The Netherlands - Alcons Audio's Architect Colour Option (ACO) means that all Alcons loudspeaker systems can now be ordered in any of more than 180 different RAL colours, the standard European architectural colour matching system.

Covering the entire colour spectrum, ACO allows Alcons loudspeakers to blend into the background against any type of decor, from plain blacks and whites, through subtle shades to vibrant colours, even natural wood and metal finishes, says the company.

ACO is available for the Alcons models in the C-(cinema) series, T-series, S-series, L-series, B-series and V-series. In addition, system designers can preview the colour options online using the Alcons ACO Simulator on the company's web site.

"All of our products are developed to be as unobtrusive as possible, in their sonic response as well as in their appearance, which is also why we only appl

UK - For over 10 years Primacoustic has been at the forefront of acoustic treatments for both studio and commercial installations. Now with the launch of the IsoTool range the company has addressed a number of acoustic attenuation and isolation problems that are common where capturing pristine sound is essential. There are five products in the range:

Voxguard is a high performance ambient noise attenuator, designed to mount on a microphone stand and surround a recording microphone, to help control the sound from entering the microphone by minimising the reflections in the room.

Crashguard is designed to shield a drum mic and attenuate the sound of cymbals during recording. Small enough so that it will not get in the way and durable enough to sustain repeated abuse from drummers.

The TriPad is a tripod mic stand isolator designed to prevent vibrations from the stage and floor

UK - New from LD Systems, a brand of the Adam Hall Group, the DAVEG2SERIES portable PA system is a flexible, compact, active system that has a number of practical features, such as the inclinated satellite speakers which provide optimal acoustic irradiation, butterfly handles and an optional castor board.

With an excellent price-performance ratio, it is ideal for entertainers, duos, smaller PA systems and presentation applications, says the company.

The DAVEG2Series active module features all necessary inputs and outputs as well as protective circuits. Transport bags for the subwoofer and satellites, are also available.

Other features include a lockable Volex power plug, an output clip-limiter and the subwoofer is equipped with a M20 thread.

(Jim Evans)

UK - John Hornby Skewes & Co, the exclusive UK and Eire trade distributors for HK Audio's professional sound reinforcement brand, has announced the availability of the Elements PA system range.

Using just six individual components, or 'elements', the user can configure a system for anything from a small conference PA, to a full band stage rig. The entire system is quick and simple to set up, due to the innovative, cable-free internal E-Connect coupler, says the company.

The system starts with the E435 Mid/High unit. Made of extruded aluminium and engineered with line array technology, up to four of these mid/high units can be powered by the similarly designed EA600. This is a 600 watt, Class-D power amp, which can also be used to power either two mid high units and a passive subwoofer, or two subwoofers.

Bass response is provided by the E110 subs.This easy to transport 10&qu

UK - Christie has announced the latest edition of its Christie Mirage Series, the Christie Mirage WU7K-M. Featuring a full WUXGA resolution display and dual lamps for uniformity, the Christie Mirage WU7K-M is a compact, 6,300 ANSI lumens powerhouse.

With dual-link DVI support at 330MHz full bandwidth and up to 10,000:1 contrast, the projector delivers crisp images, vibrant colours and uniform brightnes, all at the lowest cost of ownership, says the company.The stereoscopic 3D display system meets the precise needs of the energy markets, life sciences, government, education and medical research where performance, reliability, easy maintenance and low operating cost are critical to project success.

Built on proven 3-Chip DLP technology, the Christie Mirage WU7K-M has three modes of 3D input: standard frame rate of up to 120Hz, as well as frame-doubled content for maximum source

Germany - MADRIX 2.9 has been made available only three months after releasing MADRIX 2.8 at Prolight + Sound 2010. The latest version of the lighting control software includes new features as well as major improvements in various areas. MADRIX users can update for free

The extra touch screen panel of MADRIX is one of the most used features. From now on, the special user interface can be adjusted more easily to the users' needs. You can choose from 3, 12, 24, 40, or 60 Storage Place buttons per side (A and B). The software automatically scales the user interface to its optimal size and according to the screen resolution.

MADRIX supports a lot of well-known industry standards, such as DMX512, Art-Net II, Streaming ACN, DVI, T9, and the Philips Color Kinetics and Insta/ROBE protocols. The application supports pixel mapping and is both an effect generator and media server with ca

USA - QSC has announced the addition of the CMX Series of power amplifiers to the line up.The new CMX Series amp line offers an economical and rugged power amplifier solution designed to meet the needs of system integrators, says the company. It is based upon the performance found in the award winning RMX Series.

