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

UK - Ford's extensive presence at the British Motor Show at Excel Arena, London, lacked nothing of the company's usual high-spec display - despite a reduced get-in period of five days instead of the 10 usually enjoyed by the big European motor shows. Ford's presence is not due solely to its own large stand, but also to the adjacent stands of it subsidiary brands - Mazda, Jaguar and Land Rover.

Designed for Ford by London-based design house Imagination, the stands incorporate some of the latest LED screen technology provided by CT London, lighting supplied by Static Lighting (conventionals) and PRG Europe (moving lights - crew-chiefed by last month's Letters competition winner, Matt Bull!), and audio from Dimension Audio, CT's Avesco stablemate.

Imagination's developing concept for the Ford stand involved a 'clean' ceiling, making its first appearance in Europe, which concealed

UK - ETC dealers and staff will be showing off the company's latest lighting control console, Congo jr, at PLASA 2006. Packing the same channel and output counts as the original Congo and running the same operating software, the sibling comes in a standard 19" rack-style modular design console. This makes it an extremely flexible desk for smaller venues and an ideal back-up unit for the larger console, say the company.

As part of its flexible design, Congo jr features an optional Master Playback Wing, which accesses all 40 multi-purpose masters of the main console. The Master Playback Wing contains 40 faders and two LCDs in the same configuration as the Congo console, for full playback capability and complete control of all masters and Direct Selects.

With the international communications standard ACN having just received ratification by the ESTA Technical Standards Progr

UK - Launch earlier this year at ProLight+Sound inFrankfurt, the Tube from G-LEC is the first 'walk-through' LED system. The Tube follows the same principles as the company's highly acclaimed transparent LED frame systems - but minus the frame. Without the frame, each individual transparent tube hangs free, so walking through the G-LEC Tube is like walking through a slash or beaded curtain. With the ability to create a 'forest' of LEDs, including different lengths of individual tubes, this brings enormous potential to lighting and set designers, from having performers literally walk through the set to a dramatic 3D design, say G-LEC. Like the G-LEC Classic and the PhantomFrame systems, the G-LEC Tube is transparent to light, audio and wind.

G-LEC - stand D30 + D33.

(Lee Baldock)

France- The Théâtre Antique is one of France's largest Roman amphitheatres. Capable of seating over 13,000 spectators, it is also the central location for the spectacular Jazz à Vienne festival.

A peaceful village on the beautiful east bank of the Rhône, Vienne has hosted the festival for 26 years. This year's two-week event played host to a number of world-renowned artists: George Benson, Sonny Rollins, Gilberto Gil, Bettye Lavette, Marcus Miller and many others. At the same time, at other historical sites and temporary venues around the town, numerous smaller scale performances are given.

Lyon-based rental company La Boîte à Son provides PA for the festival. FOH engineer/babysitter Jean Lyonnet discusses his audio solution: "As far as console goes, I choose to use the Innovason Sy80 at front-of-house. The amphitheatre is not a simple venue and we invariably

Spain - With Glastonbury's Michael Eavis giving his cattle and himself a rest this year, UK festival revellers found themselves with a gaping hole in their hedonistic summer calendar. Internet festival guides and dirt-cheap flights solved the problem and British music fans Easyjetted over to Spain in their droves. However, this apparently had its own repercussions as the 12th Festival Internacional de Benicassim (FIB) or 'Glasto del Sol' (as it is now affectionately know by the Brits) got underway.

More familiar with the essentially chilled out relaxed Spanish audiences, the organisers of FIB were not prepared for the huge influx of UK music fans or their resolute desire to be at the front of the crowd. This nearly had a devastating outcome. On the first night, 25 minutes into the Pixies' set, the front barrier that separates the stage and the audience gave way. The traumatised

UK - This year's PLASA Show will see the return of an old friend - but in a fully revised and updated form - when lighting supplier White Light launches the latest edition of its ever-popular catalogue as a Reference Guide.

Long considered the standard 'de-facto' reference for those working in lighting for entertainment, packed with useful information yet still compact enough to nestle comfortably in a designer's bag, the last edition of the catalogue was published in 1999 yet it is still in demand, with the electronic PDF edition regularly downloaded from White Light's website.

"An update to our catalogue is long overdue," admits White Light's managing director, Bryan Raven, "but the last seven years have seen us move premises, enormously expand our stock and the areas of lighting we work in, and re-design our website. Somehow through all of that the it kept sl

UK - This year at PLASA Meyer Sound will exhibit on stand E26 with a selection of products suited for use in fixed installations and touring, including the M'elodie ultracompact high-power curvilinear array loudspeaker and Matrix3 audio show control system.

Since debuting at Frankfurt's Pro Light + Sound exhibition in February, the demand for M'elodie, the latest member of the MILO family has exceeded expectations, the company says. With its high output, small footprint, and compatibility with the MILO family of products, M'elodie offers the kind of flexibility required in corporate AV applications, while retaining the power to fill medium-sized venues on tour or in a fixed installation, says the company.

To emphasize Meyer Sound's ability to make products that fit into any environment, M'elodie will be displayed on the stand painted in a custom finish, as will two other popul

UK - Visitors to this year's PLASA Show (running from September 10-13 at Earls Court One, London) will be able to learn more about PLASA's work on the development of a new National Rigging Certificate - an initiative designed to give riggers working in all sectors a framework by which their expertise and knowledge can be measured.

Over the last year, PLASA has been working closely with the industry and a range of government bodies to develop a scheme that will not only serve the specific needs of the industry, but also achieve national recognition.

A Rigging Advisory Group, consisting of key figures from the rigging industry, has been established and has been working closely with PLASA on the development of the Certificate, most critically on the content of the qualification and on how the assessment process will be delivered. This consultation has allowed PLASA to develop an

UK - Robe Show Lighting is expecting another action-packed PLASA, and is launching 12 new products including the StageQube 324, a new 700 Series of moving lights, the DigitalSpot 5000 DT and the ColorSpot 2500E AT.

The StageQube 324 is a new-generation of LED panel. Designed as a plug&play application, it doesn't require any external power supply and control boxes. The complete electronics are located in the IP54 housing. An integrated rigging system allows even large systems to be built up very easily.

The resolution of StageQube 324 is 18 x 18 px at a size of 80 x 80 cm (pixel pitch 4.44 cm). The StageQube 324 system uses a video input (VGA) that is connected to the QubeControl PC. It can be DMX controlled using a Robe Media Hub aloowing intuitive control from the lighting desk.

Robe Show Lighting also launches its revolutionary new DigitalSpot 5000 DT, a 5000 ANSI Lumen o

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