2006, Rimini, Italy

Details: 14 March 2016

SIB 2006 appeared to be a strong performer by most accounts, attracting good visitor levels with a healthy international showing. And all this amid rumours of a move to Milan - which turned out to be a mooted rival show that seemed to drum up little support on the show floor. Lee Baldock & Chris Henry report

Visual Productions

Details: 14 March 2016

Visual Productions' focus was on the Matrix Mania, a lighting tool for the control of LED matrixes, which has covered considerable ground since its launch at the show a year ago, and can now render full animations. The company's newest hardware device, the Frontier, was launched at the show and is a playback unit with the capacity for 16 pre-programmed sequences. A new VisualDMX software version is also available.

ADB

Details: 14 March 2016

News from ADB included their EuroDim dimming system, which now offers silent dimming of practically any load using new sine wave modules. The dimmer offers self-protection against short circuits, self-limitation of peak current, elimination of lamp filament noise and noise induced in audio equipment. The sine wave dimmer modules for the EuroDim ranges can be retrofitted into existing installations, and can coexist with conventional thyristor modules in the same cabinet.

ADB's WARP lighting fixture range was on display, with new improved features and discharge light sources. A low-noise colour changer with an adaptor plate that reduces spill light from the front of the fixture has been introduced. WARP/HMI is a new fixture range that uses HMI/MSR discharge lamps and flicker-free electronic ballasts; the fixtures are silent due to their fan-less design.

ADB's Phoenix and Mentor console

L-Acoustics

Details: 14 March 2016

L-Acoustics announced the availability of Version 1.3.0 of Soundvision, its three-dimensional sound design program. The latest software incorporates temporal mapping, speaker grouping and subwoofer visualization. Temporal mapping utility conveniently enables users to optimize the performance of their delay systems by displaying, in real-time, whether speakers are within or outside of a useful time delay. The new speaker grouping feature allows enclosures to be grouped by categories within the loudspeaker control panel. Models of L-Acoustics' subwoofers have been added to the program, allowing users to see the physical existence of low-frequency enclosures in a system design.

Spotlight

Details: 14 March 2016

Spotlight were exhibiting as at SIB, but new for Frankfurt was the Accurate BLITZ Stage, a powerful 5W moving-head laser, complete with gobos, animations and frost effects, which is also DMX controllable.

NSCA, Las Vegas

Details: 14 March 2016

USA - A trade exhibition is where everyone talks to each other. But NSCA is where everything talks to each other.The machines are taking over the conversation, and contractors are having to start listening in.Harman Pro and Loud Technologies once again dominated. Version 1.08 was launched of BSS Audio's HiQnet London Architect - not be confused with version 1.1 of HiQnet System Architect. It's for the SoundWeb London platform at the moment, but there is a plan to migrate over to System Architect so that absolutely all Harman product is available under it.

"It's a legacy thing," said Ian Gregory, product manager at BSS Audio. "The development cycle for SoundWeb London just predated HiQnet, at which point it was decided that a completely new software application would be written from the ground up. This would then be the central control softwar

LSC Lighting

Details: 14 March 2016

Amongst other products, LSC Lighting showed the DNAnet/R which is a DMX/ArtNet converter, as both an input or an output module. The unit includes a fully working RDM for bi-directional communication with RDM enabled devices. ArtNet View software enables full configuration and monitoring of any number of DNAnet/R units via ethernet networks. Also exhibited was the e24 v2, an evolution of LSC's e24 compact touring dimmer system.

Anolis

Details: 14 March 2016

Anolis, the architectural LED lighting manufacturer formed just over a year ago in a joint venture between Robe Show Lighting and Australian distributor ULA, was again exhibiting adjacent to Robe, and was one of the companies reporting a good level of interest from overseas buyers at SIB. General feedback from Anolis was that one year on from its inception, expectations are being exceeded and general manager John Saunders was positive about the future.

ProLight&Sound '06

Details: 14 March 2016

Last month, the total number of visitors to the combined shows reached 100,000 for the first time, a 10% rise over last year, while exhibitors increased by 5%. And this over just four days, with a 16% rise in overseas visitors. No wonder there are long queues at the taxi ranks.

Loudspeakers

Details: 14 March 2016

The new Pro Lounge opposite Hall 8 is actually a marquee, erected in one of the many inter-hall plazas that break up the Messe site into architectural respites. In it you can actually hear audio - including, at 4:00pm on the first day, the redoubtable Thomas Blug & Friends. "If you like the guitar playing of Jeff Beck and David Gilmour," said the poster, "it's a safe bet you'll like Thomas Blug."

Apex

Details: 14 March 2016

Belgian manufacturer Apex began with analogue EQs, 10 years ago, went digital in both signal processing and speaker management, but has now returned to high-end analogue with the dBC-8 and dBG-8 - an 8-channel compressor and 8-channel noise gate respectively. "There's a developing sector that wants to save rack space without going digital," says product specialist Filip De Vos. "These address the same need that PA companies have for more and more compact kit, each with eight channels in one unit. They also avoid too many control knobs and switches that people don't have the time to set. There is definitely still a middle range of users who want the analogue sound quality, the ease of use and the cost-effective price.

"The more digital we go, the fewer racks will be needed. Some will remain for the esoteric units, and there are those who don't have the budget to go h

Neumann

Details: 14 March 2016

Neumann showed its stage microphones, the KK104 and KK105s. The capsule head of the KMS vocal microphone, compatible with the Sennheiser SKM 5000 / 5200 wireless system, makes wireless Neumann sound possible on the stage.

