USA - Broadweigh Bluetooth won Best Debuting Product award in the Rigging and Staging category at this year's LDI Awards. This latest win rounds of a successful year for the brand which launched its Bluetooth system at ABTT 2019, where it won Widget of the Year. Speaking of the product's success, Robert Wilmington-Badcock, MD of Mantracourt commented: "We are extremely pleased to receive such a coveted award for Broadweigh Bluetooth. It's something that we've worked extremely hard on to get it just right. It's such an exciting time for us as a company - as we end the year and move towards 2020, you can expect to see a series of bold developments from Broadweigh as we strive to provide better solutions dedicated to the entertainment industry." LDI 2019 recorded the highest number of registered attendees in the show's history. "We certainly felt it was the perfect platfo
USA - Miami-based DAS Audio America, the North American subsidiary of Spanish pro audio manufacturer DAS Audio, will celebrate its 25th anniversary during the Winter NAMM 2020 tradeshow in Anaheim. Much of the activity will take place on the tradeshow floor, at booth #17224 and neighbouring Anaheim Hilton hotel. This event will take place at the Anaheim Hilton inside the Avalon Room on Thursday, 16 January 2020 at 6:30pm. Those who wish to attend should visit DAS Audio at the company’s NAMM Show booth to acquire a pass, which must be collected prior to 5pm that day. The company will be launching two new product lines: the Icon Series and E11EVEN Sound by DAS Audio. Jaime Villegas, general manager of DAS Audio of America, comments: “During our 25 years in the United States, we’ve been fortunate to take an active role in gr
Portugal - NEXT-proaudio has introduced the i Series, the company’s new installation line. Th range comprises the i4 (a 4” LF transducer and a 0.8“ dome tweeter), the i6 (a 6” LF driver with a 1“ HF driver), and the i8 (a 8” LF transducer with a 1“ HF driver). All speakers are housed in IP65-rated plastic white or black cabinets designed for indoor and outdoor applications, with the speakers benefitting from dust and splash protection. The speakers are equipped with a four-position Phoenix connector located on the back plate, whilst the screw connector provides a faster and easy way to wire the system allowing the speaker to perfectly fit the wall shape while keeps invisible. This speaker is designed for PA applications in restaurants, bars, shopping centres or conference rooms. For greater versatility, the speakers can be used at 100V or 16Ω. In high im
Europe - Coda Audio has released a beta version of its upcoming 3D prediction software. The Coda System Optimiser enables users to design audio systems, from small to large-scale productions. The software is currently under development, with users invited to register to access the beta version from the Coda website (codaaudio.com). The System Optimiser will eventually be compatible with the company’s entire loudspeaker range. David Webster, global marketing director at Coda Audio International, comments: “This is a ground-up development, so taking the long view; it’s very important to us that audio professionals out in the field are directly involved with the evolution of our 3D system optimisation software. A beta release gives us the opportunity to allow early engagement for Coda system-users operating in real-life environments. “Our System Optimiser al
USA - Harman Professional Solutions has released the JBL Professional One Series 104-BT and 104-BTW desktop reference monitors with Bluetooth. JBL One Series 104-BT reference monitors enable content creators and audio professionals to stream ‘accurate, studio-quality audio via Bluetooth or play back audio using a standard wired connection’. JBL One Series 104-BT monitors deliver ‘clear, detailed sound while mixing and editing’. With an array of easily accessible input options, smart features and a compact design, JBL 104-BT monitors provide great sound in every listening scenario, with the added flexibility of wireless streaming. Black (104-BT) and white (104-BTW) finish options are available. “Music production has evolved beyond the recording studio, and today’s creative professionals and music lovers need reference monitors that deliver neutral, accurat
USA - ChamSys has become one of the first lighting console manufacturers to release software capable of importing GDTF personality files directly. The company’s ChamSys MagicQ software is free to download for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It supports an output on up to 64 universes without additional hardware or dongles, making it an ideal test platform for GDTF. In addition to importing the basic channel information from GDTF, the MagicQ inbuilt MagicVis 3D visualisation and plot views will automatically make use of 3D and 2D information provided in the GDTF files. Demoed at LDI, ChamSys MagicQ software with the ability to import GDTF personality files received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic reception from all who saw it. Chris Kennedy, ChamSys’ software director, comments: "ChamSys is a strong supporter of GDTF and the philosophy behind it. The entertai
