Those who have never attended Prolight and Sound in Frankfurt before could easily be forgiven for underestimating the sheer magnitude of the event. Quite simply put, it’s massive. Walking around the Bockenheim and Westend-Sud districts of Frankfurt one would struggle to miss the massive Messe complex that Prolight and Sound and its sister event, Musikmesse, calls home for four days in the spring. For that matter, walking around the Messe itself, one would struggle to keep one’s feet blister free!
This year Prolight and Sound/Musikmesse was a record breaking event. 113 000-plus visitors from 142 countries attended, surpassing the previous attendance record set in 2009. This included 42 300 international visitors; 71 200 from Germany alone. Figures for 2012 came in at 109 481 from 120 countries with 68 267 German visitors.
Of course, the focus of the event is the products of which there were more than 30 000 on display. It would feasibly take many more than four days to make a comprehensive sweep of all of the immense and spaced out halls so we have compiled a list of notable mentions in terms of new products. Let’s take a look.
Allen & Heath announced their new Qu-16 digital rack mount mixer which incorporates technologies found in the GLD and iLive range of digital consoles. Notable features include 19 motorised faders, 16 recallable AnaLOGIQ preamps, Qu-Drive multitrack recording/playback on USB drives, a 800×400 touchscreen, a dSNAKE remote stage box audio port, USB audio streaming, DAW MIDI control, and on-board RTA with Peak Band indication.
New from Behringer, the iSTUDIO iS202 iPad docking station was showcased at the Music Group stand in Hall 8.0 of Prolight and Sound. The iSTUDIO iS202, an iPad-based audio interface aimed at live and studio recording, offers two mic/line inputs on XLR combo jacks, a stereo line/phono input on RCA connectors, left and right TRS main outputs, jacks for a footswitch and an expression pedal, MIDI I/O, USB MIDI output and an RCA video output for connecting to a TV or projector.
Powersoft unveiled their latest range of K Series amplifiers. The K Series offers various power ratings in 6 models ranging from 2 x 1 000W/ch at 8 ohms to 2 x 9 000W/ch at 2Ohms, still maintaining the one unit size.
Lab.Gruppen’s IPD (Intelligent Power Drive) Series of networked, DSP-driven amplifiers were released at this year’s Prolight and Sound at the TC Group stand in hall 4.1.
Available in two power configurations, IPD 1 200 and IPD 2 400 (2 × 600w and 2 × 1 200w, respectively), the IPD series incorporates on-board DSP, networked monitoring and control via PC or iPad, a 4-channel input matrix, graphically displayed front panel controls, analogue and AES3 inputs with redundant fail-over, Lab.Gruppen limiters and sturdy construction.
The CS3 Discussion System by AKG was presented at the Harman Group stand in hall 8.0. Aimed as a conference system for small-to medium-sized meetings, the CS3 is modular and entirely plug and play which ensures easy setup for untrained people. The base unit connects to all relevant devices such as PA, recording, external audio sources and camera control systems and there are various gooseneck options available.
Electro Voice revealed their new ZLX range of portable loudspeakers available in both powered and passive varieties in 12- and 15-inch models. Loaded with EV-engineered drivers and one-inch titanium tweeters, they can be used as both mains and monitors. The powered models include a 1 000w Class-D amplifier along with one-knob DSP control, reflected in a small LCD display.
DPA released the d:facto II vocal microphone at this year’s Messe. The microphone features a natural sound, high separation and extreme SPL handling along with a new adapter system that permits the capsule to be connected to popular professional wireless systems such as Lectrosonics, Shure, Sennheiser, Sony and Wisycom. It also features a sturdy three-stage pop filter built into the mic.
L-Acoustics unveiled their new amplified controller, the LA4X, in Hall 8.0. The LA4X is a four input, four output DSP-loaded Class-D amplifier that delivers 4 x 1 000w RMS at 8 or 4Ohms. Analogue or digital models are available. Four cascaded 24-bit A/D converters at the front end provide a dynamic range of an unprecedented 130dB.
Audiocenter presented their new PRO Series Amplifiers at Prolight and Sound 2013. The four models within this series offer a range from 800 watts to 1 950 watts per channel at 2Ohms to satisfy all requirements.
Lighting and projection
Clay Paky revealed their Sharpy Wash 330 a compact, lightweight 330w washlight with the luminous efficiency, graphic and optical performance of a 1 000w fixture. Features include a CMY colour system, special colours, 6.5 to 48 degree zoom, mechanical dimmer, beam shaping filter and a motorised top hat. It is aimed at being an eco-friendly light.
