Despite Total Solutions Group concentrating on stage sets for the production industry (George Michael was in rehearsal as PLASA took place), the company continues to sell from its traditional trussing and roofing range. A big 30m by 30m ground support system of Slick Super Beam has just departed for Israel, and another of identical dimension to Dubai, while similar-sized TFL roofs are on their way to the Esplanade in Singapore, and to Indian rental company Reynolds, based in Bangalore.

Also on the stand, and indeed sharing space with TSG at their base in Birmingham, was Specialz, the solution provider for the set build sector that requires innovation and 'new thinking' when it comes to interfacing electronics and scenic elements. Recent output has seen Specialz work appear

A number of new products on the stand of beyerdynamic GB, both from its own brand and from the many lines the company distributes in the UK. First previewed at ISE in Brussels at the start of the year, Revoluto isa conferencing mic' based on the line array principal: four capsules in line can be pattern controlled by gain structure to maintain capture over a wide vertical spread.

Headzone is a 5:1 professional headphone system with a neat WiFi connection from headphone band to the processing software that keeps the listener spatially oriented relevant to the program source.

Opus 900 is a new 2,3 or 4-channel radio receiver with a new range of hand-held mics to go with it: one body takes five differing capsules. Nexia TC and VC from Biamp are processing units for echo cancellation and the like in tele- and video-conferencing systems.

Bittner has a new four-chann

Projected Image Digital offer digital media software and hardware solutions, and also produce video content. They were showcasing several 'household' brands such as Catalyst with the new v4 version of the Media Server, and UK partner Element Labs' 'Versa' LED range, which includes: Versa TUBEs, Versa TILES and Versa PIXELs etc.

The show saw the launch of new training initiatives from PID, and introduced some new faces to the team. PID has been elevated to full Apple reseller status.

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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

Kam - Lamba's house brand - has expanded dramatically this year. The company had its new 128-page catalogue at the show, packed with over 300 products covering all genres including moving lights, wireless mics, DJ products, the i-Mix 100, the Extreme and Cobalt ranges of loudspeakers, a range of USB mixers and many more. Lighting-wise, it includes a batch of LED products and also a mobile Light Screen, the LED equivalent of the traditional light box.

USA - Group One Ltd, one of North America's most diversified independent distributor of professional audio equipment, has announced it is shipping the new MC2 E4-75 power amplifier and XTA DP4 Series Audio Management Systems.

The MC2 E4-75 power amplifier is the latest addition to the highly successful lightweight (switchmode) E Series Amplifiers which are designed for use in a wide variety of applications, including touring monitor racks. The E4-75 is a 4-channel amplifier capable of producing 750W RMS per channel into four or eight ohms; it has automatic impedance sensing and changes the power accordingly.

The XTA DP4 Audio Management Systems are designed to provide a complete package for digitally interfacing and managing even the largest of integrated audio systems. The XTA DP4 Series units provide the ultimate audio quality and reliability in several new I/O configuration

Canada-based stage engineering manufacturer Gala Systems exhibited its understage lift systems and overstage prop handling machinery. The company reports that over 500 locations around the world now use its Spiralift tubular thrust screw lifts and motorised rigging systems.

Ortofon, one of the sponsors of the DMC DJ World Championship Finals, was one the busiest stands on Sunday, where a host of world class DJs demo'd their mixing and scratching skills using Ortofon's famous DJ cartridges designed to work with time-coded vinyl. Guest slots were taken up by Tamara Sky, ID, Ms Vicious and many others who were also among artists from 91 countries performing at the 2-day Championship Finals, staged at legendary venue, Hammersmith Palais.

PLASA saw the launch of Audio-Technica's new Artist Series of microphones. The ATM710 is a rugged, hand-held cardioid condenser, with the ATM610 and ATM410 being hypercardioid and cardioid dynamic respectively. Also included in the series are several microphones designed specifically for use on instruments, with the ATM450 being the most noteworthy with its 'side stick address' design allowing the microphone to be mounted in many different configurations with minimal obstructions. For drums, the AE250DE that combines both a cardioid condenser and a hypercardioid dynamic in the same housing.

New from Ayrton (distributed in the UK by Lighting Effects Distribution) was a prototype of the DreamPanel outdoor video screen, based on the same PCB as their renowned flooring panels, IP rated and with a rugged build. Brand new was a selection of baffles for Ayrton's ModuLED three-cell LED fixtures, which clip on the front and vary the beam angle from 12 - 42°, increasing the unit's versatility. Very useful for rental companies and multi-purpose applications.

