PROLIGHT+SOUND 2016
Matthias Schwav and Michael Dill from Steinigke; The Starway team on their stand; Lilli Lundqvist from Lumen Radio; One of the many Ayrton fixtures on display; David Edelstein from Triple E; Wayne Powell and Terry Murphy from Yamaha.
Prolyte premiered its Verto truss system, which is based on a new principle of truss connection, where the sections are joined by a rotating coupler system. “When we started to design the Verto system, our idea was to offer added value over existing solutions. Looking at daily working practice for technicians, the goal was to make assembling truss not only easier, but also safer. Furthermore, playing into the trend of ever shortening production times, reducing the assembly and disassembly time was important – that’s where you can make the difference,” said Johann Stuut, R&D engineer at Prolyte and mastermind behind the new system. RAM Audio used the show to demonstrate its MDi series amplifiers and its power packs for self-power acoustic cabinets. RCF displayed a number of new products including the HDL6-A active two-way line array, the HDL12-AS subwoofer, the large format HDL50-A three-way active line array module, the CR16-ND Control Rack and PR-63 Power Rack. The company demonstrated its flyable bass extension, the HDL 53-AS, and previewed a new firmware upgrade for the M-series for the first time, including several improvements and additional processing effects. New CK range of compression drivers, and E Series professional analogue mixers, also had their debuts at the show. Renkus-Heinz displayed the entire line of its Iconyx series, including new Dante-enabled versions of Iconyx and IC Live, as well as IC2 and the new VARIAi modular point source array system. The new RHAON II (Renkus-Heinz Audio Operations Network) was also on demo, with support for all current Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers, including Iconyx, VARIAi, and CFX Series. Robe’s booth tripled in size from 2015 and served as the backdrop for the new Robin DL7F Wash, BMFL WashBeam, BMFL Wash / Wash FX, Spikie (a new small, super-fast LED WashBeam), Linee (a powerful zoom-able blade of light), Strobe / StrobeLite, ColorStrobe / ColorStrobeLite, picklePATT, PARFect SB1, and the Robin CycBar 12. Fixture choices offered by Robe to suit a breadth of projects and budgets in all sectors needing creative and original lighting solutions. The booth, D80 in Hall 3, accommodated hundreds of guests in a classical theatrical environment.
Robert Juliat’s RJ Zep LED profile and Fresnel fixtures drew considerable attention from theatre, event and display technicians, as did the Merlin 2500W HMI touring spot and the 300W LED Roxie followspot. Perhaps the biggest scene-stealer was the Dalis LED cyclorama light, which brought with it some new developments to the technology that took the show by storm in 2015. In addition to the Dalis 860 Cyclight, Robert Juliat also unveiled a new Dalis footlight batten and a Dalis wash light. On Sennheiser’s joint stand with Neumann.Berlin, a Sound Experience Room allowed visitors to enjoy its flagship headphones - the Sennheiser HE 1 - and the AMBEO 3D Audio immersive sound experience through a reference set-up with Neumann loudspeakers. The stand also provides the opportunity to try out the Venue Modeling software, which takes 3D audio into the DJ world, and catch a glimpse of Sennheiser’s upcoming virtual reality microphone. SES, power specialists and a leading manufacturer of power distribution products for the entertainment industry, was another company to have a successful show, converting several enquiries into orders. As a result of meetings from Prolight+Sound, it is also looking to appoint two new distributors. SGM’s stand was billed as “probably the first stand in history to blast out more than 20 million lumens”, and featured a number of new products. With the recent launch of the i-2 series and the G-Wash, and now the G-1 Wash and the i-5 series, SGM’s range of maintenance-free LED fixtures has been completed. ShowTex displayed a wide selection of stage and theatre drapes, as well as extra-large printed, laser-cut and decorative fabrics that all came together in a brand new stand design. This included a multi-layered chandelier featuring black LaserVoile, printed Voile CS and green Organza sheers, and a GiantMirror that created holographic effects and made objects appear or disappear. Visitors could also catch a look behind the scenes of ShowTex’s new AV Drop system, allowing the creation of sleek backdrops and temporary walls up to six metres in hight with no rigging 78