"The CMX Series provides unmatched performance, the right power for the job, and an affordable price point," states Shawn Watts, director of installed solutions at QSC. "Because CMX Amps are built with QSC's proven and reliable power plant, integrators need not worry about return warranty calls that can hurt profitability."

The amplifiers are designed to deliver true and accurate sound performance and feature high-current toroidal transformers and filtering to ensure generous energy reserves, allowing the amplifiers to effortlessly handle high-leve

UK Tannoy is teaming up with sister audio brands Lab.gruppen, Lake and TC Electronic to jointly exhibit at PLASA 2010, taking place at Earls Court 12-15 September. Located near the main entrance this year at the front of Hall 1, on stand 1-B10, Tannoy will be showing its leading fixed installation and live sound products including the flagship VQ Series (incorporating the latest developments in its 'tour ready' VQ Live guise) and smaller footprint, compact V-Series range of point-source loudspeakers.

Also on show will be the British manufacturer's award-winning QFlex digitally steerable array system, which has been winning favour in the install market as a solution for dealing with challenging and problematic acoustics.

On the power and loudspeaker management front, Swedish manufacturer Lab.gruppen will be exhibiting directly at the show for the fifth year running, with their

UK - PC Wing is Stage Technologies latest compact training tool, designed with versatility and simplicity in mind. The console enables students and automation technicians to learn to programme and operate automation technology off-line in a classroom environment.

Using the Wing, trainees can work first hand on the same control interface used in some of the live performance industry's most popular control desks. Connecting over USB and running on eChameleon software, PC Wing provides a dedicated Acrobat/Illusionist keyboard, three playbacks, a dead man's handle and an emergency stop button.

PC Wings have recently been supplied to Guildhall College of Music and Drama in London and Zoomvliet College in the Netherlands to provide in-lab automation training tools for their technical theatre students. The units run on eChameleon software and enable students to work first hand on a S

Norway - Updating its F32 series of projectors to 8000 lumens, projectiondesign has now made the model available for immediate delivery.

With comprehensive changes to optics and colour processing, the updated F32 series now delivers up to 8000 lumens brightness on select models. It is available in a wide range of application specific configurations, and in both WUXGA, 1080p, and SXGA+ resolutions.

The updates to the F32 series further enhances colour accuracy and display, alongside the increased brightness levels available, for greatly enhanced image quality and extended calibration and colour-matching capabilities, says the company.

Commenting on the new series, Anders L°kke, international marketing & communications manager at projectiondesign, says, "This is the result of feedback from our customers. Our projectors are increasingly used in a variety of challenging

For 2010, Projecta is introducing Da-Plex, a rigid rear projection acrylic screen offering high resolution diffusive reflection for permanent installations.

Da-Plex features a microscopic thin diffusion coating which is permanently bonded to the acrylic substrate and cannot peel off like laminated film or vinyl based diffusion screens. Diffusion coatings ensure uniformity and a wide viewing angle, suitable for today's high output digital projectors. Da-Plex is available in standard sizes up to 251cm high and 427cm wide and has a gain of 1.0 with a full viewing angle of 70 degrees. Larger sizes and custom formats are available upon request.

Projecta offers two frame types that not only protect the screen but also ensure a speedy installation and professional finish, says the company. The Standard factory installed frame is a functional design and streamlines installation. The Self Tri

UK - AC-ET's Audio division, recently selected as an accredited UK sub-distributor for Sound Technology's range of exclusive international brands, are holding a demo day for the Soundcraft Vi1 digital mixing console. The event will be held in conjunction with Soundcraft at AC-ET's Northern sales office in Leeds on Wednesday, 11 August 2010.

Attendees will receive a presentation and hands-on demonstration of the Soundcraft Vi1 digital console, covering key features such as the Vistonics user interface.

The day will also feature training and discussions into techniques and applications in live situations.

USA - Synthe FX has announced the immediate release of Luminair for iPad, it's new desktop-class multi-touch DMX lighting control app for Apple's iPad. Luminair uses the Art-Net protocol to transmit DMX data over Wi-Fi, giving users wireless control of colour mixable LED fixtures, dimmers, studio lighting, moving lights, media servers, and any other DMX enabled equipment.

