>The well established show controller Artist, from ShowCAD, was for this year's PLASA augmented by two not-so-glamorous - but nevertheless essential - new pieces of kit. The EDMX is an Ethernet-to-DMX controller which allows DMX distribution by Cat5. The host computer is a 19" rack-mount unit specifically designed for Artist applications, in a 1U package. ShowCAD Artist also controlled the range of LED products on the Tryka stand, as well as running two product demos for Coemar. Artist's ability to operate remote and automatic pre-programmed performances is underlined by its use in the Chicago Rock Café and Wetherspoons Lloyds Number One venues which use the system's Real Time Clock function to run scenes and cues to change to suit the time of day, but with the option to override the systems via touch screens, digital input panels and MIDI interfaces. Sharing the ShowCAD stand was Edirol, an abstraction of Roland. Its DV-7 is based around video control software linked to uncompressed digital images from a high quality video server. Capable of control via MIDI or DMX, this product from Edirol is intended to make live show operation simple and intuitive without compromising image quality. Dedicated to audio and video editing, the DV-7 eliminates rendering time, and as the workstation uses the same native DV format as digital video cameras, this means you can connect a digital camera to the DV port and transfer audio and video without any loss in picture quality.
