The annual ProLight + Sound show in Frankfurt gives Alcons Audio the opportunity to introduce and demonstrate its latest innovations.

As shown already on the recent ISE show in Amsterdam, the CRMS 3-way reference cinema sound system will be shown for the first time in Frankfurt. Alcons developed the Cinema Ribbon Monitor System as reference-quality sound reproduction system for sound-for-picture applications, with fully matched loudspeaker, processing and amplifier components. The first system has already been installed in the Norwegian Film Institute.

A selection of products from Alcons’ portfolio will be on show, including the very successful LR7 micro line-array, which received great acclaim in different international reviews and tests.

The annual BRIT Awards is as well renown for its celebrity shenanigans – this year Liam Gallagher lobbed his microphone into the audience after accepting his award for BRITS Album of 30 Years for (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? - as it is for honouring of the very best in music. The high jinks do not, however, eclipse the performances and great audio is high on the list of production priorities.

For the 8^thyear, Sennheiser UK’s Mark Saunders and Andy Lillywhite offered the comprehensive technical support that BRITS’ sound designer Derrick Zieba has come to rely on for this and other major events he is involved with.

The evening featured stunning performances from double BRIT Award winner Lady Gaga (International Female Solo Artist and International Breakthrough Act), duets from Florence and the Machine (MasterCard British Album for Lungs) and Dizzee Rascal (British Male Solo Artist) and Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, as well as performances by Cheryl Cole, Lily Allen, Kasabian, JLS and Robbie Williams, many of whom are regular Sennheiser users.

The resurgence of the world famous Studiomaster professional audio brand continues with new product lines, offering exceptional levels of quality, performance and affordability, being launched at Prolight + Sound, where the company has doubled its stand space this year. The new products include portable PA, compact sound installation, PA and line array systems. Also being launched is a new multi-pattern tube condenser microphone, a first entry for Studiomaster into the professional recording microphone market.

Robe was the moving light of choice for a series of live TV shows staged to select Slovakia's 2010 Eurovision Song Contest entry. Broadcast live on STV1 from Slovakian Television's number 4 Studio in Bratislava, the shows were directed by Thomas Eibner and attended by a large live audience in addition to all those tuning in to watch.

Slovakian's leading lighting rental company Q-99 once again supplied lighting and LED for the shows, which were designed by Martin Kubanka, who has lit Slovakia's Eurovision song competitions on several previous occasions.

Kubanka - one of the country's leading and most prolific lighting designers - always uses Robe on his major shows. "Robe products are very reliable and offer all the creative scope and functionality I need to make a popular light entertainment show like this look dynamic and interesting," he states.

Twenty-four Robe ColorSpot 1200E ATs and 12 ColorSpot 575E ATs were used by Kubanka for the 6 preliminary rounds of the song selection process. These each featured 10 contestants from which the top 4 were voted into the 2 semi-final rounds which spawned the 12 finalists.

At The Bridgestone Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show, legendary rock band The Who performed on a custom video deck incorporating over 3,000 Barco MiSTRIPs. In spite of the complex non-linear arrangement of the MiSTRIPs, the Who’s trademark arrows were perfectly straight and the lettering and images displayed on the circular deck were all perfectly proportioned. How was this done?

The unique video layout was made possible by a new component of the Green Hippo Hippotizer HD media server, called VideoMapper. Similar to Hippotizer’s PixelMapper™ for DMX fixtures, VideoMapper provides a simple solution for the mapping of multiple LED video displays, tiles or strips, taking into account their physical arrangement and the physical spaces between them. VideoMapper supports resolutions up to 8192 x 8192 and frees the designer from the constraints of modern video processor hardware, allowing complete artistic freedom with even the most complex system.