UK - HSL's rigging team has designed a new strong and highly versatile tower capable of lifting loads up to 2 tonnes, complete with a small and neat footprint, say the company.

Developed with very speedy build times in mind, HSL say it is ideal for city centres, green field sites and any other location. With a mast height of 13m to fly point, it has a base size of 4.5 x 4.2m, a maximum payload of 2000kg in wind speeds of up to 44mph or 20m/s. Ballast weighs in at 2400kg and the average build time is around two-and-a-half hours when using a build crew comprising one HSL rigger and four local crew; de-rig is around an hour-and-a-half using the same crew, say the company. On-site machinery required is just one Telehandler for one hour on the in and out.

HSL Rigging supplies a full health and safety policy and structural report directly to the production or site manager. Once the

UK - Theatre and special event audio specialists Out Board has introduced a powerful sound effects playback package in the all-new TiMax V2 software just released for the company's TiMax delay imaging DSP matrix processors. TiMax SoundTablet is aimed at anybody using a desktop, laptop or tablet PC in a live entertainment environment, with additional panning functions available for owners of TiMax delay matrix processors.

SoundTablet provides eight mono or stereo sample tracks per cue, all mixable onto eight PC sound card outputs. Any cue can be independently triggered manually or from MIDI, SMPTE, RS232 and internal Timeline, all managed from a Playlist which can effectively contain an indefinite number of cues.

Each Track within a cue can have independently edited Play Zones, Loop Zones and Track Slip positioning, as well as precise volume profiling and mixing. This helps red

UK - Carlsbro Electronics' revolutionary new Liberty Wireless WP100 system scooped a prestigious Award for Innovation at this year's PLASA Show, securing the judges' vote to become one of eight winners - against competition from 65 other entries including products by other leading manufacturers such as Sony, Soundcraft, Tannoy, Sennheiser and JBL Professional.

The Award marks Carlsbro's ongoing development as a thriving enterprise with 30 staff based at its design and engineering HQ in Mansfield, Nottingham. The company, which has "a number of exciting joint ventures with Far Eastern companies" says the Liberty WP100 is attracting great interest from the export market.

Carlsbro designed the Liberty WP100 wireless technology system especially to work with speakers built for PA applications - concerts, events and performances (indoor and outdoor) plus in many other com

Australia - New from the Australian Monitor Installation Series, the Rapid Fit 4 is a low cost, yet discreet ceiling speaker say the company.

The Rapid Fit 4 is designed for the evacuation market or anywhere a low cost and efficient four-inch speaker is required. It Features a low cost plastic grill and a four inch 100V speaker with five, 2.5, 1, 0.5 & 0.33W tapings. Australian Monitor say, the Rapid fit 4 offers a cost effective and architecturally pleasing ceiling speaker package and also saves on installation cost as it is extremely quick and simple to install via its two pre-tensioned spring clip mounting system.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

Italy - Italian lighting manufacturer DTS Illuminazione srl premiered its new products at the recent PLASA Show. The Delta R, the first model in a range of new-generation LED moving heads, won the interest of the professionals and the media alike, as it represents a radical evolution in comparison to conventional LED colour changers. Its compact and elegant housing incorporates the new LED RGB Full Colour technology, which, the company claims "gives a level of control over colour synthesis and colour temperature that until now was impossible". Other features inlcude motorized pan and tilt, and an IP65 protection level that makes it suitable for a wide range of applications.

DTS, which has celebrated its first 25 years in business, says it now plans an aggressive programme of growth. The company says: "We are confident we can achieve this through a series of new pr

USA - Lycian Stage Lighting introduces its newest followspot, the model 1292 3K-ST.The Lycian 1292 3K-ST Xenon goes on sale in mid-November.

The model name, Stubby, accurately describes one of its attributes, as the overall length of the unit is remarkably short for a Xenon followspot. Thanks to its short overall length the 1292 offers a remarkable to size to brightness ratio. As a short throw, optically the 1292 Stubby 3K-ST is designed for throws up to just beyond 100ft.