Luminair for iPad is billed as "a giant leap forward from its related iPhone version", and includes new features like instantly editable quick-touch cues, project-based draggable colour swatches, popup contextual controls, external keyboard support, and a user-configurable UI.

"Luminair for iPad is the result of over two and a half years of multi-touch development, and is one of the most exciting new products currently making waves in the entertainment and LED lighting markets", says compa

USA - Philips Vari-Lite reports that the new VL550 Wash and Vl1100 ERS luminaires are now shipping. Updating the current VL500 Wash and VL1000 ERS luminaire models, the new VL550 and VL1100 series have undergone design enhancements to provide a more quiet and smooth operation, while maintaining the same power and performance of their predecessors. Plus, each series now offers a 315W ceramic discharge lamp model, demonstrating the Philips Vari-Lite commitment to being a market leader in eco-friendly lighting technology.

"As part of our responsibility to offer ongoing engineering improvements to all our product lines, we are excited to now be shipping the VL550 and VL1100 luminaires," stated Bob Schacherl, vice president of sales and marketing. "We feel that by introducing these latest improvements, we are ensuring the sustainability of the product lines and solidif

UK/USA - Magenta Research and True Colours are to co-host a day of training seminars launching the new Voyager Series to systems integrators, installers, resellers and end users in the UK Pro-AV, broadcasting and digital signage markets. The seminars will take place at The Runnymead Hotel in Egham on Monday 26 July.

Magenta's president and CEO Bob Michaels will be attending the event and will deliver an introductory note. Rob Muddiman, Magenta's European sales and marketing manager, will present the Voyager Fibre Optic Signal Distribution Platform to delegates.

"With the high frequency of change in connection types and the ever increasing integration of HDCP protected content into AV installations, the unprecedented functionality, flexibility, performance and cost of the Voyager series truly makes it the future of AV extension and matrix switching," says Muddiman.

UK - At the 2010 ABTT Show in London in mid-June, the RevEAL CW LED Washlight from Prism Projection, distributed in the UK by White Light, continued its successful debut year, picking up the show's Hook Clamp award for Best New Lighting Product against some tough competition.

In awarding the prize, the judges noted the fixture's flat field, its efficiency, and its colour-correcting ability. This functionality sees each RevEAL CW fixture automatically monitor its light output and auto-correct for any changes as the fixture ages, ensuring that output is consistent from unit to unit and over time. The compact fixture offers colour mixing with a variable white colour temperature, offers an average of 46 Lumens per Watt output, does not generate waste colour filters or lamps, and without degrading ultraviolet or uncomfortable infrared wavelengths in the light is a great choice for di

UK - AC-ET's Rigging division received the ABTT Theatre Show's 'Widget of the Year Award' on behalf of Leica Geosystems for their DISTO D5 handheld laser distance meter. The Leica DISTO range of hand-held laser distance meters' provides "quick, easy and precise measuring of distances, areas and volumes with the press of a button".

The DISTO D5 was the measure that really caught the judges' eye. The unit features a measuring range of up to 200m with an accuracy of ± 1.0mm, a tilt sensor that measure angles up to 45°, Pythagoras functions and a robust, water resistant (IP54) design.

A key feature of the D5 is the ability to measure outdoors even in glaring sunlight thanks to the digital pointfinder, which utilises a high-resolution 2.4" colour TFT display with 4x zoom, says the company.

Adam Beaumont, sales manager of AC-ET's Rigging division, commented, &q

Europe - DMi D&M Installation (Europe) has announced it is now shipping its new Escient Zone DIN rail lighting system to appointed dealers and installers. The Zone DIN Rail lighting module series offers an automated lighting control system of unparalleled flexibility, cost competitiveness, and ease of installation, programming and control.

The centralised lighting control system fully integrates within Escient Zone, providing scalable lighting control within Zone. The DIN rail modules also work with almost any kind of lighting system, including direct control of DMX and DALI devices, or can operate as a standalone lighting system for almost any size of project. This flexibility of use and installation, along with the remarkable ease with which any system can be programmed and operated, is at the heart of the system design.

The range of Zone DIN Rail lighting modules enables th

UK Baldwin Boxall is introducing two new amplifiers on at PLASA 2010. In addition, the company will be demonstrating the Unitouch touchscreen paging station, the BVRD8 voice alarm control microphone, the BFM404 firemans microphone and the popular Omnicare EVC (Emergency Voice Communication) system.

