Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

Products

Details
USA - Cadac is celebrating 20 years of dedicated design for live sound applications during 2004, with its extended product portfolio including the all-new M16 Remote Mic Amp - making its US debut at AES. The M16 integrates 16 of Cadac's classic mic pre-amps into a 19" rack unit, providing three active splits per channel plus a MADI interface. Also on show will be the production D16 Digital Mix Matrix - Cadac's answer to the concept of a console in a 19" rack - providing a high quality 16 x 16 variable gain audio matrix with 96kHz 24-bit sampling and SHARC DSP processing. The D16 uses proprietary Cadac mix, EQ and dynamics algorithms to deliver quality that matches the company's hallmark analogue sound.

Designed to address live, broadcast and recording market requirements, the M16 integrates directly with Cadac's new D16 Digital Matrix, and up to 16 M16 units can be co

Details
USA - First came the Concept:1 and Concept:2, two DMX combination scanner/laser effects from American DJ. Now the company has taken this "concept" a step further and added the Concept:Color, a DMX colour changer with the same design theme as its cousins.

The new Concept:Color is the ideal fixture for DJs, clubs and bands, Scott Davies, general manager of the American DJ Group of Companies: "The popularity of the Concept:1 and Concept:2 convinced us to add a colour changer to the line, so that users could run an ensemble of matching effects."

The Concept:Color offers 15 colours plus white, along with two prism-like quadras that split the light beam into four colours. As an added bonus, a removable Frost Filter lets DJs create a dreamy "wash" effect when desired. The Concept:Color includes two DMX channels that can be conveniently hooked up to the s

Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

Details
UK - Skan PA Hire supplied a Digico D5 Live for Sound Techniques Group 40th anniversary corporate party hosted at Carrow Road, home of Norwich City football club. Sound Techniques staff enjoyed a three-course banquet and their view of the pitch was enhanced by music from early Sound Technologies' studio recordings courtesy of a row of white C25 speakers.

The set-up featured acts on two independent stages in a fairly narrow room. Skan's Steve Jones looked after the patch and Chris Amblin dealt with mics. By using the Digico D5 Live and Turbosound pairing, they kept the sound system very contained and discrete, whilst still achieving an even response in the room.

The second system consisted of a mixture of Turbosound speakers; flown TQs supported by 21" subs and TFM 450s for monitors controlled by XTA DP226 processing. Ant Carr operated the Digico D5 Live at front of house

Details
USA - Super Vision International (NASDAQ: SUPVA) recently announced that it will introduce its new colour changing LED lighting system this month in Las Vegas at LDI. The Entertainment Lighting Show. The new SaVI line of intelligent LED lighting products include architectural lighting fixtures that are designed for commercial interior and exterior applications as well as nightscape and underwater lighting applications.

The SaVI line of fixtures include the SaVi Accent, a linear lighting system for coves, accent and backlighting, SaVi Flood for larger scale wall washing and colour floodlighting, SaVi Spot for accent lighting of smaller illumination areas, nightscapes and underwater use, and the SaVi Tube, a visually exciting special effects linear lighting system.

Mike Bauer, vice president of sales and marketing stated: "Architectural and retail lighting is being revoluti

Details
UK - PLASA's Technical Office has announced that the long-awaited German safety standard, BGV-C1 Staging and Production facilities for the entertainment industries, is now available in an official English version. This standard was first introduced in 1998 and its English translation has been eagerly anticipated for many years.

PLASA, working with its German counterpart, the VPLT, is now offering a downloadable PDF version of the translation, absolutely free, from the web address below.

(Lee Baldock)

Details
USA - American DJ has introduced the Mega Flash DMX, a powerful DMX-compatible strobe light with 800W of output. Compact and pocketbook-friendly, the brilliant Mega Flash DMX out strobes similar fixtures in its price range by as much as a brightness factor of four.

Small and compact, the fixture weighs 5 lbs. and comes with a durable, high-tech plastic case that protects it from damage during transport, setup and breakdown. The Mega Flash DMX lets users change strobe speeds and adjust dimming from 0-100 percent via a standard DMX lighting controller. Speed- and dimming-control knobs are also located on the rear of the unit for DJs who want to operate the Mega Flash DMX without a controller. The fixture also can be set to operate in sound-active mode, in which it will flash along to the beat of the music.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

Details
USA - Together with recently appointed US distributor, Audio Exchange International (AXI), pro audio manufacturer Audient will be using this month's AES exhibition as a platform to launch some of its latest products and strengthen the brand in the US. Audient's recording range is amongst an array of high-end US- and European-based audio products distributed by AXI, who are exhibiting in San Francisco on booth 426.

