This year’s Pro Light & Sound exhibition seemed even busier than usual, perhaps partly due to the PL&S halls being rearranged to spread virtually the length of the site, so that what once took 2 or 3 minutes now takes 5 or 10. There were probably many who missed the relative ease of the previous layout, but the point, of course, is that the visitors turned out in force and went home satisfied - albeit in more pain than usual. So to business . . .
Acoustic Line, part of Seeburg Professional PA Systems, presented the TSMSat+ to augment the TS series. This is a highly compact ‘fill’ speaker built to go with the TS Mini Sub+ and is based around a 10" mid driver with a 1" compression onto a very compact horn flare, making for a small cabinet capable of delivering 300W rms from each component. The horn is the same as that used in the TSM10, with a 60° by 90° coverage pattern that can easily be rotated through 90°. Too small for a disco, this could be a nice little unit in a jazz club.
A couple of innovations from Adam Hall: their successful Rack Lamp launched at last year’s PLASA (LED source combined with 10mm side-emitting fibre optic), has been taken a step further. The idea of using a simple LED powered light source for low level rack lighting has been extended by the addition of a gooseneck device for use over control surfaces. Supplied with built-in spring-clip for easy mounting, and battery holder, this also comes in at a significantly reduced cost thanks to competitive component suppliers.
It may be mundane, but Adam Hall’s cable ramp has been modified to satisfy user demand. The cableway lid is now hinged rather than removable, the hinge designed to hold the lid in the open position when laying in the cables.
AKG presented no less than eight new products, and though some are mere detail improvements, there’s still something to please everyone. The CK55L is a tiny condenser tie-clip mic with a similarly-sized price. Cardioid patterned, with a low-end response down to 150Hz, this is a very usable little item. The well-regarded C 477 WR mic is now available with Lemo connector for use with most body-pack transmitters, enabling sound engineers to upgrade to a better quality mic without disposing of expensive radio systems. Less exciting, but also useful, is the new white version of the CK 77 head-worn mic.
The CS 2: is a fully modular conferencing system, a complete kit with seven main components; a choice of five microphones (cardioid, omni-directional, and choice of three hyper cardioid); CU chair station (mobile or install); DU delegate station (mobile or install); BU base station for up to 200 microphones; choice of two PSUs (80 or 200 microphones); two lengths of gooseneck; and five standard cable lengths for what is a simple to build single cable system.
Other products include the PSU 10, which replaces the old PSU 01: a range of introductory microphone packages - Specials 2002 - for the aspiring amateur musician. Each kit has a little bonus aspect, such as the drum pack containing a pair of Terry Bozio signature drumsticks. Also receiving much attention was the C 451 B launched at the recent AES show. This mic features the same transducer a the CK 1 but permanently fixed to the metal body in order to eliminate mechanical weaknesses of the C 451 EB + CK1.
UK manufacturer Allen & Heath, gave a preview of a striking new rotary mixer prototype. Codenamed Xone:V6, this has been designed with the aim of providing ‘the best audio quality of any club mixer, past or present’ according to A&H. Designer Andy Rigby-Jones told us: "This is all about absolutely pristine audio quality, so it won’t go into production until I am 100% confident that it sounds phenomenal." If you’d like one, be aware that a single Penny & Giles rotary fader can cost about as much as some entry-l
