USA - Elation will be showing a spread of new products at PLASA Focus: Orlando next week.

EZ6 LED Video Panel is a high-resolution 22.7" x 22.7" indoor video display panel, powered by premium Tri-Color 3528 SMD LEDs, that delivers a 6mm pixel pitch, 1,800-nit brightness and 960 Hz refresh rate, allowing it to produce sharp, clear high-definition graphics, text, logos and images. Yet it is also very affordably priced, light weight and easy to assemble, making it a suitable choice for nightclubs, concert venues, live stages and exhibit halls..

The smallest and fastest LED moving head ever created by Elation, the Rayzor 7 delivers "unsurpassed brightness for its size (11 lbs., 9.25" x 5.5" x 12.5"), a razor-sharp 7° beam angle, smooth Quad-Color RGBW color-mixing, and new high-speed 3-phase motor technology that makes its eye-popping beams litera

Australia - ENTECH has officially confirmed that Karl Ruling, PLASA's Technical Standards Manager will make his only Australian appearance at ENTECH 2013 this July.

Ruling has spoken at numerous international shows around the world and recently spoke at Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt, the USITT Conference in Milwaukee, and LDI in Las Vegas, to some of his largest audiences to date. Karl Ruling as an Industry guru administers the ANSI-accredited Technical Standards Program and writes about standards, legislation, technology, and trade shows for PLASA's members.

Ruling has developed his education seminar especially for ENTECH, entitled, International Standards in a Globalised but Not Homogenised Entertainment Industry: Reflections on Cooperation.

The session will talk about the various forms of international standards, how they are developed, how they serve or fail to se

UK - After last week's PLASA Focus event in Leeds, Peavey Commercial Audio have been delighted with the reaction to the Digitool range of multiprocessors which were shipping the day following the show.

"Orders specifically for this product have been fantastic," commented Mark Coombes sales manager for Peavey Commercial Audio. "We knew the range would be a hit for us there but the response has been even better than we could ever have hoped."

The Digitool is now available in the following models: the MX16, featuring eight inputs and eight outputs; the MX32, featuring 16 inputs and 16 outputs; and the LIVE, featuring eight balanced XLR inputs and outputs for live-sound FOH applications. These all-new Digitool processors feature an updated, more powerful DSP engine, full-colour LCD screen, enhanced front-panel navigation, individual input and output mutes, and

USA - WATCHOUT Premium Partner, Show Sage, will be exhibiting at PLASA Focus: Orlando - booth 209, Wyndham Orlando Resort, Florida, 15-16 May 2013.

The major release for Dataton in 2013 is WATCHPAX. Combining all the show-timeline, control and image-manipulation of the company's successful Dataton WATCHOUT software with a compact embedded computer, WATCHPAX is now shipping.

Dataton WIRETAG, which plugs directly into the WATCHPAX media-player module allows direct integration of a WATCHOUT show with Dataton's PICKUP audio guide system. Simply point and click at the WIRETAG with a PICKUP audio guide, and you jump straight into the show soundtrack at the correct point in the show.

Jim Testa, President, Show Sage, adds, "The North American market for Dataton's products is in very robust health and we are very excited by the attention WATCHPAX is getting from customers, curre

UK - Philips Entertainment's four premier brands - Showline, Vari-Lite, Selecon and Strand Lighting - are powering up to exhibit their latest LED luminaires and lighting control products for theatre application at this year's ABTT (Orange Hall, Old Truman Brewery, Stand 123).

Following its UK debut at PLASA Focus in Leeds, Philips Showline will be promoting its SL NITRO 510 LED-based strobe, delivering superbright, intense bursts of light and dynamic effects using over 1300 high-powered LEDs. Six unique zones of control allow ultimate flexibility while unique built in chases aid in creativity and simplicity. With over 68,000 lumens of output, the SL NITRO 510 rivals conventional strobes and retains dynamic looks whether washing a stage or pointing directly at an audience.

Sister company Philips Vari-Lite will be demo'ing the recently released Indy software for the VLX Wash lum

UK - Orbital Sound plans to show a full house of international pro audio brands on Stand No: 129 at the ABTT Theatre Show 2013 (Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London, 12-13 June).

As Clear-Com's and HME's exclusive UK distributor, Orbital will be spotlighting the full range of high performance wireless intercom systems, including the latest version of the Clear-Com HelixNet all-digital intercom platform, and the popular HME DX210 radio comms system.

In its capacity as an authorised d&b auditotechnik sales and installation partner, Orbital will be highlighting the highly successful T-Series compact line arrays, alongside a selection from the brand's extensive range of small, high performance loudspeaker systems.

