UK - Bosch Security Systems has enhanced its popular Praesideo Public Address and Emergency sound system with a new remote call station and call station interface that uses standard CAT-5 (Category 5) network cabling.

The new technology extends the reach and allows remote call stations to be located up to one kilometre away from the call station controller, making it suitable for voice evacuation in medium and large buildings including airports, hotels, conference and exhibition centres, passenger terminals, factories and offices. It also allows simplifies installation and provides greater flexibility in system design.

The use of CAT-5 cabling, the industry standard for data communications in computer and IP networks, has many other advantages - it does not add to the Praesideo's system bus length and it makes call station installation much simpler and easier, says Bosch.

Th

USA - During LDI in Orlando, Capture Sweden will be showing the latest developments of Capture 2005. On show will not only be the latest changes to the Basic Edition, but also some of the new features in the upcoming Extended Edition which is to be released shortly after the trade show.

The new Capture 2005 product family features a large number of major changes from the previous Capture 3.0 version. Says Capture, "Most of the software has been reconstructed in order to make it faster and easier to work with and the large number of console connectivity options which are now plug-and-play makes Capture 2005 the most efficient visualisation and design tool on the market."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Lumidrives has launched Colourdriver RF, a new low cost, simple to use, remote control lighting controller for LEDs. Colourdriver RF makes the creation of dynamic lighting effects, dimming and colour changing for example, as simple as installing ordinary light fixtures, claims the manufacturer.

Colourdriver RF is an intelligent driver system which is controlled by a radio remote control. It can be simply plugged into the mains, making the selection and control of light effects as easy as operating a CD player. Its entry level cost also means it has potential for use where current control systems would not be practical.

Radio remote control removes the need for control cables and means Colourdriver RF can be retrofitted to existing lighting installation or even integrated with track lighting systems.

Gordon Routledge managing director at Lumidrives says, "Colourdriv

USA - Look Solutions unveiled the prototype of its new Low Fogger on the Look Solutions Booth at this year's ETS-LDI trade show in Orlando.

The Low Fogger consists of a 2,000W fog machine and chilling chamber in a single, compact, roadworthy housing. The unit housing measures just 20 inches x 20 inches x 12 inches. An external dewar of liquid carbon dioxide is required to cool the fog from the Low Fogger.

"This is a great new addition to the Look Solutions range," remarked Nathan Kahn of Look Solutions USA. "Low fog is so much more convenient to use than dry ice - even after factoring in the dewar of CO2. This is an exciting new arena for us and we are looking forward to seeing what people think of the Low Fogger."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Baldwin Boxall can now provide a PC touchscreen paging station to enable simple, intuitive control of a Voice Alarm system. By touching the relevant part of the screen, the operator has complete control of paging (emergency or routine) to all or selected zones. In addition to the emergency and routine messages that are already stored on the routing matrix, the operator can record and store a number of extra messages. These messages can then be chosen from a drop down list and broadcast to the selected zones.

Background music can also be controlled via the paging station which is designed to be very easy to use, with simple on-screen messages and menus that appear when a function is selected. The paging station user has clear indications on the screen to show which zone/areas are in use by other operators/paging stations and what messages are being utilised.

A useful featu

USA - Chauvet has released the Q-Series, a range of competitively priced yet advanced intelligent fixtures designed primarily for nightclubs of all sizes and elite DJs.

"The Q-Series™ strives to bring together cutting-edge features and the value, innovation and performance you have come to expect from Chauvet," said product development manager Barry Abrams.

Featuring a consistent design and library of gobos and colors, Q-Series allows users to mix and match units across the line and still maintain a consistent look using a variety of fixtures and effects.

The initial product launch encompasses four moving yoke spot fixtures, one moving yoke wash fixture and four scanners. All nine feature a dimmer/shutter/strobe channel, speed control of pan and tilt, bi-directional colour scroll, reset via DMX, quality built in programmes, and efficient fan cooling.

(Jim Ev

USA - Metric Halo has announced that ChannelStrip version 2.1 for TDM and RTAS has been released simultaneously with Digidesign's release of Pro Tools 7. The new version of ChannelStrip is a compatibilityupdate that now includes support for operation within Pro Tools 7 TDM, LE, and M Powered. Registered users can visit the Metric Halo website at www.mhlabs.com to download an updater package.

