Events

HZ International

Details: 14 March 2016

>Suppliers of speaker systems to Manumission in Ibiza, HZ International had a new floor monitor, a polycarbonate enclosure based around a dual concentric 10" arrangement. Capable of handling 200W, this neat little monitor is designed to clip together with a second unit for simple, protected transportation. Also from HZ, the Nexus 1500 is a two-channel (750W/ch) power amp that weighs in at just 7.5kg.

B-52

Details: 14 March 2016

>Although seen here once before on a re-sellers stand, B-52 of America decided to take the bull by the horns this year in the search for a more permanent distributor. The company is widely known in the USA for its range of guitar amps and cabinets, less so for its PA systems. Typical is the Matrix1000 - a 700W self-contained three-way speaker system designed for portable karaoke or DJ'ing. The 15" sub cabinet contains all necessary amplification and electronic crossovers for the two satellite mid/high cabs (containing 10" and 0.75" compression driver on 90° x 40° horn). All that and a five-year guarantee for £750 doesn't sound bad.

Lake Technology

Details: 14 March 2016

>Lake Technology's Lake Contour DSP processor appears to stand apart from this burgeoning market area by accessing "DSP technology no-one else knows about," according to Bruce Jackson, a live sound engineer of legendary reputation. Based in a 1U rack module, this is a 2-in, 6-out controller that provides precise control of all the usual parameters - crossover, dynamics and delays. The most striking demonstration of how this system differs was in the display of EQ curve, where selected frequencies could be adjusted on the graphics display (as is normal) but the resultant curve/peak/trough created is much tighter and more confined than the more usual 'flared skirt' we see on comparable devices. Carry such precise control through into the realms of setting crossovers, especially for prickly HF areas of line arrays, and the benefits become obvious.

White Light

Details: 14 March 2016

>Enjoying its new stand position was White Light, having a busy show and a busy year, with shows of the ilk of Jerry Springer, The Opera, for which the Moving Light Company is helping to realize Rick Fisher's design in its latest incarnation at London's Cambridge Theatre. Other recent musicals utilizing White Light equipment and expertise include Mamma Mia! in The Netherlands and Anything Goes in the West End. The company has also gone nautical with White Light Sales supplying lighting equipment for new cruise ship, the Thomson Spirit.

Milos

Details: 14 March 2016

>Showing the new X-Stage Platforms was Milos Structural Systems. The X-Stage S1 is available with a scissor-leg mechanism which is height adjustable and can be assembled without any tools. The S2 comes with plug-in legs which are either adjustable or telescopic and again no tools are required for assembly. New to the trussing market is the Quick Truss - M400, heavy duty trussing aimed at the large stage and rental markets.

Studio Due

Details: 14 March 2016

>The Silver Line from Studio Due is a complete range of colour-changing fixtures for the architectural install market. Filling every power niche in the floodlight world up to 700W HMP, the range includes a new MiniCity100 (a 70W CDM-T) and CityColor 300 (2 x 150W CDM-T). The XS1200 is a new 1200W HMI automated light offering colour mixing, gobos, dimmer, shutter and strobe. Studio Due's CS1 - a moving head Par 64-size lamp, with a choice of four bulbs (150W discharge up to 575W halogen) will be available in the New Year. The company has wisely chosen to keep this unit simple: with a choice of four changeable lenses and a secure gel frame in front, this is exactly what it says - a moving Par. CS-2 and CS-4 are Par 64 ACLs(2 and 4 respectively) mounted into pan and tilt frames for a new effect.

Verlinde

Details: 14 March 2016

>Launching the new Cyberhoist Manager V.1 software was a priority for Verlinde at this year's show. The main advantage of the software is its three-dimensional, object-based programming. This means that you don't have to program the whole hoist, but can program individual objects, resulting in faster programming with more flexibility.

Artistic Licence

Details: 14 March 2016

>Artistic Licence, enjoying its most successful PLASA Show to date, launched the Colour-Tramp, described as the company's "latest and greatest" product. An evolution of the original Lamp-Tramp control system, it is a control centre for two- and three-dimensional colour-changing arrays. The PC-based package combines the concept of lighting control with a graphic 'paint' package - and a free offline version is available which is usable with a USB dongle. Visitors to the stand were also expressing interest in the company's Art-Net, the only public domain Ethernet standard available in the market place.

