London - 2014 marks the 75th anniversary of the launch of the distinctive Shure 55 Unidyne dynamic microphone, an iconic design and favourite of celebrated figures through the decades, including Billie Holliday, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, and John F. Kennedy, to name just a few.

Introduced in 1939, the 55 Unidyne was internationally adopted as a workhorse microphone for broadcast, public address, recording, and two-way radio applications. By the 1950s it was so well known that it was marketed as "the microphone that needs no name". And even in the 21st century, its design symbolises what many think of when they hear the word "microphone".

To this day, the 55 Unidyne - the first directional microphone to use a single dynamic element - continues to influence dynamic microphone designs across the globe. This fact was recognised by the international Institute of Ele

Europe - Yamaha has released a free update to its Nuage post-production and studio recording system which allows seamless compatibility with Steinberg's just-released Cubase Pro 8 DAW software - making Nuage a powerful and flexible control solution for music production studios.

Nuage is already highly regarded by the post-production industry, but Yamaha's experience with live and studio mixing consoles meant that its potential to be an industry-leading solution for music production has long been recognised. This potential has now been realised, thanks to the Nuage v1.6 software update, which delivers high-level integration with Cubase Pro 8, including full access from Nuage Fader and Nuage Master units.

Cubase has been a benchmark of music production software for the past 25 years and Cubase Pro 8 is its most advanced version yet. One of the flagship features is its VCA faders

Germany - HK Audio has marked the first birthday of its Pulsar range of full-range portable powered speakers by producing a new explanatory video entitled Pulsar by HK Audio: Story of Origin.

The three-minute video, which is available now on HK Audio's official YouTube channel, explains Pulsar's key features from the perspective of one of the firm's engineers, and runs through the considerations made when designing the series.

Engineered specifically for musicians and DJs who want state-of-the-art acoustics and electronics delivered in a classic format, Pulsar brings all of HK Audio's longstanding competences together in a modern, easily transportable package. The speakers feature 1000 watts of Class D power and the latest DSP technology, while the cabinets are built of select wood chosen for its superior acoustic properties.

HK Audio product manager Alexander Wollenb

USA - LDI 2014, Las Vegas saw double-fold excitement around Robert Juliat this year as two booths promoted the latest products from the French manufacturer of followspots, profiles and Fresnels.

Robert Juliat USA's booth displayed popular, well-established brands including its LED profile ranges and a number of its powerful followspots. Simultaneously, newly-appointed US distributor, ACT Lighting, marked its first showing of Robert Juliat products by introducing Robert Juliat's latest followspots, the new Merlin and Roxie.

LDI 2014 witnessed the first viewing on US soil of Robert Juliat's new touring followspot, Merlin. Merlin is the culmination of an ambitious project to produce a powerful, rugged followspot for the touring market.

"America is the home of the megatour, with stadium rock, mega churches and large sporting events an essential part of its culture," sa

Spain - Neo 5 A ES and NEO 5 IP, the two last additions to the Neo Series of loudspeakers designed and developed by Work Pro, are now available. These two new products are innovative and smart solutions developed to complement Neo Series in order to provide AV professionals with powerful solutions that fit the requirements of every type of installations besides to offer additional advantages such as the optimization in energy consumption.

The Neo 5 A ES, the updated version of Neo 5 A, has been developed by Work Pro after setting itself the objective of maximizing the savings in energy consumption and, therefore, making it more efficient. Under this "green" or "ecological" company philosophy, the brand has come up with a smart solution capable of shutting down when it is not receiving audio signal. This auto-off feature means a reduction in its consumption be

USA/Canada - Parasol Systems has announced the sale of the demonstration STAR600 unit that was showcased in the High End Systems booth at LDI. For those who attended LDI, the STAR600 system was hanging dead centre of the High End Systems booth and featured six Shapeshifter C2s and three of their brand new SolaSpot Pro 1500 luminaries.

The High End booth was located in a great location right by the main entrance and was enhanced with the dynamic features of the Parasol STAR600, attracting many spectators.

"We were very fortunate to partner up with High End Systems at LDI," says Paul Rabinovitz, business development manager for Parasol Systems. He adds, "It was great for us to show potential clients what the STAR600 looked like in action, and it added a great vibrant element to the High End Systems booth as well."