ChannelStrip version 2.0.3 f13 is not compatible withPro Tools 7, and users are advised to update to the new version before or at the same time as running the Pro Tools 7 update to avoid any interruption in the operationof ChannelStrip. The 2.1 f02 update is compatible with previous versions of Pro Tools (6.x), and can be safely installed by any OS X based customer.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Shown for the first time at this year's PLASA show, Harman Pro Group has launched HiQnet System Architect, a configuration and control software application for HiQnet audio systems.

System Architect is described as "an intuitive, highly configurable Windows-based 'front-end' to HiQnet, Harman Pro Group's powerful communication protocol for audio systems". It is designed to provide a unified platform for the system design and operation of all audio devices in a signal chain, across the full range of sound touring and installed sound applications.

System Architect eliminates the need for disparate operating systems, multiple control and configuration applications, and the need to programme individual signal processors, speaker controllers, wireless microphone systems and mixing consoles. The software provides control of HiQnet enabled products across the eight Ha

UK - As initially announced at PLASA 2005, Formula Sound has launched a special anniversary model of what has proved to be one of the most popular and successful mixers that the company has ever made. The new PM-80R will be a limited edition modular mixer, produced to mark the 25th anniversary of the launch of the original PM-80. The updated mixer will combine the benefits of modern technology with all the elements that made the original version so popular, says the manufacturer.

Despite the original PM-80 being out of production for over ten years, Formula Sound has continued to receive a stream of requests from installers and end-users for this ever-popular mixer. Says a Formula Sound's Tony Cockell, "This has led to the creation of the PM-80R, an 8-channel mixer which features the same ease-of-use and classic styling as its successful predecessor, but with some subtle de

USA - American DJ is offering a spread of new possibilities to the world of stage lighting by applying LED technology to par cans. The company's new DMX-compatible P36 LED and P64 LED Par Cans are equipped with light emitting diodes, allowing users to create virtually any colour via RGB colour mixing, says the manufacturer.

Unlike conventional par cans, which produce a limited number of colours using gel filters, the P36 LED and P64 LED's RGB colour mixing process combines red, green and blue LEDs to create any desired shade. The P64 LED is equipped with 151 LEDs (51 red, 49 green, 51 blue), and the P36 LED with 61 LEDs (21 red, 19 green, 21 blue).

With RGB mixing, the P36 LED and P64 LED give users complete control over the colour scheme of their lighting presentation, right from their DMX controller. "This is great for stage productions, concerts, churches, presentation

USA - Altman Lighting was awarded the Lighting/Architecture Product of the Year award at the recent LDI in Orlando for its Smart Track lighting system.

Altman Architectural's Smart Track enables digital control signals to be brought to addressable architectural luminaires without the need for dimmer packs and bulky cable runs. Smart Track consists of a three-circuit track with DMX control built right in. This allows the user to control Altman's Smart IQseries luminaires without the need for cabling and remote dimmers.

"We are pleased and honoured that the LDI judges recognised our Smart Track system with the Product of the Year Award," says Robert Altman, CEO/president of Altman Lighting. "At the show, we met with many designers, consultants, and specifiers who were really intrigued with the Smart Track and discussed the many exciting applications that they have

USA - Strand Lighting's C21 Dimmer range was recognised as the Product of the Year for LDI 2005. Before a standing room only crowd Tim Burnham, President of Strand Lighting, accepted the award on Saturday evening at the LDI Awards ceremony. Tim added, "All of us at Strand are pleased to receive this recognition. I am very proud of the technical achievements of the entire C21/EC21 design team led by Michael Lay and Steve Carlson."

C21 and EC21 dimmer racks are designed for global operation and provide a number of advances in technology. In addition to providing support for conventional SCR dimmers including Quad, Dual and single modules with ratings up to 12kW; sophisticated Sinewave dimmers are also available. Dual Sinewave modules may be freely mixed and matched with standard dimmers in the same rack for complete flexibility.