The AES show also sees the US launch of Audient's brand new digital equaliser and dynamics processor - NEO. This expandable DSP-based system comprises a two-channel master and two- or four-channel slaves, controllable within one network. Features include a graphic and parametric equalizer, high and low-pass filters, shelving EQ with compressor, limiter and dynamic equaliser, digital delay and optional RTA.

Sales and marketing director Luke Baldry says: "There

Details
UK - ChamSys celebrated the launch of its new MagicQ consoles at PLASA 04 with an innovative demonstration of its powerful distributed client / server architecture. Media clips were selected from thumbnails displayed on the MagicQ touch screen.

The MagicQ 100 console controlled a Hippotizer media server with live retrieval of the media thumbnails onto the console. "Being able to select media clips from thumbnails on the touch-screen of your lighting console has to be the way forward." pointed out VJ and LD Francis Martin, "I cannot understand why companies supplying both products for several years have not already done this."

MagicQ is ideally suited to controlling media servers with all their associated control parameters through the eight separate encoder wheels. And with full Cue Stack capability on every playback fader it becomes easy to control highly

Details
Italy/USA - LDR recently announced the launch of the new Canto 250HR ceramic followspot, the result of cooperation between Philips Lighting and LDR. The new Canto 250HR is based on the new ceramic lamp from Philips, which provides 3200 K and a CRI>90 whilst using only a quarter of the power consumption of a 1KW halogen lamp.

The ST250Hr lamp offers all the benefits of ceramic technology for applications that until now have been the preserve of halogen lamps. This followspot features a well defined beam, a large side handle to control pan and tilt movement and a double microswitch interlock for safe bulb replacement. The fan-free cooling system makes it ideal for TV studios and theatre applications. Lamp, iris, mechanical dimmer, spigot, colour frame and 2m mains cable are included as standard, and a five-colour colour changer is available as an optional extra.

The new Canto 25

Details
Japan - Asahi Kasei Microsystems (AKM), a leading supplier of audio ICs for professional and consumer markets, recently introduced the AK4113 - a 192 kHz digital audio interface receiver (DIR) with a wide sampling rate. The six-channel input AK4113 supersedes the four-channel AK4112B, which has been widely used in AV amplifiers as a cost-saving version of the AK4114 without transmission functions. It supports wide sampling rates from 8kHz to 216kHz.The AK4113 is fully compatible with AES3, IEC60958, S/PDIF and EIAJ-CP1201 standards for AV amplifiers, DVD receivers and DTVs. It also supports 24-bit 192 kHz PCM data and Non-PCM data streaming like Dolby Digital/MPEG etc.

Like the AK4114, it features a Q-subcode buffer for audio CD, built-in 40-bit channel status buffer and incorporates a non-PCM detection function for identifying DTS-CD data. Compared with the AK4112B, the AK4113

Details
UK - Kramer Electronics has announced that the new VP-1608 RGBHV and balanced stereo audio matrix switcher is in stock and ready for delivery. The VP-1608 is a 16-input, 8-output matrix switcher with audio gain control on each input and output. Its features make it an ideal choice for the routing of RGBHV and balanced stereo audio signals, say Kramer. A high bandwidth switcher with 400MHz of bandwidth, it can also be used to switch other signal formats, such as YUV, s-Video and composite video signals, say Kramer.

The VP-1608 includes audio-breakaway switching, so that audio can be switched independently from video. It has15 preset memory locations for quick access to common configurations, and also has a 'Take' button, which allows the user to place multiple switching operations in a queue, and then trigger them from one button. It also has a "delayed switching" mode

Details
USA - Vari-Lite has introduced the new VL2500 Spot and VL2500 Wash luminaires at the ETS-LDI exhibition in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new fixtures, say the company, exemplify its commitment to provide valuable lighting tools designers can use for any type of project or event. VL says the VL2500 fixtures include an improved CYM colour-mixing system, a coated glass dimmer wheel and a separate dual-blade strobe system to its popular Series 2000 product line.

The CYM colour-mixing system offers designers a myriad of colour options, from pastels to deep colours. The Vari-Lite colour-mixing system is fast, responding almost like a fixed colour wheel, so designers can quickly snap from one colour to the next. The VL2500 fixtures also have an 11-slot fixed colour wheel that allows designers even more freedom to create new looks and designs by laying any of the 11 colours over open white or

Details
Finland - Active monitoring specialist Genelec has extended its range of colours for the launch of its new pro-audio system, the 8000 series.