In addition to the sale of the STAR600, Par

Spain - NEO 5 A ES and NEO 5 IP are two new installation products joining the NEO Series. Designed and developed by WORK Pro, these new products "are innovative and smart solutions developed to complement NEO Series in order to provide AV professionals with powerful solutions that fit the requirements of every type of installations besides to offer additional advantages such as the optimization in energy consumption", the company says.

The NEO 5 A ES is the updated version of NEO 5 A, developed by WORK Pro with the objective of maximizing savings in energy consumption and improving efficiency. Under this 'green' company philosophy, the company has come up with a smart solution whereby the loudspeaker is capable of shutting down when not receiving audio signal. This auto-off feature means a reduction in its consumption below 1W under these circumstances. Thanks to this

USA - Alcorn McBride, the leading manufacturer of show control, audio and video equipment for the themed entertainment industry, introduced two new products at the recent IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) 2014 convention: AmpTraXX, a16-channel amplifier with DSP, and the DVM8500-AB, a single-channel HD video playback unit with built-in amp and DSP.

Specially designed for vehicle applications, the compact, energy-efficient chassis of AmpTraXX packs 400W RMS into 16 channels of amplification and DSP. Each AmpTraXX channel can provide up to 25W into 8 ohms and independent DSP capability, including a 9-band EQ, dynamic range and compression control, as well as gain and stereo/mono mixing capability. Channel pairs can also be bridged to provide 50W operation if more power is required.

AmpTraXX is programmed with user-friendly software included wit

USA - At LDI 2014, Philips Entertainment enjoyed one of its most noteworthy tradeshows during a full week which included The Symphony of Light, VL4000 Spot technical training, NEO lighting control console training, and the well-celebrated Philips Strand Lighting Centennial Toast and champagne reception.

Along with all of the events which took place, Philips Entertainment also enjoyed the successful LDI product debuts of the Philips Vari-Lite VL4000 Spot, Showline SL NITRO 510C and SL PAR 155 ZOOM luminaires, plus the Philips Strand Lighting NEO control console and Emergency DMX Bypass Switch.

"I could not be more proud of the outstanding Philips Entertainment team who put together a wonderful and well-rounded event," said Julie Smith, general manager of the Americas. "We had an incredibly busy week and through our completely interactive and hands-on booth

Singapore - Powersoft has continued the coordinated global launch of its ground-breaking X-Series amplifiers. The journey, which began in Frankfurt Prolight+Sound last year, where the system received its world premier, has now arrived in Asia - starting in Singapore on 18 November.

Here, sound professionals were also introduced to the equally revolutionary DEVA self-contained multifunctional multimedia device.

The session opened with a welcome speech from Gary Goh, deputy MD of E&E Pte Ltd (Powersoft's distributor in Singapore who recently completed the integration of the much talked about Singapore Sports Hub) while Powersoft sales director Luca Giorgi represented the Italian manufacturer.

This was followed by a sharing of information and the launch of the products themselves. This was presented by Powersoft Applications Engineer, Remo Orsoni - who, with more than 30 years'

USA - Wireless audio manufacturer RF Venue has released two new antenna distribution products: COMBINE4, a four channel transmitter combiner, and DISTRO4, which has been updated to include cascade ports.

COMBINE4 is a professional, affordable combiner for any brand in-ear monitor. It joins four IEM signals into a single RF output for dramatic improvement in signal quality and extended range via optional directional antennas.

"With performers of all kinds demanding IEMs, the challenge is for engineers to minimize dropouts and interference," said RF Venue CEO Chris Regan. "Using a robust antenna combiner like the new COMBINE4 paired with a dedicated transmit antenna makes an enormous difference, even on small IEM systems."

RF Venue's updated DISTRO4 retains all powerful features of the previous generation antenna distributor, but adds a fifth cascade port t

USA - Avolites' US partner Group One reports that the two companies are "seeing the fruits of our labours" in a dramatic way, as Avolites' new products - including the compact-yet-powerful Quartz console - excite the US market following LDI.

The newest addition to the Titan Mobile family, Quartz was the "star of the show" on stand as it made its US debut at the tradeshow, showing off its on-board processing and bright, vibrant 12.1" screen.

"Quartz is super compact, measuring only 16.7" wide, and is positioned as the ideal companion for lighting projects ranging from touring and festivals to clubs and one-offs," says Avolites Sales Manager, Stephen Baird Smith, who was on-stand at LDI. "It is Avolites' smallest fully-featured console, featuring the same high quality faders and hardware you've come to expect from Avolites, and is ide

USA - Just over a month ago, the all new patent-pending RC4Magic Series 3 DMX4dim wowed judges at PLASA in London and received a PLASA Award for Innovation. Last week, that same four-channel wireless dimmer made its United States debut at LDI and continued to impress. In a field heavy with great new technology, only two New Product Awards were granted: one Winner and one Honorable Mention. The RC4Magic Series 3 DMX4dim received the Honourable Mention.