The TheatrePro miniature microphone range is specifically designed for theatre applications. The latest models include the E-60MP low profile earset microphone, feat

Sweden - PLASA's first ever networking event in Scandinavia, PLASA Focus: Backstage Malmö, was a huge success, with over 240 delegates attending from across Scandinavia and northern Europe.

Devised in conjunction with technical director Ola Melzig and the production team behind this year's Eurovision, this unique event aimed to combine unprecedented backstage access with seminars, Q&A sessions with key members of the production team and a technology showcase to highlight the cutting-edge sound, lighting, projection, video and control systems in use on a show which will have a television audience in excess of 100m people.

After the event, Melzig said, "What a success! All partners and visitors I've talked with are super happy about the quality of this show, and its visitors. It was really great to share the experience and show what is going on backstage to so many peo

World - Fleetwood Mac are back on the road and a grandMA2 console has joined the iconic band on the Fleetwood Mac Live 2013 World Tour. The new tour, which began in Columbus will wrap in Australia in December, marks the first for the band since 2009's sold-out Unleashedtour. This year is also the 35th anniversary of their Rumours album, one of the most successful in recording history.

Lighting designer Paul "Arlo" Guthrie of Minneapolis-based Toss Film + Design is Fleetwood Mac's long-time lighting designer. "I have to cater to four different personalities (Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks) and bring them together as one team," he explains. "For this show we have four big soft box panels and 32 Clay Paky Sharpy Washes on curved lighting pipes, some of them on the floor, some on the rigs and some in pods that c

Russia - Moscow's Satirikon Theatre opened its 2012-2013 season with a production of Romeo and Juliet directed by Konstantin Raikin. Raikin, the theatre's artistic director, has not staged Shakespeare's timeless love story at the Satirikon since the mid-1990s, and the new production has been hailed by critics and theatregoers alike for its innovative, high-tech, and ultramodern approach. The impressive visual effects created by ETC Russia using Christie projection equipment meld seamlessly and naturally with the on-stage action.

As Ruslan Semenov, general director of ETC Russia, explains, "It took our team a month and a half to prepare the video content for the show. The work was done on stage under the direct supervision of Konstantin Raikin. Daily rehearsals with the theatre company enabled us to achieve unique synchronisation between the video elements and the act

USA - For the 16th year in a row, a broad range of Audio-Technica microphones was selected to outfit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. A-T supplied over 50 mics to capture the music for the 28th annual induction ceremony, which took place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Inductees included Rush (longtime A-T supporters), Heart, Albert King, Randy Newman, Public Enemy and Donna Summer. Non-performing honourees included Lou Adler and Quincy Jones. The show will be broadcast on HBO, Saturday, 18 May.

Eight channels of Audio-Technica's Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless System were used with AEW-T3300 handheld microphones/transmitters for frontline vocals throughout the evening, notably on the evening's finale by Chris Cornell, John Fogerty, Dave Grohl and Ann Wilson.

The Rush performance had a particularly strong Audio-Technica presence, with R

Switzerland - Moving lights from Robe's latest Robin MMX and DL Series ranges were utilised by lighting designer Michael Grundner for the world premiere of Moses - The Ten Commandments, a new musical extravaganza by Michael Kunze and Dieter Falk being staged at the Theatre St. Gallen in Switzerland.

The creative brief for Grundner's lighting design was to mimic the style and genre of the show - 'contemporary rock and pop with gospel elements' - for which the theatre decided to purchase the new system of Robe moving lights.

The package comprised eight MMX Spots, two DLS Profile, two DLX Spots and 16 DLF Wash fixtures, all of which were specified by the theatre's head of lighting, Andreas Enzler and his deputy Andreas Volk ... on the recommendation of Grundner among others, and were delivered via Robe's Swiss distributor, Audio Tech.

They decided on Robe because they so

Australia - Concert & Corporate Productions in Western Australia supplies lighting equipment and crew to some of the most prestigious corporate clients as well as national and internationally recognised touring acts. As CCP continues to grow stronger, larger, and to increase their inventory, their equipment choices tend to be driven my market demands.

"As our industry is spec driven we have to go by what people are wanting and most of the specs we've seen in the past eighteen months have requested Vari*Lite VL3000's or higher," commented Sean McKernan, general manager at CCP. "To purchase some was just a natural progression for our path of where we wanted to go."

In February Concert & Corporate Productions took delivery of 24 VL3000 Spots and eight VL2500 Washes which have seen action on a wide variety of events from Celtic Thunder, Neil Finn & Paul Kelly t

USA - Bandit Lites had the privilege of being the first to light a concert at the University of Georgia's Sanford Stadium, where ACM award winner Jason Aldean played to more than 60,000 people. The 90-minute set, which was filmed for a DVD release, included a surprise visit from rapper Ludacris and a virtual appearance from Kelly Clarkson.

