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.

Martin Audio - stand G39.

(Lee Baldock)

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.

(Lee Baldock)

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.

Workshops throughout both days will

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

UK - Crown will be exhibiting their range of power amplification products at this year's PLASA show. Alongside such established models as the affordable XLS range of amps, you'll find a mixture of products aimed at the commercial and industrial sectors, live sound-reinforcement applications, and the high-end installed-sound market.

New to Crown's Commercial Audio series is the 660A, a six-channel analogue amp designed for commercial and industrial audio applications such as paging, announcements and the provision of music in schools, hospitals, factories and restaurants. It has six inputs and six 60W outputs, so it can drive different types of speakers in different parts of a building or business. Four ohm outputs are available on all output channels, and channels 1 to 4 additionally offer constant-voltage outputs at 70V and 100V. Like other Crown Commercial Audio products, the

UK - Launched in April and being shown in the UK for the first time at PLASA 2006 is dbx's DriveRack 4820 processor. The second generation of the DriveRack concept, launched last year with the DriveRack 4800, aims to provide users with all the processing and control they need to EQ and manage loudspeaker systems in large-scale live installations. Last year's 4800 processor kicked off the new DriveRack range in style, with its large colour display and plenty of front-panel controls to access the processing power. Now the 4820 provides a more affordable alternative, with a tamperproof front-panel user interface and an emphasis on using the System Architect software to access the functions of the unit in detail.

The 4820 is otherwise unchanged - it has the same four inputs and eight outputs on analogue XLR and AES/EBU digital connectors, the same 96kHz processing engine, and the sa

USA - Syncrolite, the US-based pioneer in the production and design of automated xenon skylights who introduced the first DMX-controlled xenon light to the industry in 1989, is promising a brand new product to be introduced in Las Vegas at the LDI trade show (20-22 October). Syncrolite, and the new product, can be found at LDI on booth 179. The company will also exhibit at the forthcoming PLASA Show in London (10-13 September) on stand D34.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - VisualDMX will be exhibiting at PLASA this year controlling TDE's LED fixtures on the stand of their UK distributor Lightstorm.

New features of VisualDMX on show will notably include Visual3D running remotely via a network and VisualTouch. VisualTouch is a self contained section of VisualDMX software that enables the software to be run and controlled using a touch screen interface, ideal for installations in bars and clubs where, typically, non-technical staff are often responsible for insuring the mood of the venue, both lights and sound, to suit the event.

For a demonstration of the new features and to see the latest hardware - the Frontier - in action please visit us during PLASA06 at stand no. B39.

(Chris Henry)

UK - PixelRange lighting fixtures are LED luminaires for entertainment and architectural applications. New fixtures for PLASA 06 include two PixelLine Micros, compact versions of the legendary 1044 and 110 battens - a small housing but the same power.

The PixelLine micro E is a three cell effects batten featuring 174 high brightness red, green and blue 5mm LEDs and the PixelLine micro W is a wash batten containing 22 red, green, blue and amber Luxeon K2 LEDs. Both fixtures feature completely new software which includes 16 bit intensity personalities and a sophisticated user programmable effects engine that can be synchronised across multiple fixtures. Both units can be integrated with full size battens.

The PixelArc series, introduces two self-contained units offering the choice of a circular head (PixelArc C) containing 44 new K2 Luxeon red, green, blue and amber LEDs or a re

UK - The inaugural Canada Day in Trafalgar Square took place on 30 June. Staged by Canada Day London, it was a celebration of the country's national day with a lively programme of entertainment. Events kicked off at two o'clock with street hockey (the summer version of Canada's national sport), Canadian food, arts and crafts and street performers. Canada on Stage began at five, with performances from across Canada including Dance Saskatchewan and Leeroy Stagger with his blend of country, rock and punk.

Sound for this event (and for Europride the following day) was provided by Britannia Row and included a Turbosound Aspect loudspeaker system with XTA processing and MC2 Audio amplification. Nine Aspect TA-890H cabinets were hung three-deep per side with an additional TA-500 Aspect Wide per side directed outwards to ensure complete coverage.

"Aspect is a very powerful little

Germany / UK - Coolux will unveil a number of new products at PLASA '06. First up, the Pandoras Box MediaManager is a standalone control and overview software which allows the user to operate and control the company's Pandoras Box MediaServers or MediaPlayers with his own Laptop or PC. The software comes in three versions light (LT), standard (STD) and professional (PRO). Only the STD and PRO version allow a standalone programming. The light version (LT) is an additional device viewer for programming Pandoras Box with any DMX lighting board and allows a better overview of projects and files. The MediaManager STD is a one timeline based programmable software solution; with MediaManager PRO users can have two timelines for programming, and it also comes with an additional hardware keypad including Jog shuttle and Pre-Set buttons.

Next, the Pandoras Box MediaVision is designed to c

UK - Vertigo Rigging lived up to its tag line of 'rigging revolutionaries' by pulling off one of the most spectacular car launches ever staged to mark the start of the 2006 British International Motor Show in London in July.

Flying in the face of everyone who said "it can't be done", Vertigo unveiled Opel's new Corsa to the world's press and industry VIPs by flying the car, suspended beneath a specially modified helicopter, along the River Thames through the heart of the City of London and straight into a big reveal in the Old Billingsgate Fish Market with split-second precision.

The car maker's PR agency had proposed a helicopter-based reveal as a dramatic statement - an idea which was promptly rejected by safety authorities. Undaunted, and convinced that the concept was a winner, Opel brought in events specialist Jack Morton Worldwide to come up with a workable sol

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