"For three straight exhibition days we were overwhelmed with the response to new Series 3 technology. Costumers, Music Tour Designers, Light Artists, and OEM customers all saw the versatility of our new equipment and immediately knew that it solved their problems," says Sean Dane, sales director and application specialist for RC4 Wireless.

RC4 Series 3 Harmonized Design provides integration of numerous ground-breaking R

China - PR Lighting has extended its XLED series with the release of the XLED 3007. Containing seven LEDs (4 in 1 RGBW), each rated at 20W, this is a larger version of the XLED 2007 and features a 6:1 zoom - one of many similar functions it shares with the company's successful XLED 3019. And crucially, each LED is individually controllable.

Aside from its impressive zoom ratio (7°-42°), the fixture has endless pan and tilt rotation. In other words it will pan 720°, 360° or endlessly, and tilt 270° (or endlessly), with Swap and Invert function, auto position correction and magnet positioning function.

Other notable features of the XLED 3007 are the fact that it will operate to sound (sound to light), has optional wireless control, features touch keys on the panel and over-temperature protection.

The XLED 3007 contains all the functions that one would expec

UK - Tannoy has introduced a new addition to its VX Series range of premium grade passive sound reinforcement loudspeakers, with the new model heralding a number of subtle changes across the range to provide more flexible solutions for mobile and versatile environments.

The VX 8M is a new full range Dual Concentric loudspeaker from Tannoy, providing a compact, yet punchy and sonically vibrant solution for small-to-medium scale performance sound reinforcement. With a tightly controlled 90 degree dispersion for optimum coverage and forward gain, the VX 8M has a peak output of 119dB and a recommended amplifier power of 260w, making it a powerful and versatile performer for a wide range of applications.

A new rugged highly compact birch plywood enclosure - available in textured black and white paint finish - has been ergonomically redesigned to offer a greater degree of flexibilit

UK - This year, SXS Events are celebrating 15 years in business and to coincide with celebrations, the company has purchased Calibre UK LEDView530 scaler-switchers for use across their LED and video display fleet.

"Our client base is broad and includes Airbus, Audi, Barbour, BBC, Bentley, the Clinton family, Eurostar, London Fashion Week and Rolex," said Johnny Palmer, production designer, company director and founder at SXS Events.

Projects that have challenged SXS includes building structures over natural lakes and providing 'rain curtain' water screens at Britain's Top Model on Sky TV.

"With every project, we are looking to differentiate the services we provide. By offering a unique set of broad services there are often no other companies who can bid on our projects," said Palmer.

"The key challenge for our business is lead-time. Because our fab

The Netherlands - d&b audiotechnik will be showing its latest installation solutions at Stand 7-C175 at ISE in the Amsterdam RAI between 10-12 February 2015.

The d&b Y-Series was launched in 2014 to much critical acclaim. Offering both point source and line array loudspeakers, the Y-Series delivers versatile and configurable solutions in a myriad of environments. The Yi loudspeakers are the installation specific versions and will take centre stage at the d&b audiotechnik display. The Yi7P and Yi10P and the Yi8 and Yi12 will be on the stand and the d&b team will be on hand to welcome visitors.

But it's not just about the Y. The d&b audiotechnik installation solutions provide stylish, discreet and quality performance in permanently installed applications. Examples from the xS-Series, xA-Series and the particularly elegant xC-Series column speakers will be on show.

Meanwhile, i

UK - Shure Distribution UK (SDUK), exclusive distributor in the UK and Ireland for Spanish manufacturer WORK Pro, has announced the availability of two new additions to the Neo range of installation loudspeakers. Supplementing the existing pair of two-way Neo models and one subwoofer, Neo 5 A ES and Neo 5 IP are compact, stylish speakers designed for installed sound applications, and like the rest of the range, can be used in low-impedance or 100V installations.

The Neo 5 A ES is an updated version of the existing Neo 5 A self-powered compact installation speaker, with an added 'eco-friendly' energy-saving mode which saves on power consumption. When not receiving audio signals, the speaker goes into shutdown mode, reducing its consumption to below 1W.

