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Klang:fabrik 3D In-Ear Monitor Mixing System
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Nexo ID24 Loudspeaker
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Epson Pro L25000U Laser Projector
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Kramer Control Platform
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Ashly digiMix24 Digital Mixer
There are many wonderful technology shows to attend for sure. Winter NAMM and NAB may be larger, but InfoComm has a laser focus on presentation technologies. Yes, most of the pro audio brands have a presence at Winter NAMM. NAB is massive, with a concentration primarily on content acquisition and creation. InfoComm, however, is all about presenting the live event.
The show alternates between Las Vegas and Orlando, with InfoComm16 being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center June 8-10, 2016.
According to several sources, InfoComm16 was the organization's largest event to date, with 1,000 exhibitors and nearly 39,000 attendees.
With over 500,000 square feet of exhibit space, nearly filling the North and Central Halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Church Production staff had their work cut out for them in narrowing tens of thousands of applicable products down to just five. The seven Church Production staff and writers we had at the show put their heads together to come up with this list of the Top 5 Products for Churches from InfoComm16:
Ashly digiMix24 Digital Mixer
One of the big surprises at InfoComm16 was the introduction of Ashly's new digital mixer called the digiMix24. While the feature set is generous, it's not over the top. However, it's the price that caught our attention. List price is $1,799, with street prices expected to be closer to $1,000. That's affordable for the vast majority of churches.
The new digiMix24 is the first in a series of mixers from Ashly. It features 24 inputs, up to 14 configurable mix buses, eight aux outputs, eight channel inserts, 33 channels of dynamics and equalization processing, and two stereo effects processors with reverb, delay, chorus and more. The control surface pairs with a seven-inch LCD color touchscreen, intelligent metering, and motorized faders. The system management software allows users to save, load, or copy mixer setups. Optional expansion cards provide either Dante connectivity or a USB interface for easy multi-track recording or playback.
Operation can occur in two modes: a normal technical mode with all of the depth and flexibility that an audio professional would expect and an ‘EZ-Mode' for non-technical users in schools or churches. The digiMix24 pairs with a companion Apple iPad App that allows users to remotely set stage monitor volumes or to mix from different places in the venue.
Epson Pro L25000U Laser Projector
While there were many new projectors introduced at InfoComm, the Epson Pro L25000U Laser Projector was selected for our Top 5, not for its price (List: $99,999) but for its boundary pushing light output.
When laser projectors were first introduced just a few years ago high-end products were in the 7,000 to 10,000-lumen range. Since then, we've not seen much in the way of advancements in light output. At 25,000 lumens, Epson's new Pro L25000U has nearly twice the light output of its competitor's high-end laser products. Again, its price is currently prohibitive for all but the largest church applications, but its ground-breaking technology demonstrates that super high output laser projectors are a reality.
As part of the company's new Pro L-Series laser projector line, the Pro L25000U integrates a sealed optical engine with laser-light source and LCD panel optics for up to 20,000 hours of operation. At InfoComm16, Epson showed an L25000U in a transparent, plexi-glass case. It was amazing to see the light from the three laser engines come together to form a dazzling, super-bright image. According to the company's release, "The 3LCD optics along with advanced edge blending and image calibration allow for integration to a wide range of environments. A full array of 4K powered lenses with lens shift, lens memory, and 360-degree installation flexibility provide solutions not only for the current projection landscape but that of the future as well.”
Klang:fabrik 3D In-Ear Monitor Mixing System
While technically we got our first look at the Klang:fabrik at Winter NAMM this past January, the introduction was very brief and not enough for us to totally wrap our head around the possibilities for the church market. Since then the company released a new software update that increases the product's capabilities to the point where it's too interesting to ignore. The updated version of Klang:fabrik 3D in-ear monitor mixing system was on display for the first time in the U.S. at InfoComm16.
Klang:fabrik is designed to create a more realistic “immersive” experience for in-ear monitor users. Besides offering high sound quality, the 3D audio image rotates with the user if he/she happens to turn one way or another. Klang:fabrik is designed to help the user forget he's wearing in-ear monitors and focus on the performance instead.
While personal monitor mixing was designed in large part for the church market, it's never been a panacea. The Klang:fabrik 3D in-ear monitor mixing system is aiming to take the in-ear monitoring experience to a new level, one that church musicians (and techs) may wonder how they lived without.
Kramer Control Platform
While A/V control systems are nothing new for the church market, Kramer's new Control platform offers some new and interesting options. The system is comprised of three modules: Manager, Builder, and an Analytics dashboard (dashboards?), with options for public, private, and cloud implementation. In the Manager module, users can define room layouts along with editing and configuring control systems from anywhere in the world. So imagine a tech director being able to configure user interfaces for volunteers to be able to operate all the technology in a chapel environment, an overflow space, business meetings or even certain elements of a worship service. Again, the concept is nothing new. Crestron and AMX have been doing it for decades, but they required significant hardware investments and then the added expense of contracting with an independent computer programmer to code the specific controls. Then if you want to change something, you're likely going to have to bring back the outside programmer. Kramer Control puts the programming capability in the hands of the end user.
Nexo ID24 Loudspeaker
We got our first look at the Nexo ID24 late last year at the AES show in the Javits Center in New York City, but the official product introduction didn't come until early this year. The diminutive ID Series speakers can be used for foreground, fill or background applications. In Nexo's tradeshow booth at InfoComm16, the ID24 was shown with a wall mount like you might see in a restaurant. In their demo room adjacent to the show floor they showed the product pole-mounted on the S110 single ten-inch subwoofer. In reality, the ID24 (Starting at $949) comes in three versions: the ID24i for installation, including in-step applications for front fills; the ID24t for touring and AV rental; and the ID24c the “a la carte” or custom version, including any RAL color with quantity. They sound great, offer superb flexibility and are affordable.
