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From Clay Paky, visitors to PLASA could see four new moving head fixtures. The Alpha Wash TH is a version of its 575W Alpha Wash fixture with a 'top hat' to control stray light and an indexable 'ovalizer'. The Alpha Wash Halo is a 1000W halogen version of the standard Alpha Wash fixture. The unusual-looking Alpha Spot 700 effects projector features a 15-40° zoom, CMY colour mixing and 14 gobos, along with an animation disc. Finally from Clay Paky was the new Alpha Spot HPE 1200, which is similar in appearance to the new 700 and tops off what has become a significant range of fixtures.

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Judging by the way they were flying off the stand, this year's best small-but-groundbreaking product was the range of wrenches by New Zealand company Whotz Hot, claimed to be the first one-handed adjustable tool. Available in 100mm, 150mm, 200mm, 250mm and 400mm sizes, they come with a lifetime guarantee. The upfront Steve Dudson was doing a great sales job with his demonstrations. He admitted he'd expectinga quiet time, but the stand was busy throughout the entire show.

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The ACT-51 from Mipro is the first wireless diversity UHF receiver to feature a colour VFD front panel providing a wide viewing angle. The receiver also boasts full UHF frequency agility, PC controllable functionality and 10 preset groups with eight preset non-interference frequencies. The ACT-51 is expected to be available through the UK's exclusive distributor, Tannoy, before the end of the fourth quarter.
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Indochine X PixMob Fan Immersion

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's - 40 thousand LED pixels on a ceiling!!! Indochine's whirlwind tour transports fans to another level of the live experience - immersing them from floor to ceiling with PixMob's X4 wristbands, and an LED ceiling made entirely of its NOVA Minis! With the vision of Indochine's creative team, PixMob used its LED fan-technology to turn attendees and venues into an ocean of effects, and a starry sky of LED magic. Très très cool!

Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

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Germany - Robbie Williams prepared for the launch of his latest album, Intensive Care with a special one-off gig at Berlin's 8,000 capacity Velodrome, complete with production rigging by Summit Steel. The live show was beamed to over 20,000 fans across Europe via high definition cinecast to selected cinemas. The show was also recorded for a TV show to be screened the night preceding the album launch.

Summit serviced the last Robbie Williams tour in 2003 with rigging and automation, and has also worked with the artist before then. The Summit team in Berlin was led by Jon Bray and five riggers from the UK plus nine local riggers.

The show involved a 50 tonne total load - the maximum allowed in the venue - comprising various elements of production lighting, sound and set. The hoist count was 180, and three trucks were needed just to transport the rigging to site.

The sho

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For Cirrus Logic, it was one of its third party developers that gave the company something to present this year. Attero Tech provide a new Cobranet interface, using RS232 for control, with RCA and Mini Jack in/outs powered by a low voltage 'wall-wart' PSU. Cirrus did show a prototype the CS4961xx with on board 32-bit DSP for use in digital audio networking applications; production is expected to begin in October with the software tools to follow shortly thereafter.

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Audace managing director Bryan Waters was discussing his satisfaction at how the company's Intelliplate programmable AV control system is finding a home in the residential market as well as in retail and entertainment environments. The company has also recently done a major cruise liner installation. "Business is currently very good," says Waters.

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The Tube - one of the most eye-catching displays at the show - is an extension of the G-Lec LED video screen concept. Essentially, these are free-hanging tubes of RGB LEDs, double sided, with a maximum length of 6m, which users can cut to any desired length to create, for example, a forest of hanging tubes through which you can stream video. The tubes are also relatively flexible and can be bowed by approximately 30°. A tool for set designers and probably also destined for the windows of elegant department stores.

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After an absence of four years, UK-based Ohm returned to PLASA with a remodelled product range including an active subwoofer, a new amplifier range and digital loudspeaker controllers. The new AS-B Active Sub is loaded with two 10" drivers and an additional two amps available to drive satellite cabinets such as Ohm's BR-8s. The AS-B can work as the heart of a small system, or can be integrated into a larger system by daisy chaining. The control section of the AS-B includes variable input sensitivity, phase reverse, bass gain, crossover frequency, mid/high gain, auto power off and earth lift.

Directly integrating with the company's Planet Suite, BR and TRS loudspeaker enclosures is the new CRED Mk2 loudspeaker management system. The 96kHz 1U controller is available in two models, the CRED 2-4 with two inputs and four outs and the 2-6 with six outs. Access and setup is via the Dynam

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Europoint (Elcom srl) from Italy, was showing the electric telescopic elevator which it manufactures. This is simple to rig and operate and is extremely lightweight at 65kg. It's capable of lifting up to 200kg to a maximum height of 5m, and the elevator can be rigged to extend from a truss downwards as well as being a floor-standing lift.

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The Camco UCA Network module from UK distributor Fuzion gives full DSP function to any speaker system you wish to input. Only German specification sheets were available on stand, but we can confirm this is a two-channel unit - visit www.camcoaudio.com for more.

From Australian Monitor, the new QF5A ceiling speaker, a quality 5" unit with multi-tap transformer is an upgrade of the QF5 which it replaces, and is designed for fast-fit installation.

A full-range system for bars and theme venues, the FG Series from T&M comprises five models with a choice of three subs. The new RMW-1152 MicroWedge from Radian is a line of ultra-compact stage monitors for live sound applications. Finally, from Work comes the Studio Series install speaker for bars and clubs using a small horn tweeter. With a 100V/70V line option - the Studio series is designed for hi-fi background music.