Japan - Evidence of the increasing popularity of Calibre UK’s solutions, and of its rapidly growing network of partners, could be found at the recent Inter BEE (International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition) in Japan. At the Makuhari Messe in Chiba City, Calibre’s range was present on the stands of two exhibitors - Techno House and ARK Ventures. Techno House distributes the HQPro1000 and LEDView scaler/switcher products, while AZBAY - of whom ARK Ventures is a customer - is responsible for sales of Calibre’s innovative All-in-One LED Display solution. “The technology leadership built into our platforms is finding widespread acceptance in growing numbers of highly complex projects in a broad range of applications,” said Willy Tsai, managing director of Calibre UK. “End users and resellers alike are recognising that, when it comes to the collaborative enterpri
USA - In addition to the 11 new lighting fixtures and LED video panels announced in the run-up to the event, ADJ used LDI 2019 to launch four extra products. The Encore Profile Pro range is a new series of professional LED-powered ellipsoidal fixtures designed for theatrical, broadcast and performance environments. The Focus Spot 6Z and Focus Wash 400, meanwhile, are head luminaires that join the ranks of ADJ’s popular Focus Series. The Focus Spot 6Z harnesses the power of a 300W cool white LED engine and pairs it with precision-engineered optics to create an impressively sharp and bright output. While still retaining a compact design, this is ADJ’s most feature-rich Focus Series moving head to date. Bringing a dedicated wash luminaire to the Focus Series for the first time, the new Focus Wash 400 features a 400W HEX LED engine (red, green, blue, amber, cyan
USA - Claypaky launched a North America operation and enjoyed award success at the recent LDI tradeshow held in Las Vegas. The company’s European and American team joined forces on the stand, designed in keeping with the ‘It's Real’ marketing campaign that marked the launch of the laser-source beam moving head, Xtylos, in North America. Dedicated demos took place every hour and visitors also saw the Mini-B, the HY B-EYE, the Axcor series fixtures; the Sharpy Plus, and three fixtures which made their world premieres - Sharpy Plus AQUA, ReflectXion and CloudIO. Meanwhile, Xtylos took home two LDI Awards, winning the Best Debuting Product Award and the Best Advancement in Lamp Technology Award. Claypaky CEO Marcus Graser comments: “We have invested a lot of resources in recent years, not just to create an innovative luminaire, but to conceive and develop a t
Europe - In the latest back-to-basics video release on Area Four Industries’ internet channel A4i.tv, Eric Porter tackles the main information you need to know about shackles in less than two minutes. He covers the two main types of shackles used for rigging, their proper use, the important markings found on them and where they should be used. The video is available on www.a4i.tv/2019/11/26/shackles-eric-porter
UK - Artistic Licence has announced that all of its premium ethernet gateways - including artLynx quad, artLynx RJ45, dataLynx II and netLynx quad - now support multi-way protocol conversion. Each port can be optionally configured as a DMX input (previously they were outputs only). This enables the product to route, split or merge Art-Net, sACN and DMX/RDM data with great flexibility. Says the company, “As the inventors of Art-Net, we always strive to ensure our Art-Net conversion products are the best on the market. This is never more so than with our latest firmware release, now shipping on all new product sales of artLynx quad/RJ45 (4-Universes, DIN rail), dataLynx II (12-Universes, rack-mount) and netLynx quad (4-universes desk/table-top). We have also just launched a 4-universe PCBA module, oemGate quad, for manufacturers wishing to incorporate the technology into th
USA - Chauvet Professional was awarded the 2019 LDI Large Booth Design Award. Described by the award organisers as a “welcoming and easily walkable” exhibit that “beautifully integrated” lighting and video, the stand engaged visitors with its visual displays. Ryan Warffuel and Max Koehler of Antics Studio created this panorama with help from the Chauvet Professional team, using over 200 of the company’s IP65 outdoor-ready products, including the newly-launched Maverick Storm 1 Spot, Maverick Storm 1 Wash, COLORado Solo Batten, Strike 1, and F5IP video panel. To underscore the IP65 ratings of the fixtures on the booth’s main wall, a “live rainfall” appeared in front of the lighting units. For added emphasis, the video wall that ran between the lighting fixtures showed vivid images of flowing water that bordered the geometric patterns of the panel displ