Neo 5 IP is the two-way passive model of the Neo range, and is rated IP65 on the industrial Ingress Protection scale, meaning t

UK - Audiologic, is now shipping some new lines from Ecler. Committed to developing products in direct response to customer feedback and demand, Ecler has built on the success of its CA40 micro stereo amplifier to produce the CA120. Still compact, the more powerful 2x60W CA120 offers even wider scope within applications that require integration with external control devices, including classrooms, meeting rooms and retail premises. Its remote control features include serial RS-232 port, IR receiver and 0-10 VDC remote port.

Addressing the need for single box solutions in retail, bars and restaurants, ECLER's HMA is a series of self-powered public address mixers. With nine audio inputs and a high/low impedance amplified output alongside an extensive set of control connections, the HMA 180 covers the full spectrum for a variety of applications involving background music, microphone

The Netherlands - RCF spa will present a wide range of products at next year's Integrated Systems Show (ISE 2015, Amsterdam RAI, 10-12 February).

Receiving a special showcase will be their new flagship DXT 9000 and DXT 3000 digital voice alarm systems, certified to EN 54-16 and EN 54-4 standards. The DXT 9000 is completely scalable. The first fully digital PA/VA system to be designed from the ground up by RCF engineers, the DXT 9000 is sufficiently versatile to be used in almost any kind of application, from the smallest school or hotel to huge campuses that include multiple buildings.

The DXT 9000 is a distributed system in which every component, including the loudspeakers, has its own physical address, can be monitored according to current EN 54 standards, and can be configured after installation where necessary.

While paging and voice evacuation are the primary uses for t

USA - VER (Video Equipment Rentals), one of the top AV rental companies in North America, with locations in Canada and Europe, recently purchased an extensive Optocore fibre optic audio system in its ongoing commitment to provide their customers with leading edge technological solutions.

The 500+ audio channel network will additionally support routing and distribution of video, digital intercom and a variety of DSP based control and communication via the high speed 100 GBit Ethernet capability.

Brady Belavek, audio production manager, commented: "VER was one of the first North American AV production companies to incorporate fibre optic products in its inventory to offer advance services to customers who are the pinnacle of TV and event producers and technicians.

"Every year their visions of production expectations pushes the status quo and they come to us for bette

USA - LDI 2014 provided the perfect setting for Lightconverse to showcase its features with its release of version 56.

The ability to see your show in a highly realistic 360° virtual world was one of the highlights as a constant stream of visitors to the booth strapped on an Oculus DK2 virtual reality headset, stepping into an immersive experience that left them humming how Lightconverse can be used as an undeniable way to bring clients onboard quickly, while also bringing an innovative new tool to the design process.

Also creating a buzz at the show was the Lightconverse mirror feature which offers the ability to create beautiful mirrored surfaces - increasing the realism abilities to a whole other level.

Well known as the first 3D visualizer to offer automatic mapping edge blending via its patented process, 3D mapping enrichments for v56 included video zone output warp

Germany - The AES, in cooperation with the European Broadcast Union (EBU), recently held a 'Plugfest' with equipment from 10 manufacturers, to demonstrate functional compatibility - or interoperability - between a number of different implementations of the AES67-2013 standard.

AES67 is a standard to enable high-performance audio-over-IP streaming interoperability between the various IP-based audio networking products currently available, such as Dante, Livewire, Q-LAN and RAVENNA. It is not a new technology but a bridging compliance mode common to all IP-Networks; a mode you can put a device into, on any participating network. AES67 operates over standard layer 3 Ethernet networks and, as such, is routable and fully scalable, like any common modern IT network. As a rule of thumb, any network infrastructure capable of handling VoIP should be able to handle AES67. The Media Networ

The Netherlands - Panasonic's presence at ISE 2015 will showcase the latest in 4K and laser technology, as well as visual solutions aimed at a range of industry verticals.

Among the innovations promised at this year's show are a pixel quadrupling 4K projector, laser projectors that achieve industry leading brightness and a successor to the PT-DZ21K, Europe's most successful high brightness projector.

Panasonic will also showcase its newly developed remote monitoring and managed service solution - demonstrating results of a trial with a leading UK university, which used Panasonic's own Early Warning System, connected with M2M technology.

The company has increased the size of its booth at ISE to an impressive 600sqm, which reflects the importance of the event to the company. Jan Markus Jahn, director of visual system solutions, said: "ISE is the centrepiece of our annual

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