LDDE

Details: 14 March 2016

>Marcus Komertzky, from Austrian lighting technology company LDDE, commented that the company was having an unbelievable show with huge amounts of interest shown in its innovative products. The snazzy Romulas desk light switches from white to blue light output and is suitable for use in a variety of applications. The compact X-Pen Advanced is the next generation of the X-Pen - a torch and DMX tester all in one. The updated version has a USB input and DMX512 interface and comes in a handy case.

Tryka LED

Details: 14 March 2016

>Another LED-based colour changing tile was the Tile 600 from Tryka LED. It's only 8mm thick but can be used to provide light output front and back. Tryka's many other products are based around identical multiple modules of LEDs - 3- and 6-LED clusters, which controls costs, and allows for a range of custom collimated or lens diffusers to be fitted to any fixture. Flexible tools.

Loud Technologies // EAW

Details: 14 March 2016

>Mackie Designs announced its change of name to Loud Technologies during the Show, but whatever you call them, they had plenty of new product on stand. For studio types, Mackie Control is a control interface for software-based recording systems. A development of Emagic's former Logic Control interface, the new unit works with a range of products including ProTools, Logic Audio and Cubase. Alongside were pre-production prototypes of Spike, a two channel USB:audio interface with onboard processing, plus the 626 studio monitors and SRM350 active loudspeakers.

In the company's lower-priced Tapco range, the S5 active studio monitors were complemented by the 6306 six-channel mixer and three Juice series power amplifiers, delivering 800, 1400 and 2500W respectively into 4 ohms bridged.

EAW's Small Line Array Modules were enjoying their first UK outing, while the Avalon series of nightclub l

Chevin Research

Details: 14 March 2016

>Two new amplifiers were on show from Chevin Research - aimed at both touring and studio applications. The A1004 is a 2 x 1000W into 4ohm amp weighing just 13.3kg, whilst the Q1004 is 4 x 1000W into 4ohms, weighing just 3kg more.

Barbizon Lighting UK

Details: 14 March 2016

>Barbizon Lighting UK, formed just a year ago, was at the show for the first time, represented by the familiar faces of Garry Nelsson and Phil Bullock. Recently appointed as distributor, the company was promoting Matthews' Studio Equipment range of products, which complements Barbizon's already extensive range of fixtures and expendables for the entertainment lighting industry.

Shuttlesound

Details: 14 March 2016

>Although Midas provided the focus, Shuttlesound did not neglect its other clients. Electro-Voice has a new pole-mounted, self-powered mobile PA system: the Sx A1000 features a 12" and 1"" to horn rated at 200W. The Sb A750 is the powered sub to go with it, a dual voice coil device rated at 750W. EV's Gladiator is a three-way passive system with separate sub designed specifically for modern dance music. Dynacord's Madras system is augmented by the M18 Sub and M15 mid, all self-powered, to form the foundation of larger, pole-mounted type PAs.

ChainMaster

Details: 14 March 2016

>A prototype for a new chain hoist, the Star Lift was one of the main attractions on the ChainMaster stand. The 500kg hoist is small and light with a speed of 8m per minute. The company is also currently involved in the installation of 35 of the popular BGV-C1 hoists into the Kremlin in Moscow, with work due to commence in October. On the control software front, upgrades have been made which include touch screens for ease of use.

Bould Lighting Technology

Details: 14 March 2016

>First-time exhibitor Bould Lighting Technology launched both itself and its product this year. Interest in both came early on the opening day, with three serious enquiries before lunchtime about the BatPak, the company's6-channel, radio-controlled dimming system. The system is data cable free and the Bluetooth licence-free radio signal can be received from the transceiver at the control desk up to 100m away. Managing director Greg Bould said plans were underway to develop 12- and 18-way versions.