Martin Professional

Details: 14 March 2016

Martin Professional's Tungsten MAC TW1 was a a bit of a crowd puller but I was able to grab a few moments with Martin's Harry de Lon who walked me through the fixture due to ship in the summer. CMY colour mixing providesa full range, from delicate pastels to deep saturation. The standard lens gives a variable range of 20-40° with other options available. The company says that the MAC TW1 1200W fixture is the brightest in its class, and also that it is exceptionally quiet - a feat achievable through a new, (patent pending) silent cooling design which traps the heat and dissipates it away from the back of the fixture. The MAC 700 Wash was also on display (for more on this, see our Technical Focus review, pages 84-89), and other important launches include Maxxyz PC, a PC-based version of the popular Maxxyz console.

DTS

Details: 14 March 2016

Another Italian lighting manufacturer, DTS has been around for many years, but has only recently begun to make its mark in the moving light market. It had a strong presence at SIB, showed a number of new products including its powerful new XM 1200 Spot. Features include CMY colour-mixing plus a colour wheel (seven colours plus white), two gobo wheels with six gobos plus open on each, and an effects wheel with a rotating and indexable beam-shaper, three prisms and a frost. Using a Philips MSR 1200/SA discharge lamp, the luminaire boasts a 5,600°K colour temperature output, an intelligent cooling system, protection circuitry and power-saving mode. The rugged unit has an anodized aluminium body with ABS covering over the yoke and head, and comes with a two-year guarantee. Comprehensive technical support is offered online. DTS also conducted tours of its nearby offices and factory premis

Court Acoustics

Details: 14 March 2016

Court Acoustics presented its Vocal Management System, designed for both live and studio applications. The VMS provides the singer with all the sound processing they could require, in a 1U rack-mounting box. Designed by Stephen Court in a joint venture with Recording Studio Design Ltd, and described by him as "a complete voice control and enhancement system which doesn't require any technical set-up".

HK Audio

Details: 14 March 2016

Prior to a special presentation of HK Audio's swathe of new gear, African drummer Christian Bourdon warmed delegates up with a spot of mbala. HK then rolled out the new generation of the 8-year old LUCAS family of compact, active enclosures featuring several innovations - not least Digital Dynamics Optimisation (DDO) technology, an integrated, preset-configured digital controller. The new ConTour Array also features a higher-spec'd version, DDO-Pro.

"Contour follows on from Cohedra and Cohedra Compact," explained HK Audio's Marketing Manager Philipp Wrede. "But unlike Cohedra it's an active system, something the market demanded from us. It's very fast and easy to set up, with presets according to how many units you're using and whether you're flying or stacking - great for small-to-mid-range applications, say between 200 and 800 people. Cohedra remains the large-scale fl

Nexo

Details: 14 March 2016

Nexo has finally sequelled its successful Geo S and Geo T tangent-array systems with the Geo D and Geo Sub, which as much as anything offer refinements implicit in previous models rather than breaking the mould: both Hyperbolic Wavesource and NX242 gain upgrades. Once again, the new generation "allows an unprecedented entry point" to line array technology, and it's the small-to-medium sized occasions that will get the benefit.

XLNT Advanced Technologies

Details: 14 March 2016

XLNT Advanced Technologies made the first European showing of the expanded CyberHoist / InMotion 3D motion control system. Two new CyberHoist intelligent hoist motors join the original 500kg-capacity, 0-20m per minute CyberHoist 500. These are the CyberHoist 250 motor, capable of lifting 250kg at variable speeds of 0-40m per minute, and the new invertible CyberHoist 1000, with a 1-tonne lifting capacity at variable speeds of0-10m per minute. The matching InMotion3D control software is capable of operating all three types of motors singly or in one object.

A.C. Lighting

Details: 14 March 2016

The usual A.C. Lighting welcome was extended, with the team excited about the Jands Vista S3. Designed to compete in the Frog 2 / Hog 1000 market, the Vista S3 is a compact piece of kit which provides full functionality of a Vista console, run in conjunction with a PC or Mac. Shipping in the next month. ColorWeb aplenty was also on show, offering a cost-effective modular solution. Each 1sq.m panel has 16 DMX LED colour cells, with panels clipping together.

Martin Audio

Details: 14 March 2016

Martin Audio debuted the W8L 'Longbow', a product to stretch even tauter the muscles that fire the arrows of line array. "It's abouta 10dB extra HF improvement on the W8L," said Martin Audio design guru Jim Cousins, "so it's for situations where you need a very long throw - particularly in dry air conditions where you get a lot of air absorption. It also has a new LF driver with much better headroom, so generally speaking it has a wider bandwidth at much greater distance than similar-sized line arrays."

The W8LCD is a downfill addition to each of Martin Audio's line array series, with 120° horizontal dispersion, 20° vertical. "It means you can run the array straighter," added Cousins, "so you get more projection and it works more like a line array should. It completes the range. But, as with other Martin line array, you can use it separately i

Arri

Details: 14 March 2016

Arri was exhibiting the new ArriMax 18/12, "the most powerful HMI light on the planet". By the looks of this monster, it meant business. Combining the variable beam spread of a Fresnel and the light output of a Par, the ArriMax uses a unique reflector concept for beam control which eliminates the need for spread lenses. The unit takes a new 18kW or 12kW lamp

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