UKYamaha has announced that it will further extend its line-up of power amplifiers with the introduction at PLASA 2007 of the new flagship TXn series amplifiers which consists of three models, TX6n, TX5n and TX4n.

The TX4n at 2,200W, the TX5n at 2,500W, and the TX6n at 3,000W per channel into 2 ohms, offer sophisticated onboard DSP. All three TXn models incorporate a 24-bit 96-kHz DSP engine that delivers "an extraordinary range of control and processing capabilities".

In addition to basic amplifier control and status monitoring, there is enough DSP power built in to provide extensive speaker processing capabilities that will make external equalisers, delays and speaker processors unnecessary in most applications, says the company.

All models feature both analogue and direct digital inputs, with automatic failsafe redundancy switching between digital and analogue i

UK - Goboland would like to invite you to their PLASA stand G31 daily at 12 noon to witness the launch of three new products. Monday will see the beginning of a new era in metal gobos with the arrival of black steel gobos. Tuesday will see the release of the ALDO double gobo rotator kit, complete with gobos and colour filter. Wednesday will mark the appearance of some mysterious Black Holes! Can't picture it? Come and discover for yourself on stand G31.

(Julie Harper)

UK - Following discussions between PLASA Events and A.C. Lighting, an agreement has been reached that will see A.C. Lighting sell its A.C. Lighting North Trade Show to PLASA Events.

The agreement reflects the intention of both organisations to work together to ensure the entertainment, event and production industries in the north have a single industry-led event that serves their needs.

A.C. Lighting, a long-standing member of PLASA, started their event in 1999 and quickly established it in the industry calendar, developing it further in recent years to provide a strong focus for the region.

A.C. North 2008 will be the last trade show organised under that name by A.C. Lighting. Immediately after its close, PLASA Events will take over the management and ownership of the event and will look to build on the regional platform established by A.C.

The move fits the strategic aim

UK - In an unexpected move announced today by Julian Blyth and Andrew Stirling at PLASA 2007, SCV London and Stirling Trading are to join forces. The new operation will be effective as of 1 October and Stirling Trading will be moving into the larger SCV premises in Loughton, Essex. The arrangement sees Andrew Stirling taking up a full-time position on the board of directors of SCV London.

"This is the culmination of a one year strategy review to develop the SCV London business," states Blyth. "This merger will strengthen our presence in the pro-audio markets and bring some excellent new talent to the Company. I'm very much looking forward to working together with Andrew to develop our business further."

Andrew Stirling comments, "The synergy of our joint distribution portfolios plus the strength of Stirling's direct sales built up over many years exper

UK - Today at the PLASA Show, Roland Systems Group announced and demonstrated what it is calling a breakthrough live digital sound solution. The RSS V-Mixing System incorporates the new RSS M-400 V-Mixer live digital console, configurable digital snakes with high quality remotely controlled mic preamps, and a multi-track recording option.

This new fully-digital system eliminates the bulk and noise susceptibility typically associated with analogue snakes and replaces it with Cat 5e (Ethernet/LAN) cable. It's easy to use and sets up in minutes by plugging in one lightweight Cat 5e cable from a Digital Snake stage unit to the M-400 V-Mixer, says RSG. The company says: "The system generates superior sound quality by converting analogue inputs to 24-bit digital streams at the stage, via high-quality mic preamps located near the source. The V-Mixing System then secures the qualit

UK - As part of its quest to constantly improve the quality of their gobos, Goboland today launched another innovative product in the form of black steel gobos.

Each gobo is coated with a black heat-resistant coating (patent pending), the formula of which Goboland are keeping a closely-guarded secret. The coating minimises internal reflection to produce a crisper image with no halo effect and does not burn or peel off under extreme heat.

"Lantern optics have improved considerable over the years," explains Goboland consultant Wyatt Enever, "but the basic nature of the gobo has remained the same...until now! Goboland is known for the work it does on glass gobos, now we are extending our development to our steel range as well. We have found a successful formula to coat steel gobos which does not interfere with the fine detail of the image and withstands the interna

UK - At PLASA07, Outline is presenting a number of new products, including the :Kanguro System. Launched in 2000 and winner of the 2001 PLASA Award for Product Excellence, the Kanguro system - "the speaker within a speaker" - has been upgraded, achieving an even better performance:price ratio, says the company.