Award-winning lighting designer, Aaron Swetland faced the singular challenge of having to adapt his already massive rig for television with an additional 88 Sharpys, 20 Syncrolite fixtures, 34 3500 washes, 20 MAC Auras and 24 Bandit 5x5s. Giant artwork scrims were added above stage right and left with 30ft trusses above them, while a 60ft lighting truss was placed centre downstage from the usual downstage truss for television lighting.

For his inaugural stadium show, Swetland focused on filling the space while being mindful of the challenges

USA - KIIS FM's annual Wango Tango concert in Los Angeles always draws a galaxy of stars. This year's concert, held at the 27,000-seat Home Depot Centre, was no exception, with the likes of Maroon 5, Afrojack, FloRida, Fall Out Boy, Miguel, Jason Derulo, Demi Lovato, Icona Pap, Will.i.am, Bruno Mars and Avril Lavigne performing on stage.

Such a superstar line-up deserves a superstar lightshow, and that's exactly what LD Todd Roberts (Visions Lighting, Brea, CA) delivered. The spectacular non-stop exciting lightshow was anchored by 52 Platinum Beam 5Rs, the extreme ACL Beam aerial moving head effect from Elation Professional. Powered by Philips' MSD Platinum 5R lamp and utilizing Elation's advanced optics system, the 189W Platinum Beam 5R has an output comparable to a 575W discharge fixture.

Another Elation Professional product that contributed to the Wango Tango lightshow was

USA - On 18 and 19 May, DigitalSound Production Services (DPS) supplied new Meyer Sound Leo linear large-scale reinforcement system for the 30th anniversary of the Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride festival. The new system powered the festival's main stage performances, headlined on Saturday by R&B singer Fantasia and on Sunday by finalists from the television shows American Idol and The Voice.

For DPS production manager Chris Verducci, the outdoor festival was the perfect opportunity to introduce the power and clarity of the company's new Leo system.

"It's a very high-profile event and a large area to cover, so we really wanted the extra punch that LEO provides," Verducci says. "It's an all-around great choice, and the fact that we can get more punch from fewer cabinets is a huge plus. With another brand of speakers we'd need far more cabinets to g

Australia - - P!NK is currently out on a massive 10-month global arena tour in support of her sixth and most recent record, The Truth About Love. Currently trekking across Europe - following an initial US leg that began in February - P!NK and her entourage will eventually head down to Australia for the summer months before making their way back to North America for a second sweep that will carry the pop superstar through the end of the year and possibly beyond.

Manning her FOH mix, as he has for the past five years, Chris Madden has specified the use of a full L-Acoustics K1 system for the entire duration of the tour, which is being equipped by Sydney, Australia's JPJ Audio - the merged operation of Jands Production Services, L-Acoustics' longtime Australian rental partner, and Johnston Audio.

Madden, who has also performed FOH duties for Joe Cocker, Sade and Jessie J i

USA - PLASA Focus: Orlando, the latest addition to the North American regional event series is hailed a great success, impressing local visitors with the newest and most innovative products and a show stopping line-up of seminars.

Nearly 700 attendees saw a number of new products make their regional debut, including the first fixtures of Martin Professional's new range - RUSH; four new fixtures from Robe Lighting's multi award-winning Robin product line; Elation's EZ6 LED Video Panel, Rayzor 7 and Platinum Beam 5R Extreme; DiGiCo's latest theatrical software updates for the SD9, showcased on the Group One booth; GLP German Lighting Products Impression X4S; Truss Aluminium Factory's TOWER 05; and iWeiss's ViaTraveler and BannerHoist.

The PLASA Professional Development Programme proved a massive hit once again, packing out rooms to see names such as Matt Conover, vice president

UK - Martin Professional heads to the ABTT show (Stand 125) with a full stable of new lighting, video, control and smoke products.

Join the Martin UK team June 12-13 at the Old Truman Brewery in East London and be some of the first to see the newest members of the award-winning MAC Viper Family of moving heads.

From the MAC Viper Wash with superior colour mixing to the MAC Viper Wash DX and MAC Viper Performance, both with internal framing, theatre professionals will want to check out the complete MAC Viper Family, says the company.

Martin's 1500 W MAC III Wash will also feature as will the latest in Martin's VC Series of creative LED video products, the VC Strip.