Within its recommended throw distance Stubby is capable of beam widths from head-shots to three person circles or greater. The 1292 incorporates features from the popular M2 line with the proven lamphouse and several components from the proven Lycian 1293 3K Long Throw. Controls are top mounted and include a six- color boomerang, two dichroic color changers, fader, nichrome iris, and separate horizontal and

USA - ESTA has announced that a revised version of the existing ANSI E1.1-1999, Entertainment Technology - Construction and Use of Wire Rope Ladders is available for public review until 13 December 2005. The document is available on the ESTA website here. The revised version of E1.1 is being offered for public review because substantive changes were made to the SI measurements given in the last public review version. The SI and American customary dimensions were substantially different, so these have been modified to make them functionally the same.

Reviewers are asked to see if the document now gives adequate and accurate guidance on the construction and use of wire rope ladders, and are also asked to identify any protected intellectual property they might see in the draft document. ESTA doe

UK - Bosch Security Systems has launched the Plena Loop Amplifier, an addition to its Plena Public Address and Voice Alarm System range introduced in response to increasing legislation with respect to disability, specifically for the hard of hearing. The Plena Loop Amplifier also follows the launch of another innovation - Bosch's Integrus infrared (IR) wireless language distribution system for hearing-aid assistance.

The EVAC-compliant Plena Loop Amplifier integrates inductive-loop hearing-aid facilities for the hard of hearing (T-mode) into the public address and voice alarm system allowing hearing-aid users to clearly hear announcements including emergency announcements, music or soundtracks within a selected area.

The Plena Voice Alarm System is EVAC-compliant and meets the requirements of the IEC60849 standard and its national equivalents for emergency messaging. EVAC comp

UK - Leading entertainment lighting supplier White Light has introduced the new White Light Smart Touring Rack. A versatile new touring dimmer system, demonstrated at this year's PLASA show, the Smart Touring Rack is now available for both hire and sale.

Designed in response to the needs of touring productions which now freely mix conventional and automated lanterns and so need easy access to a mixture of dimmers and switchable hard power. Each Smart Touring Rack contains four 12-way modules; each module can either be a 12-way ETC SmartPack 10A dimmer pack or a 12-way 10A MCB power module. Each 12-way module is RCD protected, and each dimmer module has its own 'brain', so that if one brain does fail only those 12 dimmers are lost but the rest of the rack continues to function normally. Every rack also offers six ways of independent power, meaning that non-dimmed power is availab

USA - Peavey has made a number of key improvements to its Messenger Series enclosures. Both ST models now offer additional power with the aid of a new 1" compression driver, lifting the performance of the 12" model from 125 to 175W RMS, while the new 15" model increases the power from 150 to 200W RMS. With the price remaining the same, Peavey has also added Neutrik connectors.

Additionally, the non-powered 12 and 15" Pro units are now being fitted with more powerful 3" voice coil woofers and a 1.75" titanium diaphragm HF compression driver. This has resulted in increased power handling from 200 to 250W RMS in the 12" model and from 250 to 300W RMS in the 15" model. The non-powered Pro Sub unit has had its power raised to 300W, again with the addition of a 3" voice coil woofer. Prices remain the same.

Finally, the UL range has benefi

UK - Ms. Dynamite used a range of TL Audio gear for both the recent Live8 concert in Hyde Park, London, and several live appearances - including an exclusive live set at Abbey Road studios and her appearance at the tenth annual MOBO awards. The performances are all building up to the imminent release of her second album.

The singer's band have been thoroughly enjoying using the TL Audio gear for their performances, especially at live 8. Trevor Axeman McKinley commented, "They [TL Audio products] were great for us at Live 8; we were doing a cover of a reggae classic - Redemption Song by Bob Marley and the sound had to be right to take on such a well loved and respected song. The set was an acoustic one sandwiched between two rock bands. It was major play for us and we needed to stand out. TL Audio gear enabled us to do that and [we] stood out strong!"

(J

UK - Among the many new products launched by Harman Pro UK at PLASA 2005, is the WMS 40 PRO, the latest generation, entry level wireless microphone series from AKG. The WMS 40 PRO provides new features and professional performance derived from the technology of the premium WMS 4000 and WMS 400 systems.