The acoustic and mechanical designs haven't undergone any important changes, so the 130-plus dB SPL with hi-fi quality is still ensured, as is the clear sensation of "big" sound and easy adjustment. The two-channel 1000-Watt PWM amplifier module + DSP and top class components (a 15", a 12" and a 1" driver) ensure astonishingly high headroom for a cabinet with such dimensions, adds Outline.

The Kanguro 2008's DSP can be controlled in such a way as to exploit its capacity to the utmost. Thanks to an RJ 485 connector mounted on the sub's

UK - ETC's staff on their stand at PLASA 07 are preparing for a busy few days ahead of them as they demonstrate the company's latest products. Traditionally the busiest day, yesterday (Sunday) proved no different, as visitors flocked to stand H49 to see the company's two newest consoles: the multi-award winning Eos system, for sophisticated control over multimedia lighting productions, and SmartFade ML, the ultra-compact, portable and easy-to-use desk which brings moving light control to any production - no matter how small or budget-challenged.

Eos won a Lighting product award at Showtech 2007, the control system's second such honour - last year it took the Product of the Year Award for debuting product when it was introduced at LDI. But the Showtech award was the first ever European award for an ETC desk and marks ETC's strong presence in the European entertainment lighting ma

UK - Allen & Heath has introduced the Xone:2D, the combination of a 9 stereo channel USB2 soundcard and MIDI controller, which DJ's can connect to their existing analogue mixer to integrate leading DJ software such as Ableton Live and Traktor DJ Studio, and create a complete digital DJ mixing system.

The 96kHz 24 bit USB2 soundcard can send four stereo channels to the PC and receive 5 stereo channels from the PC. A large array of connectors is provided for easy interfacing into any DJ setup, and the 2D can also be directly connected to turntables, CD players or linked to an external mixer. Digital inputs and outputs (optical and coax) are also provided. Any combination of the soundcard outputs can be monitored using the headphone system.

The Xone:3D BPM counter with LED display is included, which is capable of detecting a beat in music presented on any of the three analogue so

UK - The 2007 PLASA Awards for Innovation, announced last night in a special presentation ceremony at the PLASA Show, reflect the ever-more dynamic, diverse and creative health of the global entertainment and installation technology industries.

65 products from 10 different countries were entered this year, and covered a broad range of lighting, audio, rigging and staging, AV, effects, software and accessories - amply reflecting the industry's diversity and global nature.

"The energy, ideas and innovation that feature at PLASA start from the imaginative minds that make up the industry," said PLASA CEO Matthew Griffiths. "The talent in this business is formidable, and it's that talent that we're celebrating."

During the ceremony, attended by special guests from across the industry, eight awards were presented.These went to:

beyerdynamic (GB) Ltd - Hea

UK - Visual Productions of the Netherlands have addressed the need for lighting control software designed exclusively for the control of matrix setups, creating the Canvix dedicated Matrix Server. Canvix software is the world's first dedicated matrix control system and can work as a matrix control plug-in to the majority of today's lighting consoles, bridging the gap between lighting and video.

"The fixtures and applications for LED technology are growing daily, allowing us to create astonishing new lighting effects and visuals, especially when applying them in matrixes. When using matrix formation, it is essential to find a system that is designed to control this in a fast, flexible and creative way," the company states. "On the lighting control side, very few traditional lighting boards can handle the control and programming of fixtures in a matrix formation, ye

UK - Tuesday saw the launch of the Goboland ALDO Double Gobo Rotator Kit. Named in memory of co-founder Aldo Scorpati, who sadly passed away two years ago, the ALDO is a double gobo rotator for use in the ETC Source Four, Selecon Pacific, Altman Shakespeare and Strand SL fixtures. Offering counter-rotating gobos with onboard manual control of speed and direction, the Goboland ALDO can also be set to carry out pre-programmed effects using a simple system of dipswitches.

"We identified a need for a gobo rotator within the Goboland product range but wanted to go a step further in providing an instantly useable solution for our customers," explains Dielen. "We are therefore supplying the ALDO complete with a set of our new black steel gobos, a selection of gels and a coloured dichroic glass."

The Aldo is available for demonstration on the Goboland stand F31.

UK - Following the initial unveiling of the CV 20 concept at PLASA 2006, the 2007 trade show sees the very first production model of Crest's flagship live sound analogue console, bearing the serial number 001.