The three near-field two-way 8000 Series products are the 8030A, 8040A, and 8050A. The 'baby' 8030A now comes in silver, as well as the launch colour black, while the 8040A and 8050A will be now be available in white as well as black.

Following in the footsteps of the 7000 series of LSE subwoofers, the 8000 series, says the company, takes a new approach to enclosure design, driver technology and active electronics. All three models utilise an all-aluminium, minimum diffraction enclosure (MDE) design, with large internal volumes, softly curved edges, and high mechanical strength.

(Mike Lethby)

Details
USA - Kramer has introduced the 7508, a high quality analogue to digital converter for composite and s-video. This multi-standard unit converts analogue video to SMPTE-259M serial digital video (SDI). Many professional video units, including Betacam decks and DVD players, have high quality analogue outputs, and Kramer says the 7508 is ideal for preserving the quality, and minimizing the artefacts, when converting to digital. It features 10-bit digitizing and a 12V power supply is included.

(Mike Lethby)

Details
USA - American DJ has announced the launch of its Dura Truss System, which it says is an extremely durable new gig rig for DJs, bands and mobile entertainers, supporting up to 300lb of lighting fixtures.

Consisting of two 5-foot sections of triangular trussing and two crank stands, the company says the Dura Truss System is easy to set up and take down, while the steel truss tubing is small, keeping the system lightweight and transportable at just 85lb unloaded. Quick Release pins allow for fast assembly without the use of clamps, so the system can be up and running in a snap.

The system is designed to be safe and secure and all lighting fixtures can be bolted directly to the truss via the available mounting holes. The crank stands are designed not to tip over if someone accidentally bumps into the rig. Suggested retail price is $439.95.

(Mike Lethby)

Details
USA - Community Professional Loudspeakers has announced the launch of its IO-5 and IO-8 low impedance Indoor/Outdoor loudspeakers systems, together with IO-5T and IO-8T 70/100V versions with built-in transformers.

The IO-5 is a 2-way compact system, ideal for installations where space is at a premium, and features a 5" polypropylene long-excursion mid/bass driver with a Mylar diaphragm horn HF unit in a trapezoidal, high impact, moulded enclosure. Power handling is 60W programme and dispersion is 90 degrees horizontal by 50 degrees vertical. The IO-5T version has a built-in 20W low-loss transformer, designed for high quality audio performance and with installer adjustable tappings on the base of the enclosure. All 'T' versions also have an 8O position in addition to the 70/100V settings.

For installations with more space the IO-8 provides higher sound pressure levels and

Details
UK - Bosch Security Systems has unveiled its new Plena feedback suppressor amplifier for public address systems. The amplifier boosts sound levels without introducing annoying feedback and is, says Bosch, ideal for PA systems in auditoriums, conference halls, churches and other places of worship, congress venues and so on - especially where the loudspeaker and microphone(s) are located in the same room resulting in unwanted feedback and howling. The amplifier provides up to 12 dB of additional audio gain without introducing feedback.

Plena uses powerful floating-point DSP, together with a patented echo cancellation and de-reverberation algorithm, to actively filter out feedback from system loudspeakers to the microphone, while allowing the original signal to pass through. The process is continuous and automatic, with the filter constantly adapting to detect and remove the reverb

Details
USA - EAW is using this year's AES Convention to show its new Element Series of all-weather loudspeakers, as well as the JFXi Series that incorporate a new advanced magnet structure geometry, the Orbital Magnet Array. Both will be on display at the AES Convention on booth #230.

The Element Series is designed to high audio performance with the most robust environmental protection, to IEC 60529 and MilSpec 810 ratings. A key factor, according to EAW, is a new acoustically inert yet waterproof enclosure material: high-impact polypropylene with 40-percent calcium carbonate. Shaped into enclosures with few or no parallel surfaces, this new material is designed to make the Element Series sonically indistinguishable from EAW's world-famous laminated Baltic birch enclosures. The LM60 includes a soft-dome tweeter on a Waveguide Plate(tm) and a 6.5-inch woofer, while the LM80 pairs a Wave

Details
USA - Entertainment lighting manufacturer High End Systems debuted the DL2 - the third generation in its digital lighting line - at the ETS-LDI 2004 Trade Show in Las Vegas last week (22-24 October). According to HES, the DL2 unites the worlds of automated lighting and digital video to create 'virtual scenery' but with additional advanced features. DL2 is a "smart" automated lighting system featuring an integrated digital media server, say the company. In one single package is housed a light engine, media server and content - and it hangs and acts like an automated light.