No special wiring or separate racks are

Sweden - Lab.gruppen's recently introduced C Series power amplification solutions for permanent installations are now shipping. In addition to the three previously announced, Lab.gruppen has announced a new model - the C 68:4. This model offers the same features as all other C Series models: four channels packed in two rack units, bridgeable channel pairs, adjustable gain and output voltage, NomadLink networking and monitoring, as well as advanced protection circuitry.

All C Series models incorporate patented Class TD design and regulated switch mode power supply, enabling all models, including the C 16:4, to drive a wide range of loads from 2 ohms to high-impedance 70/100V constant voltage lines directly. With only four models, C Series offers a power range from 300W to 3400W.

The built-in NomadLink network interface enables all C Series amplifiers to be easily monitored and

UK - Alto has increased its PA speaker range with the launch of the new ELV series, reports UK distributor Proel (International). The ELV range builds on Alto's policy of using European design know-how coupled to Chinese mass-production ability.

All the ELV models are housed in wood enclosures and are fully black carpet covered to offer enduring on-stage looks, plus maximum sound quality.

The range begins with the 10" woofer plus 1" compression driver equipped ELV 10, which will handle 200 Watts. Succeeding models (there are 12 in all) include both active and passive versions in a variety of speaker configurations, using 12" and 15" drivers. Top of the passive series is the ELV 15, which uses a 15" woofer, 1" compression driver, will handle 500 Watts, and has built-in electronic protection.

Active models in the series all feature high quality am

UK - Stardraw.com has announced immediate availability of the release version of its award-winning application, Stardraw Control. The company reports that over 2400 systems specialists took part in the beta test phase prior to this launch, and a great deal of their feedback has been used to enhance and improve Stardraw Control's interface and feature set.

Stardraw Control has been developed to create customised user interfaces that can control any product from any manufacturer over any protocol including TCP/IP, Infra-Red, RS232, DMX, UDP, EtherSound and CobraNet The interfaces created are compiled to a single .exe file that can be deployed and run on any windows device, from touchscreen to TabletPC to PC, while support for multiple interface devices (that offer, for example, TCP/IP to IR, RS232 to IR, TCP/IP to RS232 etc) allows users to select from a wide range of components

UK - Having made an impact on the live audio scene in the handful of years it has been available in the UK, JTS has now turned its attention to the project, commercial and broadcast studio market with the launch of the JS-1 studio mic.

The JS-1 is a cardioid response, large diaphragm condenser microphone, designed to fulfill a variety of roles. The manufacturer says it is specially suited to applications such as vocals (including speech), general orchestral and spot miking of wind, brass and woodwind instruments, as well as strings (particularly cello and double bass) plus piano and percussion. It is also well-suited to for overhead drum and percussion applications.

The design criteria of for the JS-1 were strict - to offer exceptional performance in both acoustic and physical terms. The former is achieved by the use of a one inch super-thin 24K gold-plated externally biased M

Denmark - Prior to the LDI show in 2001, the 100,000th Martin MAC moving head rolled off the company's production line; the golden embossed luminaire is now prominently displayed at the Martin manufacturing facility in Denmark. It took Martin five years to produce and sell the first 100,000 MACs.

Now, just four years later, the 200,000th MAC, a MAC 700 profile spot, has rolled off the production line in northern Denmark. The company says it is "a testament to Martin's manufacturing facilities, production techniques, and not least, its far reaching and dedicated sales network."

"It is a proud moment for everyone at Martin to see our 200,000th MAC fixture roll off the production lines," said Christian Engsted, Martin Professional's president and CEO. "I am particularly proud to be leading Martin as we hit this major milestone for both Martin and the ente

UK - To cater to the growing professional adoption of widescreen image format, leading professional screen manufacturer Projecta has released a 16:9 version of its popular Fast-Fold screen. This mobile, easy-to-set-up screen, suitable for indoor and outdoor use, is now also available with new seamless, Da-Mat and Da-Tex fabric, say the company. Width can be adjusted up to 427cm.