ABTT will also see new launches from Martin smoke including a nearly silent C02 hazer, the Jem Ready 365, the Jem AF-1 Mkll, an upgrade of Martin's industry-standard compact fan, and Pro Clean Supreme, a high-per

Brazil - With the help of trade bodies, PLASA and MIA, the APRS assembled 10 British companies, including eight sharing a national booth called the Great British Audio Embassy, who presented their wares at the annual AES Convention at the Expo Centre Norte.

Participants from the pro-audio, broadcast and sound reinforcement industries shared a specially designed booth at the heart of the show, creating a great first impression and receiving the glowing attention both of visitors to the show and of the host of local distributors and manufacturers with whom they were looking for local partnerships.

Console and auxiliary stalwarts SSL and AMS-Neve re-launched their Brazilian presences along with first time appearances from CB Electronics, XTA/MC2, Martin Audio, Sonnox, JoeCo, Sonifex, Sonic Distribution and Resolution magazine.

The Great British Audio Embassy booth also p

UK - Orbital Sound's expert easiHire rental service team will be on hand to explain the essential details on Stand No 129a at ABTT 2013. easiHire's intuitive online portal provides 24/7 access to everything needed to create a rental package, and is designed for professional and non-professional users alike.

Orbital's easiHire service enables rapid and simple product selection across individual components or complete systems, backed up with detailed specifications and photographs, comprehensive product information, detailed budget guides and convenient planning tools. easiHire is designed to provide an easy platform for sourcing anything from a single microphone to a complete opening-night musical package. It takes users step-by-step through the selection and quotation process, providing a ballpark cost and logging all the relevant information ready for a rapid direct contact fro

UK - Floors for dance and the performing arts will once again be showcased at London's Old Truman Brewery for two days this summer, with Harlequin Floors taking an exhibition stand at the ABTT 2013 Theatre Show on 12-13 June.

Visitors to Harlequin on Stand 144 will discover an exciting new service that the world leaders in sprung and vinyl floors is set to add to its market leading product portfolio.

With 50% more exhibition floor space than last year, the 35th ABTT is expected to welcome record-breaking numbers of visitors. On the Harlequin stand in the Orange Hall, visitors will have access to a wide selection of floor types - as well as expert support, guidance and advice from the Harlequin team.

"We have been exhibiting at ABTT for more than 25 years, "said marketing manager, Caroline Reilly, "and we are excited to once again demonstrate our latest product

Canada - The Music Industries Association of Canada (MIAC) has announced the preliminary details for the 12th annual PAL Show. This year's show will take place 8-9 September, 2013, at the International Centre in Toronto, and will feature a number of new initiatives to enhance the overall experience and return on investment for visitors and exhibitors alike.

Exhibits will feature the latest in recording, live sound, broadcast, contracting, video, and lighting products and services. Both days of the show will feature a broad range of educational seminars as well as networking events, industry approved training programs, show specials, and live demonstrations.

"We are extremely excited about The PAL Show 2013," comments Dale Kroke, Sr. VP & GM, B&J Music and chairman of the Board of Directors, MIAC. "Our recent membership survey generated a lot of great feedback ab

USA - After a hugely successful debut show in February 2012, the trail-blazing PLASA Focus regional event series is returning to Austin, where it all began! This year's show is bigger and better and is taking place at a new venue, the Palmer Events Centre in downtown Austin, just 20 minutes from Austin Airport, on 10-11 September 2013.

"PLASA Focus: Austin 2012 was the first event to be launched under the PLASA Focus banner in North America, and it proved to be very popular, with both visitors and exhibitors, which is why we have decided to return to the region this September. Over 40 companies have already signed up to exhibit, and we expect to see both previous and new visitors, all of whom want to experience and interact with the latest products without having to travel far from home" says Jackie Tien, director of media, sales & marketing at PLASA.

PLASA Focus pro

UK - Amongst Sennheiser UK's products on show at the 2013 ABTT Theatre Show will be "three truly ground-breaking audio solutions".

Launched last year, the company's 9000 Series digital wireless microphones system has already made a major impression on West End theatre shows and high profile corporate launches. On show will be the eight-channel EM 9046 receiver, SKM 900 handheld and SK 9000 beltpacks.

The LSP 500 PRO loudspeaker is a wireless audio solution which allows entire sound reinforcement systems to be installed in minutes. Connected to an external WLAN, a complete PA of up to 20 loudspeakers can be controlled by an iPhone or iPad, via the free, highly intuitive LSP 500 app. Each LSP 500 PRO accommodates up to three receivers for wireless microphones and also has a combined socket for a 6.3 mm jack plug and an XLR-3 connector for using a wired microphone. A US

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