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Seltron Components was proudly exhibiting its new collaboration with Eclectic Breaks - the Pro X Fade retro-fit crossfader. Unhappy with the quality of faders in many desks the company decided to make its own and the Pro X Fade was the result. Get your screwdrivers out!

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Medialon's Multimedia Interactive Player, or MIP for short, is an intriguing new product. Able to play any type of media, Jpeg, Mpeg, video HD, Flash, PPT, Html pages or URL links, MIP is designed as a stand alone mode unit with automatic playback and display screen remote. What is most intriguing about this product is how close it gets to being the kind of media server that home automation companies are currently installing in the houses of the rich and shameless.

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As ever, a host of new products was on show from the members of Harman Pro Group. JBL showed a new range of studio monitors; the LSR4300 is self-powered speaker to use for a computer-based project studio, and comes with software, mic clip and calibration microphone. Designed to run on Harman HiQnet, the software allows volume control over multiple speakers (e.g. 5:1) and includes a hand-held remote control giving control of all LSR features. Place mic at the mix position, engage room analyser, and the LSR gives automatic room mode correction. Aggressively priced.

Control 322C and 328C are ceiling speakers from JBL, 12" and 8" respectively and with 90° and 100° conical dispersion, high end coming from a compression driver mounted behind and on-axis of the cone speaker. Also on show were new Drive Packs for the Vertech 88 and 82 cabinets. All take three different inputs; one

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The Universal Effects stand featured the company's huge range of special effects devices. International sales manager Eric Metreaud was keen to show off the latest fan and CO2-powered confetti blowers, which will fire up to 30kg of confetti up to 30m. The company's giant 5m silk flame was a real eye-catcher, as was the range of inflatable cones, tubes and figures lit from inside with LED colour changers. Snow, bubble, foam and smoke machines are also UE specialities.

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Duran Audio recently released an update to its Axys Intellivox digitally steerable arrays. Now, with six channels of DSP, the arrays are even more steerable with more definition and throw. Also on the stand was an unusual-looking item, the Axys Intellidisk - a 90cm diameter disk with a total of 41 4" drivers in a grid giving exceptional steerability and directivity in both planes.

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Steeldeck Sales showcased a range of innovations for the staging world, many designed to either disappear or fold into a very small space when not in use. The motorized NIVOflex Professional Motor scissor platform needs a 200mm pit depth to accommodate a platform which will rise to up to 1m and bear a 750kg/sq.m load. Also on show was the non-motorized Stabilo version, which is simple to manually raise and lower. Spiderflex-based portable staging was another highlight of the stand, designed by Claus Fleischhauer and using technology which allows the all-metal legs to fold away into a tiny, lightweight package, yet having a point load bearing capacity of 216kg when the stage is deployed.

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With 22 new products on show, beyerdynamic had most audio bases were covered. The company presented the Opus 86 flexible gooseneck microphone, a lightweight mic with high gain before feedback, designed for easy mounting for a variety of applications, including any type of instrument from sax to accordion. Powered by a 9V battery, the unit can mix three mic inputs and route the output to a pocket transmitter or wired power supply unit. The Opus 89 vocal microphone made its debut: the hypercardioid handheld is built to withstand the rigours of the road.

The MCW-D 50 wireless conference system isa digital system, broadcasting on 2.4GHz DSSS transmission technology, featuring 128-bit data encryption and the ability to operate a total of 4,096 mic units on up to nine bi-directional data channels: flexible and expandable.

Among its third-party lines, beyerdynamic showed the Viper Digital P

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Alongside its fiendishly clever, PLASA Award-winning Visual Patch, Artistic Licence also showed the Pixi-Web. Pixi-Web is essentially a reconfigurable and transparent LED drape. Made of a grid of webbing, with an RGB LED source placed at each intersection, Pixi-Web can be reconfigured using the snap connectors on each horizontal and vertical section. Not only does this make Pixi-Web able to fit into any space or shape, but it also allows it to virtually disappear on stage when not in use.

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USA - While readying the sound system for the Wynn Las Vegas' brand new Aqua Theatre, theatrical audio specialist Pascal Van Strydonck, head of audio for the venue and also the show's sound designer, was presented with a significant problem. The 2,087-seat, in-the-round home of Franco Dragone's Le Reve - The Show was suddenly not the same venue acoustically as originally designed. Fronted by a Yamaha DM2000 digital console, the house PA, a 5.1 surround, 360-degree, six-zone system by Meyer Sound, was already ordered and installed, yet architectural and rigging changes significantly affected its performance.

As a result, Van Strydonck decided that comprehensive acoustic measurement and tuning were in order for the theatre. "The quality of the PA is impeccable," says Van Strydonck. "But unfortunately the cabinet types were chosen for a specific design and it

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Promoting its new name, new staff and most of all its Arena production rehearsal, television and film sound stage facility in Yorkshire, the LiteStructures Group stand had a significant makeover from last year. Rather than fill the stand with product, this year it was a lounge where the company could - as national sales account manager James Light put it - "get to know clients all over again." The Group's purpose-built Arena (see L&SI September 2005) is a premier league facility which LiteStructures is keen to promote. First used by Coldplay, forthcoming production rehearsals include Phil Collins and The Osmonds.

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Stage Technologies Beamhoist may have picked up an Award for Innovation (see pages 58-59), but the new entry-level Illusionist console was also on display, running the Chameleon control software which is common to all Stage Technologies controllers.
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