DL2 also reduces space and installation time, with no need for RGB cabling, and servers are no longer necessary at the front-of-house position. DL2 resembles an intelligent moving luminaire and controls just as easily, with plug-and-play operation using standard DMX cabling and protocols.

Its many

Details
USA - City Theatrical and Color Kinetics Inc have jointly announced the release of a new touring-style power/data supply, PDS-750 TR, for Color Kinetics' ColorBlast, ColorBurst, and iColor Cove intelligent solid-state lighting fixtures. The compact, rugged device allows easy connection and disconnection of up to 12 ColorBlast 12 fixtures, 24 ColorBlast 6 fixtures, 24 ColorBurst 6 fixtures, 48 ColorBurst 4 fixtures, and 96 iColor Cove fixtures by means of industry-standard 4 pin XLR connectors.

CTI's president Gary Fails said: "We just listened to our customers who asked us to build this device. Many lighting shops had devised homemade ways to get partially to where we have gotten, but our license agreement with Color Kinetics gives us the ability to use their patented technology in new and innovative ways."

"We're pleased to expand our relationship with City

Details
USA - Meyer Sound has announced the introduction of the Galileo 616 digital loudspeaker management system - a 6 input/16 output, fully-digital matrix processor which collects in a single box all of the facilities required to drive and align sound reinforcement systems employing multiple zones. The device will include digital implementations of popular features developed over years by Meyer Sound for its acclaimed analogue processors, including atmospheric compensation.

Housed in a 2U rackmount package, the Galileo 616 processor can be used as a standalone device operated directly from its front panel, or in conjunction with a laptop or other personal computer via Ethernet. The Ethernet connection presents a broad variety of control possibilities, such as the use of wireless laptop computers and tablets to control the device, enabling the user to walk around a venue while adjust

Details
UK - London-based ear monitor and hearing protection specialist Sensorcom has announced the release of Soundcheck, a simple key-fob style audio level meter designed to give a visual indication of noise levels. Suitable for use in music venues, theatres, nightclubs and in industry, Soundcheck has a traffic-light format of visual display to indicate when audio levels are safe or too high to work in without ear protection. Current and future noise at work legislation stipulates that employers must be aware of noise levels and must provide hearing protection beyond 90dB, also known as the 'Second Action Level'. This figure reduces to 87dB from April 2006.

Operation of Soundcheck is simple: a single button activates the device and from the resultant display the noise levels can be interpreted from the flashing or steady-state of the LEDs; the red LED indicates the noise level is at

Details
UK/USA - At this years LDI show in Las Vegas Artistic Licence announced its latest product for the lighting industry: Visual-Patch. With no more patching and no more start addresses, it is often said that the best inventions are the simple ones and that seems to be true with Visual-Patch. The company has combined the power of the new Remote Device Management (RDM) protocol, a lighting console and a video camera (simply point the camera at the stage and press the Visual-Patch button). The lighting console uses RDM to switch each lamp on in turn; it analyzes the position, shape and size of the lamp using the video camera, adds it to the patch and automatically sets the lamp start address.

The first product to implement Visual-Patch is Colour-Tramp, a lighting console optimized for control of two- and three-dimensional arrays of colour changers. Visual-Patch allows large arrays of

Details
USA - Meyer Sound has appointed touring sound veteran Don Pearson to its staff of educational trainers as a technical seminar instructor. Pearson co-founded Ultra Sound (now Pro Media/Ultra Sound) in San Rafael, California, with Howard Danchik in 1978.

The company established a reputation for taking a studied approach to sound reinforcement and providing pristine audio using Meyer Sound loudspeakers for its clients, who have included the Grateful Dead, Santana, the Dave Matthews Band, Andrea Bocelli and many others. Pearson left the company in spring 2004 to be an independent consultant providing audio services, including system tuning and educational seminars.

"We have known and worked with Don for many years," says Helen Meyer, executive vice-president of Meyer Sound, "and have always respected his devotion to combining the science of sound and the realities

  1. L-Acoustics launches Kudo
  2. New aromas from Effects Co
  3. OptiLED's Designer Dimmable LED lamp
  4. Community launches DXP4800
  5. Cosmos 2.0: versatile and effective
  6. VisualDMX introduces DMX Input USB
Page 244 of 521
Astera - Large MPU - June 2025
Sennheiser - MPU - June 2025

Latest Issue. . .