USA - Spotrack discussed the new features of the soon-to-be-released Spotrack 2020 edition of the system at the BCT Entertainment stand during the LDI tradeshow in Las Vegas. Spotrack enables an operator to remotely control from any location, any number of moving lights as followspots. It works with any moving light and any lighting console, in any performance space and can be used in all entertainment sectors from anywhere in the venue. In conjunction with Ushio Japan and Strong Lighting, the Spotrack team also conducted regular live demonstrations of this and its new followspot interface, SpotrackEvolution, on the Apex Stages stage. Whilst the forthcoming Spotrack 2020 sees the addition of many new features that allow users more flexibility, some in response to customer feedback, it has been principally upgraded to enable the use of SpotrackEvolution. Used wit
Europe - James Thomas Engineering’s conical truss Multicubes has been designed to increase the strength of truss structure corners, while offering six different truss connection points with integrated location holes for expanding your structure’s versatility. All multicubes are available in regular and heavy-duty versions, and are compatible with JT22 Quatro, JT30 Quatro, JT30H Quatro and JT40H Quatro truss. “The heavy-duty multicube provides enough strength to reach the maximum loading capacity of your truss,” says the company. “Male and female receiver accessories are available for convenient, trouble-free connections.” Bookcorners’ aluminium profile is constructed with bolted male or female receivers, compatible with the quatro and trio formats in the JT30 and JT40 truss series. (Jim Evans)
France - APG will preview its new iX range at the JTSE trade show in Paris this week. Comprising a full line of fixed installation speakers, and based on the successful coaxial concept, the new iX range is characterised by a combination of ‘uncompromising drivers and a non-diffraction acoustic baffling that allows pure point source directivity’. For some of the iX models, APG has created coaxial devices that strike a perfect physical alignment between low and hi transducers. The iX line is made up of five coaxial speaker models: iX5, iX6, iX8, iX12 and iX15; all of which are two acoustic way speakers loaded in bass-reflex for low-frequency extension. APG will also announce at the show a future extension of the range with two unique models of pseudo-coaxial speakers – the iX2.5 and IX2.6 – which will be optimised for vocal applications. From an acoustic point of
USA - Robe rocked one of its busiest and most dynamic LDI expos to date in Las Vegas, winning two awards, one for Best Creative Use of Light and the other for the T1 product series. The second instalment of its #ReturnToTheFuture live show created a serious buzz. This show is a performance trilogy highlighting Robe’s latest LED and moving light technologies including the just-launched PLASA award-winning Esprite and the new Tetra2 moving LED batten. #ReturnToTheFuture part 2 highlighted Robe’s newest products in the context for which they were designed. The energized 7.5-minute performance played five times a day and had an original DeLorean MMC12 as the set centrepiece, six dancers and around 200 Robe lights - including Esprites, Tetras, T1s, SilverScans, MegaPointes, Spiiders, Tarrantulas, SuperSpikies, LEDBeam150s and PixelPATTs. These were
USA - Brompton Technology’s Dynamic Calibration is a new technology that enables LED panels to achieve a higher brightness and wider colour gamut than is possible with legacy calibration techniques, while maintaining uniformity. Dynamic Calibration is the enabling technology for Brompton HDR, as well as new, performance-enhancing features such as PureTone and ThermaCal. “Commonly used calibration methods achieve uniformity by sacrificing both brightness and colour gamut, forcing every LED to match the dimmest and palest LEDs in the entire screen. Once calibrated, this is used for all content over the entire life of the panel,” explains Brompton’s CTO Chris Deighton. “However, with ever-increasing demand for better image quality without increased cost, such sacrifices in performance can no longer be justified.” Brompton’s Dynamic Calibration takes ‘a re
Europe - Laserworld has introduced EL-300RGB, a diffraction effects laser suitable for use in small to medium sized rooms. EL-300RGB has a multicolour white light laser system that creates a multitude of projection dots or beams through haze and fog. Due to its special optics, the power of the laser system is distributed evenly to the dots, making the laser safe for audience scanning whilst the laser beams remain visible. The laser system can be controlled via DMX, but can also run in standalone operation or be triggered by music and linked as master and slave with two or more units. The colour and effects rotation in the EL-300RGB can be controlled from the digital display or via DMX to select specific colours. Rotation can be selected from slow to fast to suit any occasion, or remain static. (Jim Evans)