More features have been added since its first public appearance, the most significant being an A/D and D/A NexSys module option. Any number of analogue audio outputs per module can be converted to digital EtherSound and CobraNet protocols, with support for other protocols to be added in the near future. This will allow for a digital snake to interface directly into the CV 20. The module can also covert digital audio into analog, thus making the CV 20 an ideal back-up partner for digital consoles. One NexSys module will allow for up to 16 channels of A/D and D/A conversion. Multiple modules can be plugged into the console back frame.

The new CV 20 provides complete flexib

UK - Robert Juliat chose PLASA 07 to launch the latest in its range of followspots on the White Light stand.

"We wanted to create a followspot with similar physical dimensions to a 1.2K followspot but with a light out put closer to a 2.5K unit," stated Francois Juliat during the presentation.

They succeeded with the Victor 1.8K MSR, working closely with Philips who produced the 1.8K lamp exclusively for Robert Juliat. The Victor has the same dimensions as their award winning 1.2K Super Korrigan but offers an increase in light out-put of up to 50%.

Available in long throw (7-14deg Victor) and short throw (14-23deg Flo) versions, the new 1.8K units offer the expected, high quality features of Juliat followspots: a flat, even beam even at low levels, crisp image projection, A size universal gobo holder, fully closing iris with protective backplate, roll bar mechanical

UK - 5th September saw DiGiCo unveil its concept of the future, the SD7, in front of 120 of its distributors, sound engineers, designers and rental companies who were invited to an exclusive party held at London's Tower Bridge. The company then unveiled the SD7 in front of members of the pro audio press on the opening day of the PLASA Show in London.

The SD7 is based around a new technology developed at DiGiCo, called "Stealth digital processing", and could ultimately bring a whole new dimension to digital mixing, the company says.

"The party was mainly to celebrate our MBO," says DiGiCo marketing director David Webster. "But it also gave us the chance to let our guests have a sneak preview of what we're working towards. The SD7 is purely a concept, but who knows what the real possibilities could be."

Stealth is a culmination of embedded FPGA an

UK - Fuzion and Coemar aim to strengthen their support for lighting designers with a complimentary portfolio of their creative work.

The new partnership of Italian manufacturer Coemar and its new UK distributor Fuzion was announced in March 2007. Both companies want to recognise the importance of the lighting designer and offer ways to help them promote their craft.

A hand-made Portfolio using 'state of the art' book printed on metallic paper - which produces extremely vibrant colours and a sharp image - bound with a contemporary metal satin cover, presents the LD's show photography in a professional and eye-catching way. Smaller books are available to give to potential and existing clients.

Lighting designers specifying and using new Coemar lighting equipment in the UK from September 2007 will qualify for the book, the company says.

(Jim Evans)

UK - QSC Audio has confirmed the appointment of Shure Distribution GmbH as its new distributor in Germany; this is one of several new territorial appointments announced by the company to coincide with PLASA 2007 in London, as it looks to streamline and consolidate its position in the global marketplace. The new agreement takes effect from September 2007.

Greg McLagan, vice president global sales at QSC Audio, commented, "We were looking for a partner sharing our passion for sound and performance, being dedicated to QSC and our products. We are very happy having found exactly this partner in Shure Distribution."

Shure Distribution's newly-appointed product manager for QSC, Marcus Bäumler, responded, "We see the complete line of products as having huge potential in the German market. Over the years QSC has put together a very competitive portfolio of products, al

UK - British loudspeaker design pioneer Tony Andrews last night became the first recipient of the newly-created Gottelier Award, named in memory of Tony Gottelier, the leading designer, innovator and industry commentator who died in 2006.

The Gottelier Award was inaugurated this year to recognise an individual or team who, over the years, has made a significant and sustained contribution to the advancement of entertainment, presentation or installation technology - whether in audio, lighting, rigging, staging or any other related field.

Following nominations from across all sectors, four industry pioneers were shortlisted - Tony Andrews (Funktion One), Richard Belliveau (High End Systems), Adam Bennette (ETC) and Wayne Howell (Artistic Licence). The winner was decided through an open online vote on the PLASA website.

