Many people know Pro Sound & Lighting as The Go To place for digital console expertise. They know that we keep our collective finger on the pulse of the industry. Our fingers have been itching to point out some new trends in this market. We have known about some products in development over the last year and a half, and now some of those products have been announced by their respective manufacturers. There is a new category emerging on the scene and it has several offerings from some likely sources. We are talking about the surface-less WiFi mixers. Presonus, Mackie, and Behringer all have announced product, and we know of at least one other manufacturer that has a system in development. Presonus introduced the StudioLive RM16AI and RM32AI and Mackie has just introduced the DL32R system. Behringer came on to the scene strong with a complete line of WiFi mixer systems called the X-Air. They have the the X18, XR18, XR16, XR12, which are slated to be shipping early 2015.

This new category is going to change how many of us get the duties of small format mixing done. Although it’s not entirely practical to mix high channel counts on an iPad, the smaller number of channels needed for an average AV breakout session or a lecture is perfectly suited for setting up and then mixing on an iPad. Add in some key features like Dante or Ultranet and you have to rethink the possibilities of an entire audio system. Surface-less mixing systems bring all the power and versatility of their bigger siblings at an incredible value. In the infancy of this category there already is a wide range of prices from $299 to $1999, covering just about anyone’s budget and application.

In the last few months we have seen lots of new LED lighting hitting the market. Several manufacturers are using what is referred to as RGB “COB” technology or “chip on board” for a variety of Pars, Bars & Matrix style lights. One of the most popular selling fixtures has been the DotzPar from American DJ. It produces powerful, smooth RGB color mixing with rich palettes of color from a single 36-Watt TRI (3-IN-1) RGB COB LED with a rated life of 50,000 hours. Some of it’s features include:

• 3-pin DMX with four DMX channel modes
• IEC AC IN/OUT to daisy chain power (up to 13 Dotz Par’s @ 110V)
• FIVE Operational modes: Auto Run, Sound Active, Color Macro, Dimmer, and DMX Controlled Mode
• 35 built-in Color Macros
• LED pulse and strobe effect
• Electronic Dimming: 0-100% with 5 selectable Dim Curves
• “Flicker free” for video applications
• Power & DMX Ins/Outs sit sideways so the unit can be set flat on the ground or set inside truss
• Compatible with ADJ Par RF wireless remote control and has a single yoke for mounting

But one of the most unique and purposeful features is the lens that comes with the fixture, adding versatility at a price point that is unheard of! The DotzPar has a 60-degree beam angle but comes with a lens filter that changes the beam angle to 25-degrees! The filter comes fixed in a gel frame with two set screws to allow quick & easy mounting to the fixture. So whether you are trying to get a spot light effect or do a wash on the back wall, the DotzPar can do it!

My favorite feature is the price, at $149 each! Stop by Pro Sound & Lighting today to check out the new DotzPar for yourself, or see it in action now:

Now in the Showroom! Live Mixing System from Avid.

Check out the new compact digital mixing system from Avid, the S3L. It’s a scalable modular system built for road, but equally suited to the studio. The S3L system delivers all of what you would expect from Avid’s live sound systems; integrated AAX plug-ins, Pro Tools (or other DAW) integration, virtual soundcheck, portable VENUE show files via USB key, amazing sound quality, and rock solid reliability.

Key System Components and Features:

S3 control surface

• Compact 16-fader surface, with six bankable layers
• 32 touch-sensitive encoders and high-resolution OLEDs
• Multicolor Channel Control parameter section for fast mix adjustments
• Full complement of I/O (see Specifications)
• Dual Gigabit Ethernet AVB ports, featuring latching etherCON connectors
• EUCON-enabled for Pro Tools and other DAW control (feature coming soon)
• USB connections for a keyboard and mouse (not included)

E3 engine

• Runs VENUE software, mission control for the entire system
• High-performance, HDX-powered processing engine (supports AAX DSP plug-ins)
• 24 aux busses, LCR, plus 8 mono matrixes and 8 VCAs
• 2-track recording/playback using standard USB Flash drives
• Local and ancillary I/O (see Specifications)
• Three Gigabit Ethernet AVB ports, featuring latching etherCON connectors
• Separate Ethernet port for remote control using a laptop or tablet

Stage 16 remote I/O box

• 16 analog inputs (XLR) with remote mic preamp control
• 8 analog line outputs (XLR)
• 4 channels of AES3 digital output
• Ruggedized design with dual-purpose rack ears/handles for use as a stage box or rack-mounted
• Power and status LEDs, with device Identify feature
• Sliding Mute switch silences all box outputs
• Two Gigabit Ethernet AVB ports, featuring latching etherCON connectors