Aimed at cost-savers, Martin showcased their new RUSH line of affordable effect lights. New products in this line include: MH 1 Profile, a super bright LED profile moving head; MH 2 Wash, a fast moving LED wash light moving head featuring RGBW colour mixing; MH 3 Beam, a beam moving head with fixed gobo wheel and 7-step iris and colour wheel; Strobe 15×5, a white strobe/blinder with a 5×5 LED matrix; PAR 1 RGBW, a bright LED PAR can with premixed RGBW colour mixing and a 200 fixed beam angle; and Pin 1 CW, a bright white LED pin spot.
High end projector manufacturer Christie unveiled their Roadster HD20K-J projector aimed at large venues such as classrooms, concerts, conference rooms and live events. Fitted with high-quality lenses – all with ILS (Intelligent Lens Technology) – it is still compatible with existing stacking hardware, lenses, lamps and input cards. The projector features Xenon illumination, Christie Twist, liquid cooling sand portrait display capabilities.
Robe Lighting revealed their latest effects lighting luminaire with the addition of full video output, the ROBIN MiniMe. This small, neat, fast moving fixture is LED driven with 20 000 hour lifetime source. Colours, Gobos and beam shapes are all digitally generated by the on-board micro media server. Custom artwork, still photographs and video can also be simply uploaded for projection, while live video can be streamed through the HDMI input.
CHAUVET Europe Ltd exposed their new beam light, the Legend 230SR Beam. With a tight 2.250 beam angle and an Osram Sirius 230w lamp, this fixture is strikingly bright at 96 000 lux at 15m.
Leading wireless DMX equipment manufacturer Lumen Radio released their CRMX Nova FX wireless DMX transceiver. It supports one DMX/RDM universe of up to 512 channels with maximum refresh rate performance and has a fixed latency of 5ms.
Barco’s High End Systems launched their new Masterwing 4 expansion unit for the entire range of High End System’s digital lighting console systems. It includes three banks of 10 playback masters and a 15.6′ multi touch ready display for Hog 4 OS products. Connectivity is provided to lighting consoles in the range via USB.
MDG introduced their ATMOSPHERE APS Series haze generator. MDG NEUTRAL Fluid is heated to a precise temperature and infused with inert carbon dioxide (CO2) gas. The result is non-stop haze with exponentially reduced particle size (0.5 to 0.7 microns), giving it the longest ’hang time” in the industry.
French lighting equipment manufacturer Robert Juliat unveiled their Tungsten 600 and 700 series Profile Spots. They offer a comprehensive zoom range covering all angles from the very wide needed for smaller venues and short throw applications, to very narrow for the long throw of large scale venues. The choice of lamps are from 1kW to 2.5kW.
Staging and trussing
CM Entertainment Technology presented their Lodestar Electric Chain Hoist series. The lightweight, durable cast aluminium housings have a tough, black powder-coated finish for low visibility and reflection, ideal for entertainment applications. Capacities include 125kg, 250kg, 500kg, 1 000kg, 2 000kg and 3 000kg.
Prolyte showcased their new DOCK Stage. The DOCK Stage is based on a goal post structure; using standard MPT towers in combination with H30V arched trusses. The rotating front span of special S52SV truss not only provides the required strength but the rotating shaft also enables simple and fast build-up. A front cantilever protects the performing act from weather influences.
Litec released four new end-plated trusses, square section twist-resistant products, to ensure even higher performances and sturdiness. The new trusses are QX30SA, QX40SA, QH30SA and QH40SA.
Adam hall presented their ah Truss, three- and four-point truss systems, RI 290A and QUADRO 290A. Both constructions are made of high-strength, rigid 6082A T6 aluminium alloy that is 2mm thick. The diameter of the main tubes is 50mm and that of the struts is 20mm; the edge length of 290mm corresponds to the usual standard.
2m released their ERGO|Xtra Stage Frames, versatile and durable staging units. Spans of 2m x 1m up to 6m x 1m can be manufactured as required and by installing an intermediate brace the stage frames have an increased load capacity of 750kg/m2.
Baltic Stages, showcased their Stage Deck ST and Stage Deck PRO, high class stage foundations designed for frequent use either indoors or outdoors with full water resistance. Custom sizes and surfaces are available.