Offering professional performance and a range of system options, the WMS 40 PRO is aimed at low cost, fixed installation, sound reinforcement, and conferencing and presentation applications. New features include frequency selectability - WMS 40 PRO FLEXX - full multi-channel capability, with the ability to use up to nine WMS 40 PRO systems together on intermodulation-free frequencies (up to seven simultaneous channels with the Single and Dual systems), license-free UHF operation on ISM frequency systems, single AA battery operation for transmitters, and dual transmitter operation

UK - The new Revolution series of user control panels from Dynalite incorporate an innovative clip-on cover fastening system, providing "the ultimate in aesthetic design flexibility".

Incorporating a button depth adjustment facility, the panels can accommodate covers of practically any flat architectural surface medium from 1.2mm to 6.5mm in depth. "The possibilities are endless," says Dynalite.

To complement the panel face, button caps are available in silver and charcoal grey, providing a wide range of décor matching possibilities. Designed both for commercial and residential settings, the Revolution series panels are available in a range of configurations from single column, catering for one to eight buttons, through to double or triple column designs featuring up to 24 buttons.

Smooth action buttons with LED indicators provide tactile and visua

USA - Entertainment lighting manufacturer High End Systems Inc. (HES) is now shipping the new Studio Command automated wash luminaire, which debuted at PLASA 2005. Studio Command is now the third automated wash fixture in the HES family.

Richard Belliveau, HES chief technology officer, says: "We designed the Studio Command to provide discerning lighting designers with a new look for their stage. The lenticular array optical system coupled with innovative aesthetics provides a dynamic eye-catching look. These new features combined with a high light output and a large cross-sectional output beam is bound to turn some heads on new shows."

Studio Command's lenticular array optical system is claimed to greatly enhance the homogeneity of the projected light. The optical head is compact and light in weight, while still offering a large diameter exiting beam. The long-life M

UK - The Effects Company has announced a supplement to its range of Aromatech essences for the Christmas season. These 'specials' have been blended to reflect the aromas that compliment the season, say The Effects Co, and the range comprises: Christmas Spice, Frankincense and Myrrh, Mince Pie and Mulled Wine. Pine and Cinnamon are also available from the standard range. Mixed boxes of 12 (2 x 6 essences) can be ordered.

(Jim Evans)

UK / Canada - Richmond Sound Design (RSD) of Vancouver, Canada, and London, England, has introduced the new Model AB64, the latest model in the line of award-winning AudioBox sound and show controllers. The AB64 series offers up to 64 channels of sound recording, playback, shaping and manipulation, plus enhanced show control capabilities, all in a 2U rack-mountable modular mainframe. This comprehensive re-design, headed by HFI lead engineer Tim Bartoo, quadruples the capacity of the previous model without requiring any additional rack space, say the company.

As a sound controller, the new AB64 can mix simultaneously up to 64 live analogue input signals, 64 live digital input signals and 64 pre-recorded audio signals from the unit's internal hard drives. The unit is capable of both synchronous and non-synchronous audio file playback. Each input channel can be gain leveled, panned

Belgium - In response to "an ever increasing market demand to utilise LED display technology in a creative way", Barco has launched three products - MiSphere, Creative MiPix and Creative Olite.

"Adding a creative dimension to LED technology attests Barco's technology leadership in the international events and architectural lighting industry. Most of the products have been developed in close partnership with leading show designers and can now be offered as a true solution to the market. Let's break the mold and unleash the creativity!" comments Stephan Paridaen, president of Barco Media & Entertainment.

A MiSphere consists of 4 full colour high performance LEDs that reside inside an opaque, light-defusing capsule. With 360-degree viewing angles, and the ability to play both full video & data, the MiSphere bridges the gap between existing video and lighting p

UK - Baldwin Boxall Communications is well-known for being at the forefront of the emergency voice communication market. As such the company acted quickly upon learning about the new Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) by providing disabled refuge systems from September 2001 - some three years prior to the DDA coming into effect in October 2004.Listening to input from leading outside sources and from their own research, Baldwin Boxall developed Vigil CommuniCare and then, more recently, Vigil CommuniCare Advance.

Vigil CommuniCare Advance is a disabled refuge system which is easy to install and use, says the manufacturer. The special features of the CommuniCare Advance include raised luminescent script, Braille and a built-in induction loop - making it suitable for the majority of applications. Upon occupation of the specified area, a single button press on the unit is all that

Germany / USA - Look Solutions will show its new Unique2 water-based hazer at the 2005 ETS-LDI Show in Orlando (11-13 November 2005). The German manufacturer of high performance fog and haze equipment revolutionized the hazer industry in 1999, when they introduced the Unique with independent pump/fan incremental output - a technology that's now standard in water-base hazers. The Unique² takes this technology to a new level with improvements in performance and reliability, say the company.