Two new D-class amplifiers the BV125D (dual 125 watt) and BV225 (225 watt) will be introduced at the show. Replacing the BV220 (220 watt) and the BV120D (dual 120 watt) the new units are more cost-effective and, together with the BV050Q (quad 50 watt) amplifier, the range provides a complete solution from the smallest to the largest voice alarm system, says the company.

Unitouch is a touchscreen paging system which is becoming an increasingly popular method of control for complex or large voice alarm systems. Displaying either a full graphic layout view of the site or buttons repres

USA - Electro-Voice and Audinate have announced the availability of the DM-1 Dante audio network card for the NetMax hardware family. The DM-1 may be installed in the N8000 or N8000-1500 chassis to provide high resolution, low latency audio transmission over IP networks.

Audinate's Dante solution provides a no-hassle, self-configuring, plug-and-play digital audio network that uses standard Internet Protocols. Dante is a scalable solution that works on both 100 Mbits and 1 Gigabit Ethernet. Using Dante, many bulky cables that are typically needed to provide point-to-point analog wiring for AV installations are eliminated.

The DM-1 is also fully compatible with Audinate's Dante Virtual Soundcard. The Dante Virtual Soundcard turns a PC or Mac into a Dante-enabled device. The Dante Virtual Soundcard has many characteristics of a physical sound card or audio interface, including th

Sweden/Vietnam - Dataton will reinforce its presence in the Asia-Pacific region by exhibiting at the upcoming PALME exhibition in Vietnam.

The company will be showing the latest version of Watchout, using a multi-projector setup and wide screen to demonstrate how the system can combine images with standard computer and network technology to create presentations of practically any size.

Fredrik Svahnberg, marketing director at Dataton, comments, "Having supplied Watchout systems to run on literally hundreds of computers at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, we are experiencing our most successful year ever in Asia.

"The fact that the PALME exhibition is taking place in Vietnam for the first time gives us the chance to put our product's capabilities in front of an even wider audience, and we are looking forward to showing dealers, rental partners, and end users in this

Vietnam - - Spotlight has teamed up with Zero 88 to present their latest entertainment lighting products at the PALME Show in Ho Chi Minh City from 22-24 July.

Zero 88 will be demonstrating the new ZerOS Remote for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad which brings total wireless control of the ZerOS lighting console over WiFi, including Leap Frog 48 & 96, Frog 2, ORB and the new ORB XF.

Also on show will be popular Leap Frog 48 and Jester lighting control consoles which provide intuitive control of generic and moving lights in a variety of formats suitable for theatrical, live performance and multipurpose venues.

Spotlight has chosen PALME Vietnam to launch a number of new products including its new range of pole operated theatrical fixtures for easy manual adjustment and the high performance halogen 1200W, 80V COM 12 LV , available in both Fresnel and PC versions.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Audio-Technica is enhancing its 2000 Series wireless systems with several new products and technology updates, including the ATW-R2100a receiver, the ATW-T210a body-pack transmitter and the ATW-T220a handheld transmitter.

The ATW-R2100a receiver features automatic frequency scanning that eliminates the need for searching for clear channels by automatically selecting the most appropriate frequency for the area in which the wireless is operating. A pre-coordinated integral channel plan allows for simultaneous operation of any of the ten channels in a given location, in one of two UHF frequency ranges.

The ATW-T210a UniPak body-pack transmitter features a latching cover to protect the internal controls from being accidentally activated and a recessed four-pin HRS-type locking input connector to increase the life of the microphone cable. Inputs are available on the transmitt

USA - MediaMatrix by Peavey has announced the new Nion nE, a powerful DSP platform in the tradition of the legacy Nion products designed for cost-efficiency and mid-market applications. At a lower entry cost, the NION nE brings the power and flexibility of nWare to a broader array of designers and contractors, says the company.

"We are thrilled with the prospect of bringing the depth and flexibility of nWare to the broadest scope of the contracting market," said Kevin Ivey, general manager of Peavey Commercial Audio. "The new Nion nE provides all of the core capabilities of the Nion platform at a new lower price point, opening the capabilities of the Nion and nWare to a new and larger range of consultants and contractors."

The nE will support up to 32 channels of analogue audio, and up to 64 channels of AES digital audio via four Nio card slots in the nE fr

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