TPi_Magazine__February_2018

EVENT FOCUS
EQUIPSON OPEN DAY
TPi’s Stew Hume was invited to Equipson to take a closer look at some of the latest products at its
Valencia HQ, and what’s in store for 2018...
TPi’s guide for the day was Juan José Vila, COO and CMO of Equipson.
Joining his father’s business back in 2002, Vila has been focussed on
the company’s R&D department, while his father, José Luis Vila, still
oversees the direction of the company as CEO. “In the early days, when
my father started Equipson, we were very much a distributor,” began
the younger Vila. “I then joined the company 6 or 7 years later and began
to create a team to focus on the R&D department. We were already a
leading distribution company so we had the client base and the industry
knowledge to start producing our own products.”
Following a few years of research, the company released its first line
of products including the Digiline Series, BlueLine Digital and the IC 6 PRO
under the company’s WORK PRO banner. Although Equipson’s range of
products are usually associated with the install market, some of its latest
offerings seem to signal a change for the Spanish company.
Enter the LightShark, a new range of hardware lighting consoles. “About
2.5 years ago, the Equipson team gathered around the table to discuss
the possibility of creating a lighting control surface,” said Vila. “We wanted
to design a system that would combine the versatility of the software
solutions with the ergonomics, built-in interfacing, and physical usability
of a hardware console. On the whole you can split lighting consoles into 3
categories - a classic console, a wing and computer set up, and the dongle
and computer combo. Each of these options has their advantages and
disadvantages. A console may be too expensive for a particular project and
using a computer puts you at the mercy of software updates.” It’s here that
Equipson hopes its new solution will offer a fourth option for the market.
The LightShark is the first ever DMX-based hardware lighting console
range to offer wireless, browser-based control from a multi-touch
smartphone or tablet, with support for up to 3 connected devices
simultaneously. The range sets a new standard for features and usability at
its price point. The LightShark range comprises of 2 independent products,
the LS-Core and the LS-1 console, both developed and designed entirely
within WORK PRO’s lighting division. The LS-1 brings together the best
features from the world of innovative software-only lighting control and
marries them to an intuitive, ergonomic hardware control surface. The LS-
Core omits the LS-1’s hardware control surface but offers exactly the same
lighting control software, processing power, and smartphone or tabletbased
software control interface.
Alongside all of the features users expect from a modern, fully featured
lighting control system, LightShark offers intuitive control over a total of
8 512-channel DMX Universes, plus built-in support for an ever-growing
library of lighting fixtures. Because the LightShark control software runs on
the console itself, and the Wi-Fi-connected tablet or smartphone is merely
controlling it via a simple web browser, the control software is fast and
responsive, as well as offering the benefits of real-time, multi-touch control.
The console was first shown last year in Las Vegas at LDI and certainly
made an impression. “We were really pleased with the feedback we had
from the trade show last year,” stated Vila. “Since then we have been
inundated with interest and hopefully will see the LightShark in various
places throughout 2018. We have also got more plans for the console, which
we will showcase at this year’s Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt.”
During TPi’s Equipson visit, Vila also demonstrated another new
release for the company. “Audio has always been an important side to our
business,” commented Vila. “Last year we employed Joan La Roda who
now heads up our electro acoustic department. Since joining he completed
our first line array, Arion Series, and control system - a project we have had
in the pipeline for some time.”
The SL 210 A is the latest addition to WORK PRO’s Arion Series. A new,
self-powered 2-way line array, the SL 210 A features remote monitoring,
fully developed by WORK PRO’s in-house audio engineering department.
The system features 2 10-inch FAITAL transducers and an 11.46-inch
voicecoil in a bass reflex enclosure. The 2 low pass cut-off frequencies in
the loudspeakers contribute to an even horizontal directivity. The high
frequencies are reproduced by a 1.4-inch exit BEYMA compression driver
that features a polymer PM-4 membrane, which brings a more natural
sound when compared to other materials commonly used on the market.
The SL 210 A can suit the requirements of different configurations
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