The Unique2's heater does not need to be cleaned or serviced and will not clog provided that nothing but pure Unique Fluid is used. Other features of the Unique2 include: DMX, analogue, and standalone controls, digital timer, practically silent operation, minimal fluid consumption, 60 second warm-up time, and high output. The Unique2 also comes with a Money Back Guarantee.

Look Solutions can

Denmark - Following the introduction of a new series of System 6000 stereo plug-ins for Pro Tools HD, TC Electronic has announced that it will be taking over worldwide distribution of all its TDM plug-ins going forward. Effective immediately, distribution of Master X3 will switch from Digidesign to TC Electronic and TC Tools will be discontinued.

With the four new TDM plug-ins from System 6000, some of the most sophisticated dynamics, reverbs and effects processing algorithms for mixing and mastering will be available for the Pro Tools platform. TC Electronic expects VSS3 to ship in October 2005, MD3 to ship late November 2005, and DVR2 and NonLin2 to ship during the first months of 2006. Master X3 is a mastering plug-in for Pro Tools that is the virtual incarnation of the TC Electronic Finaliser. It supports Pro Tools 24 Mix and HD and can operate at sample rates up to 96kHz.

USA - Digigram, owner and supplier of the EtherSound technology, revealed at this week's AES convention in New York the specifications of Gigabit-EtherSound that will include 512 audio channels over a single cable (256 channels in each direction) as well as a bandwidth of 100 Mbit/s for control and IP data transport, while maintaining all current EtherSound features including the ultra-low latency of only 125 microseconds.

Digigram will be showcasing the technology for the first time at the next Systems Integration Expo (formerly NSCA) and Prolight+Sound trade shows in March 2006. A technology upgrade will then be made available to all EtherSound licensees in the second quarter of 2006.

EtherSound business development manager Jimmy Kawalek is enthusiastic about the evolution: "We are thrilled about the possibilities that Gigabit-EtherSound will offer. Imagine how quickly

USA - Furman Sound has developed a new 20-amp regulator that delivers a stable 120 volts of AC power to protect equipment from problems caused by AC line voltage irregularities. Furman says that the AR-20 II is the only 20-amp voltage regulator that also filters and purifies AC power, assuring that electronic equipment performs at optimum levels while also providing full protection from spikes and surges with Furman's exclusive SMP+ technology.

"Voltage irregularities like sags, brownouts, and overvoltages are commonplace in AC lines and can cause sensitive electronic equipment to malfunction or sustain damage," said Dave Keller, executive vice president of Furman Sound. "In addition, electrical noise on the line prevents equipment from achieving optimal performance. The AR-20 II not only protects electronics from damaging power, but also filters out the noise usi

Australia / UK - LSC Lighting reports positive feedback to the product developments it unveiled at PLASA 2005. The new-look maXim took centre-stage and LSC previewed Version 2 of the software. The new code supports double the number of moving lights; syncopated Tap To The Beat; Global Chase Speed; Reload of a single playback, and new Stack Control with GoTo command.

The new e24v2, a natural evolution of the established LSC e24 compact touring dimmer system that includes a touch-sensitive LCD control panel and networking, caused considerable interest.

The DNAnet/R rack mount DMX/Artnet converter which can convert two DMX512 Universes to Ethernet, or vice versa, was well received as was the new ePLATE series of architectural controllers specifically designed to be used with the EKO range of dimming systems but which can also be used with the new e24.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Lasernet will be showing the Trinity and Matrix entertainment RGB laser systems at LDI in Orlando in November. "The full colour, solid state RGB laser systems feature the latest in laser technology, the diode laser," says Lasernet president Tom Harman. "By aligning an array of diodes into a single white light laser beam, we step into the future by eliminating the traditional laser requirements of 3-phase power and water-cooling. Now the lasers are truly 'Plug and Play'.

"To be honest, I never thought I'd see the day when we could have full colour lasers without the water and 3-phase power. These long life diodes are a technical breakthrough that's going to change the way everyone looks at laser shows from now on."

(Jim Evans)

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