Two sturdy legs, easy push-button screen tightening and a foldout frame requiring no tools make this the ideal solution for professional presenters on the move, from sales reps to lecturers, say Projecta. The new anodised tubular aluminium frame (32 x 32 mm) is lightweight yet sturdy, featuring handy hinges and corner locking forms. The Fast-Fold is also ideal for companies and institutions that regularly hold presentations at varying locations within or outside their premises. A 5cm black border all rou

Italy - Italian lighting manufacturer SGM has introduced Imago-Mediasynth - a new media server which the company says can handle a practically unlimited number of combinations of images, special effects, video sequences and 3D objects, all in real time.

Imago puts 24 layers at the user's disposal, all able to be superimposed in live mode, plus two video layers and an input layer that enables an external feed to be imported with connection to video camera. Manipulation of 3D objects is carried out in real time during shows, by means of a few easy operations, say SGM.

The system enables the creation of an extraordinary number of effects, say SGM. The on-board library includes over 4,000 different objects, all of which can be previewed, while chromakey effects are also available.

The processing of all types of images in live mode is facilitated by the MIDI control surface, whic

Canada - Cast Software, maker of the WYSIWYG design and visualization suite, is offering registered end users the opportunity to catch-up to Release 15 plus step-up to a higher product level for half the regular price of an upgrade - for a limited period. The 'Catch-up' scheme will aow users to access WYSIWYG's new features including streaming video, transitions between lighting looks, performance enhancements in CAD views and, for the first time in WYSIWYG, very realistic people, say Cast.

At the same time, WYSIWYG Report users can upgrade to Design or Perform; Design users can upgrade to Perform, and all channels of Perform can upgrade to Perform Unlimited.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - For the second consecutive year, Pioneer received the award for 'Most Innovative Technology' at the House Music Awards, held on 17 November 2005 at London's famed Hammersmith Palais. Last year, Pioneer collected the Most Innovative Technology award for the CDJ-1000s series, but this year the genre-splicing DVJ-X1 DVD decks took the award.

During the ceremony, hosted by the Cuban Brothers with special guests including Erick Morillo, Arthur Baker and BBC Radio 1's Pete Tong and Annie Mac, over 20 innovators were revealed as award winners. Among these, the House Music Awards honoured David Guetta (DJ of the Year, Best Live Set and Stand Out Event), Mylo and his Breastfed imprint (Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Breakthrough Label), dance music diva Barbara Tucker (Outstanding Vocal and Best Live PA), and Pete Tong who received the Outstanding Contribution to Hou

UK - Canford Audio has announced the launch of over 800 new products via the internet, with more to come. The new additions are available either online (www.canford.co.uk) or via the company's telephone sales lines. All pricing, full technical details and application notes are initially to be found online.

Canford's already wide range, encompassing over 12,000 lines, has just grown by more than 800 items. Canford took the decision to launch the new products through their website immediately, in advance of the imminent publication of their catalogue due early in 2006. The full-colour 2006 edition will mark Canford's 30th anniversary and will contain the 800 new products and many more, say the company.

Canford signalled its commitment to a fully interactive online store some years ago and has been steadily developing the site over the last five years. The size of Canford's portf

UK / USA - The latest version of Dataton Watchout - the production and presentation system used in large-scale, high-impact presentations, picked up an LDI Product of the Year award in Orlando this month. The new version, Watchout 3, is faster and more responsive, and features a completely remodelled user interface, say the company.

Watchout 3 offers easy access to offline programming and client demos, while the Stage window is improved and offers high-quality previews. New settings for preview quality and the masked preview mode help enhance both the producer's and the client's experience, say Dataton: users can even preview live video and remote computers in the Stage window.

(Lee Baldock)

Liechtenstein / USA - Neutrik's OpticalCon fibre optic connector system picked up its second award of the year at the LDI exhibition in Orlando, Florida on 12 November. Earlier in the year, the company collected the Pick Hit Award at the InfoComm show in June. At LDI, OpticalCon was chosen as Product of the Year 2005 in the sound category.

Neutrik's OpticalCon particularly impressed with its robustness and favourable price. A unique feature is the automatic sealing shutter with silicone gaskets to protect the optical fibre against dust and dirt. OpticalCon is available with the approved push-pull locking mechanism, say Neutrik.

The Neutrik group is the worldwide leading manufacturer of professional connector systems for the entertainment industry. The array of products ranges from XLR connector systems, jacks and plugs, loudspeaker connector systems, patch panels, coaxial conn

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