www.psneurope.com
(L-R) Martin Audio’s Dominic Jacobson, James King and Chris Pyne
Prolight + Sound 2013
WHAT IS it with PSNEurope and the calendar-defining
tradeshows in 2013? NAMM got us off to a miserable start, with its overcast skies and showery spells. Then Prolight + Sound continued the theme: heavy cloud and torrential downpours, before a sheepish yellow disc crawled out halfway through proceedings. Both shows have been held a week later this year – so you’d think we’d be just a little nearer to some summer sun each time, wouldn’t you? DiGiCo kicked off Prolight + Sound, as it so often does, and dished up new software for the SD9 console, adapting it to the needs of the theatre and broadcast worlds (SD9T and SD9B packages can be bought preloaded onto new SD9 consoles, or installed on existing desks). In addition, the company has released a software upgrade that frees up more processing power from its Stealth FPGA chips. Now the SD9 and SD11 machines can operate at a sample rate of 96kHz without reducing channel count, says the company. A greater reveal came halfway
through the press conference, when MD James Gordon confirmed that DiGiCo desks would be part of Capital Sound’s artillery when they tackle the main stage in Hyde Park this summer – but you read that already on page 5, right? The launch of the SSL Live console in Frankfurt – revealed exclusively in last month’s PSNEurope – certainly “ruffled a few feathers”, according to one company source. Around the show, comments ranged from “too expensive” to “not expensive enough” – though this is before exact pricing has been determined. “The show was an amazing
success,” head of marketing Dan Duffell said afterwards. “The response from the industry and engineers was overwhelmingly positive. It seems that we have given people everything they want and more, and the level of positive feedback was extremely encouraging. We were confident going into the show that we had a compelling product and the show has resoundingly assured us that we have a very good chance of success in the live sector. We are looking forward to exciting times in the months and years ahead.” PSNEurope was party to
several other Frankfurt firsts last
PL+S: Feathers ruffled in Frankfurt
May 2013 l 15
showreview SOUNDBITES
GERMANY
Coda Audio announced a new range of 2- and 4-channel amplifiers with DSP and networking. The first in the range is LINUS 10, a dual-channel 10,000W amplifier in a 2U package designed for touring systems.
www.codaaudio.com
The L-AcousticsLA4X is an amplified controller based on a 4-in, 4-out architecture combining the “benefits of self-powered speaker packages with the flexibility of outboard DSP and amplification”. LA4X is a “green” controller that relies on a universal switch mode power supply (SMPS) suitable for mains from 90V to 265V. The SMPS features a Power Factor Correction which maximises the amplifier efficiency and takes advantage of “nearly 100%” of the electrical power available, with a “very high tolerance” to unstable mains. Also on show were the 5XT ultra-compact coaxial enclosure and SB15m compact subwoofer.
www.l-acoustics.com
Dave Robinson introduces four pages of stories and launches from Prolight + Sound
issue, you will recall – the
Lab.gruppen IPD amplifier series; the Allen & Heath Qu-16 compact digital mixer; the Martin Audio MLA Mini; and the Powersoft deal with APG. Bosch launched its first
products based on its IP-based OMNEO technology, as predicted by Ethan Wetzell last issue, too. OMNEO combines Dante media transport with OCA (Open Control Alliance) control. This promises fully standardised media networks and smooth interoperability between Bosch equipment and third-party products. Not only did Powersoft shake hands with APG, it hugged Audinate, on this the occasion of its 18th birthday. This initiative will start with the new Ottocanali series of installation amps, scheduled to launch in the autumn, which will incorporate
Dante networking protocols into the design. Martin Audio said, post-event,
it was an improvement on last year. “I had considered it impossible that we could have had a better show than last year. But if we left the Messe buzzing on that occasion, then 2013 has all but left us speechless,” Simon Bull gushed. The company’s three recent hires (Dominic Jacobson, James King and Chris Pyne) were all enjoying the show. Martin picked up new distribution deals with InfoGroup (Turkey) and Integrated Entertainment Solutions (India) during the proceedings. Next year’s PL+S shifts back to mid-March. This year’s combined Musikmesse and PL+S attracted 113,000 visitors from 142 countries – “a new all-time record” – according to official figures. That’s 3% up on last year
(A final attendance figure for Prolight + Sound alone is not yet available.) “This visitor response has far surpassed our own expectations and that of the exhibitors,” said Detlef Braun, managing director of Messe Frankfurt. It certainly was an exciting and dynamic event for pro-audio fans. Meanwhile, there’s one last major international show for pro-audio in Europe: PLASA in October. Let’s hope the bad weather fails to score the hat-trick, and we can all travel to ExCeL without the need for snowshoes and a St Bernard.n
http://pls.messefrankfurt.com
+ More PL+S stories and pictures over the next three pages + TC Group, p52 + Soundcraft, p41 + Pictures: Hither & Dither, p57 + Tim Chapman, p58
DPAlaunched its d:dicate series of conference microphones. This range was developed by AKG following an approach by the Nobel Prize committee who wanted a microphone that would work in a very reverberant hall. The key to its performance, according to DPA’s Bo Brinck, is that indirect sound hitting the microphone from the side is attenuated so that it blends in with the direct sound for a natural-sounding overall result.
www.dpamicrophones.com
d&b audiotechniklaunched the Vi series – special installation models from its V-Series with simplified rigging and electrical connections. Models announced at the show were the Vi8, Vi12 and the Vi-SUB: the latter is an active cardioid subwoofer with an 18” driver in a bass-reflex design facing to the front and a 12” driver in a two-chamber bandpass design radiating to the rear.
www.dbaudio.com
K-array brought its innovative Anakonda ‘snake’ speaker system and KMS33 ‘cheese box’ (both launched earlier in the year) to PL+S – look out for the interview with senior product specialist Francesco Maffei next month.
www.k-array.com
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