USA - Claypaky has introduced Reflectxion, a new moving mirror that promises up to 99% reflectance without chromatic aberrations. Featuring a 390 by 280mm surface, Reflectxion can redirect beams of light from any stage light with the same intensity as it receives them. The unit offers 540° pan and continuous tilt movement at adjustable speeds. Using the same omega clamp hanging system utilised in all Claypaky luminaires, this compact moving mirror can be used virtually anywhere on or off stage in any working position, says the company. For control, the unit uses only six DMX channels and pan and tilt resolution are both 16-bit for precise movements. The unit’s onboard LCD menu system is very user friendly and makes addressing and setup simple. (Jim Evans)
USA - Elation Professional launched Magmatic, a new brand of atmospheric effects, at LDI 2019. Designed, engineered and exclusively distributed by Elation, Magmatic products encompass a range of haze and fog machines with the Magma and Thermatic series, atmospheric snow machines with the Polar series, and CO2 cryogenic simulation effects with the Rocket series. To complement all of the special effects machines, Elation has developed a complete line of specially formulated effect fluids called Atmosity. Also available is an IP65-rated series of UV LED lighting products in the Prisma series. “We have long had a vision that stems from a strong demand from our customers around the world to create more advanced atmospheric products designed for professional users, products that are easy to use and hard to break, and that is exactly what we are doing with Magmatic,” sta
USA - At LDI 2019, High End Systems introduced the SolaHyBeam 3000 automated fixture. With a feature set designed for beam control, aerial effects and raw power, the flagship luminaire has all the elements to cut through the haze and shine brilliantly in the world’s largest venues, says the company. Powered by an efficient White Light LED engine, SolaHyBeam 3000 features a large front aperture and optimised long throw optics for ‘superior light output throughout the fixture’s wide zoom range’. Automated lighting product manager, Matt Stoner, comments: “We are so excited to have the SolaHyBeam 3000 added to our family of ultra-powerful premium quality fixtures. The SolaHyBeam 3000 specialises in a fantastic narrow 3.1° beam, turning its massive output and dazzling front lens into a powerful narrow beam. Whether used as a long throw front light (yes it has framing s
USA - Harman Professional Solutions has launched the Martin ERA Performance Series that includes the 400, 600 and 800 fixtures, along with launching the first outdoor rated moving head, the ERA 500 Hybrid IP. The Martin MAC Allure Wash PC and VDO Atomic Dot fixtures will also have their LDI 2019 debut. The Martin ERA 400, 600 and 800 Performance fixtures, ERA 500 Hybrid IP outdoor fixture, MAC Allure Profile spot fixture, MAC Allure Wash PC wash fixture and VDO Atomic Dot hybrid lighting and video fixtures offer powerful, versatile and cost-effective solutions for entertainment and rental applications, covering everything from the smallest stages to the largest live productions and events. “The release of the new Martin ERA, MAC Allure and VDO Atomic Dot fixtures ushers in a new era of versatility, enabling lighting designers to create bigger, bolder and more creati
USA - Claypaky and Osram have presented the CloudIO, an IoT device which provides technicians with complete diagnostics for Claypaky fixtures. When the lights run checks after use, the unit collects data on hours of lamp life of each fixture, the conditions of various components in the units and update firmware, simply by connecting to the cloud. The CloudIO is a compact device (240 x 230 x 93mm / 9.45 x 9.06 x 3.66 inches), equipped with a 7” capacitive touchscreen. It has two in/ out pass-through DMX connections, so it is possible to interface and communicate directly with up to 31 lights in series. This is particularly useful for rental companies, who can connect their lights to the CloudIO when they return from a tour. The CloudIO is a retrofit system which allows it to be fitted to these Claypaky lights: Axcor series (all), Scenius series (all), Mythos / S
USA - ADJ’s new Hydro Wash X7 IP-rated moving head wash luminaire has been released to the market, the manufacturer reports. This versatile 280W LED fixture packs a host of features into a compact housing, making the luminaire suitable for one-off events and concert touring as well as permanent installation in large nightclubs and other entertainment venues. The latest addition to ADJ’s Hydro Series of IP65-rated professional moving head fixtures, the Hydro Wash X7, harnesses the power of seven 40W Osram 4-in-1 (RGBW) LEDs. Each LED can be controlled independently, which allows for the creation of dazzling ‘eye candy’ visuals through full pixel-mapping. The unit also offers motorised zoom with a wide range of between 6° and 40°. This makes the fixture equally suited to generating large washes of punchy saturated colours as it is to creating narrow solid beams