MONDAY, AUGUST 10
Chauvet Professional Strike Array Ultra: IP65 Blinder with a Motorized Axis and RGB Halo Ring
Chauvet Professional’s Strike Array Ultra takes the audience blinder concept and adds two things working LDs don’t usually get in one fixture: a motorized movement axis and a 120-LED RGB halo ring sitting independent of the main RGBA-WW pod. The result is a fixture that can punch stadium-level output straight into the audience, wash them in color from the ring alone, or do both simultaneously — and because the motorized axis flips between pan and… Read more
MONDAY, AUGUST 10
ProPlex IQ One+ Mini Gets v2.14 Firmware Update
TMB has pushed firmware v2.14 for the ProPlex IQ One+ Mini, the four-output PortableMount Ethernet-DMX node built for touring and temporary installation work. The update lands the same round of fixes and improvements that hit the IQ Micro in the same release cycle. The IQ One+ Mini is a 4-way bidirectional ArtNet/sACN-to-DMX node in ProPlex’s rugged BSH Mini PortableMount enclosure. It runs dual EtherCon ports for daisy-chain topologies, takes power via PowerCon with power thru… Read more
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11
Acme's Sana Series: Profile and Beam Built for the Same Rig
Acme Lighting’s Sana series pairs a 1200W CMY profile and a 1000W beam in a shared design language, giving LDs a matched set that pulls from the same look without compromising on either end. Sana Profile The Sana Profile runs a 1200W discharge source with a 6.5°–40° zoom ratio — a 6:1 range that covers tight aerial work and wide washes from the same unit. The optical train includes a full framing system with four… Read more
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11
ECCHO Live Has Two Events Coming Up You Should Know About
If you’re in touring and haven’t heard of ECCHO Live, here’s the short version: it’s the closest thing this industry has to an HR department for freelancers. Founded in 2011 by lighting director Chris Lisle and LD Erik Parker as the Touring Career Workshop — a one-day free event at Belmont University for Nashville’s touring community — it’s grown into a full 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving over 350 attendees annually. The rebranded ECCHO Live (Education, Community,… Read more
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12
ProPlex IQ Micro Gets v2.14 Firmware — ArtNet, RDM, and sACN Fixes Across the Board
TMB’s ProPlex IQ Micro is a compact two-universe PoE-powered Ethernet-DMX node — the kind of thing that ends up in every rack and on every truss because it just works. Version 2.14 firmware is a maintenance release, but it’s not a trivial one: there are seven specific fixes targeting ArtNet behavior, RDM port indexing, and sACN multicast group handling when paired with a managed switch. If you’ve run into weird RDM discovery or multicast gremlins… Read more
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12
Bitfocus Companion: The Free Shotbox That Ties Your Whole Rig Together
If you’ve spent any time on a busy show site, you’ve probably seen a Stream Deck sitting next to someone’s laptop, running a handful of cues or firing video clips without the operator having to touch their main console. Odds are, Bitfocus Companion is the software making it happen. It’s free, open source, runs on Mac/Windows/Linux, and at last count supports over 797 connections to lighting consoles, media servers, audio desks, video switchers, and pretty… Read more
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13
City Theatrical Multiverse Connect Module Brings Wireless DMX to ETC High End Systems Fixtures
City Theatrical’s Multiverse wireless DMX/RDM ecosystem just got a direct line into ETC’s High End Systems fixture lineup. The Multiverse Connect Module is a small plug-in device that drops into the Universal Connect Module socket built into select ETC fixtures — currently the Lonestar Prime , MegaPix, and GigaPix — and turns them wireless with a few menu changes. No external boxes, no cable runs, no workarounds. The module uses a USB Type-C plug connector… Read more
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14
Swisson XMT-500 Gets a Node App and Full RDM Package in Latest Update
Swisson has pushed two significant additions to the XMT-500 — a Node App and an Advanced RDM Feature Package — making what was already a serious field diagnostic tool considerably more capable as a day-to-day networking utility. The Node App is the bigger headline: it turns the XMT-500 into a portable 2-port Ethernet-to-DMX node, letting you configure protocols, merge modes, IP addresses, and universe assignments right from the device without pulling out a laptop. For… Read more
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14
CrewLAN PRO Adds OSC, API, and Bitfocus Companion to Its Local Crew Communication Platform
If you’ve ever tried to get a lighting console, a media server, and a mixing desk talking to the same crew communication layer without cloud dependency, CrewLAN PRO is worth a look. The PRO tier of the browser-based local crew platform now ships with OSC integration, a REST API, and a dedicated Bitfocus Companion module — turning it from a standalone chat tool into a connective layer that sits between your production systems and your… Read more
SATURDAY, AUGUST 15
ProPlex Takes Its IQ, Opto, and Switch Hardware Outdoors with IP65/67-Rated IP Series
ProPlex has been the go-to for touring DMX infrastructure for a long time, but the gear has always been happiest indoors or in a dry stage pocket. The new IP Series changes that — bringing the same IQ node electronics, Opto splitter guts, and GBS switching into enclosures rated IP65 and IP67, built for live outdoor productions, film sets, and any temporary install where the weather doesn’t cooperate. Three products make up the range: the… Read more