Designed to further emphasise the PLASA Innovation Awards'

UK - OmniLine is a versatile, micro-line array designed for installation in a wide variety of architectural environments. Its modular approach and scalability extend its use from foreground applications to sound reinforcement in large acoustic spaces. Intelligent software enables an array to be configured to deliver sound precisely over any vertical angle to fit the venue profile without spilling onto surfaces where sound is not required. Additionally, elimination of high-frequency side-lobes gives OmniLine the advantage over currently available DSP steered columns, making it suitable for high quality music reproduction as well as speech in large, reverberant spaces, says the company.

Each OmniLine array is constructed by connecting together multiple array modules. Up to 32 modules can be connected where both high output and vertical focussing down to low/mid frequencies are req

Spain - An Avolites Diamond 4 console controlled all main stage lighting for the 9-day Aste Nagusia 2007 Festival in Bilbao, northern Spain - which saw up to 15,000 people a night enjoy an eclectic line up of bands from The Pogues to Spanish superstars Dover and Miguel Bose.

Technical production for the event was supplied by Bilbao-based Audiomic, who took care of lighting, sound, video and rigging. The Diamond 4 was specified by lighting crew chief Urko Arruza who also produced the generic stage lighting design which was programmed and operated by Alex Ampudia.

The console was chosen for its power, flexibility, easy programming and because it was also likely to be familiar to guest lighting designers, explains Arruza, "Basically it is the perfect desk for a festival set up like this" he says.

The D4 arrived at Audiomic in April - their first one, although they hav

Hong Kong - Chinese pop superstar Jacky Cheung's massive 2007 tour is wowing crowds with Electro-Voice sound. One of the best-selling Chinese pop singers in the world, Cheung is an internationally renowned entertainer who continues to enjoy huge popularity over 20 years after his debut.

For his latest sold-out stadium tour, The Year of Jacky Cheung World Tour 07, fans are enjoying what critics are calling the most impressive sound and lighting systems ever to accompany the Cantopop icon on the road, including Electro-Voice line array loudspeakers and Midas mixing consoles.

Produced by Engineering Impact Hong Kong and promoted by Fun Entertainment Limited, the tour stopped off for a triumphant homecoming show at the Hong Kong Coliseum in August, where house engineer Daniel Kwan mixed on a Midas Heritage 3000 through a main PA comprised of 8x X-Line Xlvs, 4x X-Li

UK - Robert Juliat benefited from perhaps one of the biggest projection surfaces at the exhibition, placed as they were on the front of the White Light zone with the entire entrance wall of Earls Court 2 in front of them. This suited the collection of followspots and fixtures on displayed, especially long throw Lancelot and Victor followspots.

The Victor was successfully launched at the show yesterday whilst the Lancelot was running the first DMX operated modules of the NORIA 6-way gobo wheels and CHRO-MIX colour mixing system. These DMX versions are now in full production and confirm the Lancelot's position, not only as an exceptional long throw followspot, but as the most powerful effects projector.

There was a noticeable migration of people throughout the show between the Robert Juliat and Goboland stands. The reason for this became clear as customers viewing the new Tempes

UK - Theatre sound specialists and Orbital Sound is exhibiting at PLASA for the first time. Making it's UK debut is RockNet, an advanced and fully scaleable, cost-effective network solution conceived and optimized for managing audio and control data for live sound. RockNet also features a plug-in card for Yamaha's M7CL creating a fully integrated CAT5 based multicore solution for this popular console.

As a d&b audiotechnik official sales and installation partner, Orbital's staff are on hand to discuss its latest d&b installations and demonstrate the company's latest Remote Network Software solutions.

The latest digital mixing consoles from Yamaha and Digidesign are being showcased as are a host of wireless radio comms solutions from both HME and Telex. Also on display is RTS Telex's range of wired comms systems.

Orbital's is also showcasing its unique CSC audio playback and

UK - Wednesday saw the appearance of some mysterious Black Holes on the Goboland stand! Etched out of black coated steel, the Goboland Black Hole is a high-tech 'donut' which sharpens gobo projection by removing excess light and lengthening depth of field. The blackened surface also helps reduce reflections.

"The development of our new black steel process was perfect for a product such as the Black Hole as its non-reflective coating does not exacerbate reflection problems as previous products have done in the past," explains Goboland Consultant, Wyatt Enever.

The Black Hole is marked with pop-out segments - graded in exact photographic f-stops - to enable accurate manipulation of light output, reducing glare by between 6% and 50%. The resulting lengthened depth of field makes it easier to sharpen an image across its full diameter even when projected at an angle. This

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