Peavey

Details: 14 March 2016

>The Pro 9200 completes the Pro 200 line-up from Peavey. The 9200 is the flagship system, a 2100W into 4 ohm amplifier and despite its high power rating, this 19" rack-mount device is just 12" deep. Peavey showed a pre-production model of its new Nion 6, described as "a big, fast, powerful Media Matrix for everything". To be more specific, this is a floating point, Cobranet-enabled DSP device based on the powerful Shark chip. 32-in, 32-out, grouped in blocks of four, the Nion 6 can be linked as a central system (up to 1000 channels, approx) but has internal scripting for local control so very much a building block device. Also of note, the X Bridge links Cobranet to X Frame 88.

Projected Image Digital

Details: 14 March 2016

>Formed in December 2002, Projected Image Digital, sister-company to Projected Image, was showing a selection of the Digital Media Servers it distributes, including IRAD's RADlite and High End System's Catalyst V3 software, which was outputting digital content from the growing Projected Image Digital Content Library.

Lamba

Details: 14 March 2016

>There were new and updated products in abundance on the Lamba stand. The company was showing products from its exclusive KAM entry-level mixer range, in addition to products from Cerwin Vega (see earlier copy), Nady, Road Ready and Stanton. The new Stanton ST-150 turntable was attracting particular interest after its star turn in winning the DJ-Turntable of the Year award at the DJ Magazine T-Scan Awards.

Stage Technologies

Details: 14 March 2016

>Repeatedly moving a bottle of champagne between an ice bucket and a table may not seem the most production-orientated of actions (unless perhaps for certain journalists or PR people), but this millimetre-accurate task was an excellent way of demonstrating Stage Technologies' Visual Creator system. The software removes the complex mathematics from three-dimensional stage automation, building a virtual environment through which the user plots the path that s/he wants an object to follow. With these developments seeming set to ensure that the use of multiple-motor stage automation will become more widespread in future, the PLASA Award for Design Excellence was well deserved.

MC2 Audio

Details: 14 March 2016

>Amplifier manufacturer MC2 Audio showed its new E Series (switchmode) range of amplifiers. These lightweight amplifiers have been designed for the touring market and will initially be available at 750W/channel into four ohms and 1250W/channel into four ohms, both in 2U chassis. The series will be expanded with a bigger amplifier (2000+W/channel into four ohms), also in a 2U chassis, later this year.

ShowCAD // Edirol

Details: 14 March 2016

>The well established show controller Artist, from ShowCAD, was for this year's PLASA augmented by two not-so-glamorous - but nevertheless essential - new pieces of kit. The EDMX is an Ethernet-to-DMX controller which allows DMX distribution by Cat5. The host computer is a 19" rack-mount unit specifically designed for Artist applications, in a 1U package. ShowCAD Artist also controlled the range of LED products on the Tryka stand, as well as running two product demos for Coemar. Artist's ability to operate remote and automatic pre-programmed performances is underlined by its use in the Chicago Rock Café and Wetherspoons Lloyds Number One venues which use the system's Real Time Clock function to run scenes and cues to change to suit the time of day, but with the option to override the systems via touch screens, digital input panels and MIDI interfaces.

Sharing the ShowCAD stand w

Mission

Details: 14 March 2016

>Well known as a producer of domestic hi-fi, Mission showed two new pro products; the FS Business Music System is literally an 'out of the box' (or rather briefcase) PA for business presentations and small (<40 persons) meetings. An amp, with mic and line input, tone and volume control, feeds to an NXT panel radiating sound front and rear. Small and very portable, the system can be scaled up with more panels. In the realms of concept speaker, Mission also presented the ViSound, an extension of a Swiss developed LD TV screen mounted into a bathroom mirror; Mission has added a discrete flat panel speaker fronted by a polycarbonate mirror along the top edge. IP rated (though not enumerated at the time) this device will doubtless appear in the bathrooms of many a posh hotel in the future.

DiGiCo

Details: 14 March 2016

>A celebratory mood abounded at DiGiCo, the company having signed a deal to supply an undisclosed number of D5 sound consoles to hire company Britannia Row. DiGiCo was also showing off its D5 Live FMX front-of-house/ monitors control package, which provides a work surface for monitors, a work surface for front-of-house and features the proprietary Gain Tracking system, which offers independent gain control for both FOH and monitor operators. It can also be split into two D5 live 56 EX packages for rental flexibility.

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