Soundcraft (Harman Pro) displayed a wealth of products with, of course, the flagship digital Vi6 Shure Distributiontaking centre stage, but with other low-cost mixers being launched too. The EPM series was announced and replaces the entry-level E-Series range. There are three models in the range featuring six, eight or 12 inputs plus two stereo inputs. The EPM6 retails at only £220 including VAT and all desks feature 48V Phantom Power, inserts and three-band EQ with swept mid.

Being shown for the first time in the UK was the new GB2 aimed at the venue, touring and audio-visual market. The GB2 is available in 16-, 24- and 32-channel versions; four sub group, plus stereo out and a 6x2 matrix.

USA - Shure Incorporated has announced that Mark Humrichouser has been appointed as its new director of US sales, bringing 15 years of experience in sales, technology, and the audio industry to the company.

Most recently, Humrichouser was team manager for Professional Systems and the Music Industry at Sennheiser, following a number of years as a regional sales manager and regional market development manager. Humrichouser led the 12-territory Eastern region to be the number one revenue-generating region for Sennheiser. In his role at Shure, he will assume responsibility for directing the US sales management group.

"Mark's fifteen years of experience in the audio industry make him particularly well qualified for Shure's Directorship," said Al Hershner, vice-president and general manager of Shure's US Business Unit. "Our team of regional and national account manage

It was crowded as usual on the Anytronics stand where new products included the Quad ProDim 2.5 - a 4 x 10A portable dimming pack featuring circuit breaker protection on both Cee Form inlet and outlet sockets. Control is via either analogue or DMX. Also on show was Anycove - a T 5 fluorescent cove lighting system available in either a switching or dimming version.

Coda Audio, daughter company of BMS Electronik GmBH in Hanover, were at PLASA this year with several systems from its range. Of note was the D5 Tube co-axial ultra-compact loudspeaker. The passive two-way 5"/1" drivers provide a frequency response of 90Hz-30kHz with 90° dispersion from a small, aluminium wall- or ceiling-mounted enclosure.

Beadlight launched an impressive seven new ice*lighting fixtures based on the technologies incorporated within its award-winning Super Batten. Driven by customer demand, new designs to complement the Super Batten include the Linear Batten, the Tube, the Stik, the Bar, the Blok and the Hexagon. These will open up a whole new range of design possibilities for this eye-catching effect - as demonstrated by the stylish bar-themed display at PLASA. All the units utilise Bead*light diffusion technology, eliminating LED pixelization. Video and animations can be played across any combination of the product range.

Columbus McKinnon and the Lodestar motor needs no introduction to the industry. Their presence at the show illustrated the massive range of Lodestars available for all types of lifting, moving and rigging applications. Their stand had a choice location near to the Bandit Bar and was also close to many of the company's distributors.

Version three of Coolux's media server Pandora's Box now gives double the layers (up to 24) from this already well-endowed system, with remoting and sync'ing implemented. Remote allows simple multi system set-ups: nominate one unit as master and the rest automatically subordinate. Sync'ing in under 10 milliseconds means the ability to sync' frame-to-frame. Also on show was the prototype version of a dedicated console tentatively named Media Vision, and expected to become available January '07.

From A.C.'s Sound department comes the full Kling & Freitag range of speakers, so too all Yamaha consoles including the latest LS9 (see elsewhere), plus the Roland Digital Snake, a Cat 5-based system (32 send, 8 return), the Whirlwind E Snake, and the Light Viper optical digital snake system.

PLASA regulars Lite-Puterrom Taiwan were back again with a new range of products including the DP-E450 and the DP-E4000 lighting control Ethernet interfaces. The E4000 can remotely control up to 4,096 channels of DMX via Ethernet to a PC controller.

Based in Blackburn, Lancashire, rental specialists HSL announce a fair expansion of their inventory with the addition of 350 units of Robe moving heads, and are also expanding their range of LED products, which already include Color Kinetics, Chroma-Q Color Block, and PixelLine. They currently have equipment out with Massive Attack and Snow Patrol, as well as with several TV shows, not least X Factor and earlier with Dancing on Ice.

Sunlite showed their USB interfaced PC lighting controllers, including the Easy Stand Alone range plus a new stand-alone Ethernet DMX512 interface (IP version) - through which the programmer can work locally or via the Internet. They have two ranges using two different variations on the software - one for clubs and live control, and the other for architectural and installed schemes . . .

In themed or retail environments lighting is often used alongside audio and video, and the Pharos AVC offers control of all these elements from a single system. The compact and elegant AVC combines the functionality of two DVD players and a vision mixer using solid-state electronics. It can not only play back video but also do dissolves, wipes, video effects and accept a live video input. All functions are programmed using timelines with Pharos Designer software. A standalone AVC has a realtime clock and serial port for triggering, or it can receive triggers from Pharos LPCs via Ethernet.

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