After 10 years of creation at the forefront of manufacturers, Ayrton presents its new spring summer 2023 collection in its cocoon of Prolight+Sound. In front of an audience of loyal admirers, a host of sharp-beamed Cobras fanned out in front of the image created by an army of Zondas.
The “indecent” amount of universes and fixtures, bending under video hypnosis, has nevertheless given way to the inventiveness of a show dedicated to musicals and cabaret by the lighting designer, Mister Stéphane Migné.
Above all, it is as much the gentle strokes as the fierce scratching of a claw done by the Washes with their creamy colors that enhanced the quality of the Ayrton light sources. Ayrtons next stars, the Argor and the Levante, did not strut down the runway but preferred to take the pose on stage, to show what Robe has in stall for the future.
The Ayrton show is about to start…
Argo 6
To balance between the Zonda 3 and Zonda 9, fans expected a mid-sized Zonda 6 that was ideal for human-sized stages. It is finally an Argo 6 that is unveiled, with all the expected features plus a last-minute twist: IP65 waterproofing right off the bat.
Recognizable by its rounded dome, the Argo 6 is a multisource wash equipped with 19 Osram 40 W RGBW lenses arranged in concentric circles. Its 4 to 56° zoom extends over the entire surface of the LED cluster, it’s a 280 mm disc with millions of colors.
Presented at Prolight+Sound, the Argo 6 FX and its waterproof protective dome.
The FX version offers individual control of each of the 19 50mm sources, with flowing rivers of video pixels, the famous LiquidEffect. If the Zonda 6 will not see the light of day, the IP65 versions of the Zonda will soon be available under the names Argo 3 and Argo 6.
Several innovations are part of the Argo to ensure maximum waterproofing. The most visible, its gigantic front lens cut in a transparent polycarbonate, without reflections, is joined to the body of the fixture.
A subtle relocation of the Pan and Tilt motors in the base unit has made it possible to isolate them, without having to waterproof the yoke of the fixture. The cooling also uses sealed fans, with an optimized system. Thus, despite the mechanical constraints, switching to the IP65 waterproof version, the overall weight was reduced by 20%.
The Argo 6 is available in FX or Wash versions. The FX version keeps its impressive DMX chart with its multiple combined layers of effects, pixel toggles, and video imitation. The Wash version also offers a wide range of controls for each LED, with future individual pixel management.
Another bonus on the access to device settings, in addition to the physical panel and the RDM, also adding an NFC chip in its new fixtures. Thanks to a dedicated Ayrton app, all you have to do is present your smartphone a few centimeters from the Argo to change the menu settings.
The specifications/data sheets of the Argos and Zondas are summarized here:
Marketing of the Argo 6 has just started, first deliveries for this summer.
Rivale
After many years of fine-tuning its range of fixtures, Ayrton, whose emblematic fixtures such as the Diablo, Khamsin, or Huracan have conquered many stages, has just presented its vision of the perfect fixture detailed here by Cyril Union, electronics and computer development engineer at Ayrton.
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Similar to the brand new design derived from that of the Cobra, more aggressive with angular edges and its lens set in a square frame, the Rivale Profile has all the latest innovations from Ayrton. If its size and its power consumption place it in the “3 series” (Ayrton’s most compact category), its large 160mm lens and its 450 W white module output an impressive flux of 27,000 lumens, leaving a Ghibli (a 5 series) far behind. Its zoom also leaves you in awe, with a 4-52°, at ease both in long range and in a wide beam.
IP65, improved ergonomics, and colors, the Rivale Profile is Ayrton’s future best-seller.
What is new is, in addition to the reboosted LED module, both the ergonomics of the projector and its color management.
For its handling (set-up, de-rig, etc…), the use of a new aluminum and magnesium alloy for the body has allowed a drastic reduction in weight and thickness, without sacrificing its strength.
The total weight is 27 kg, with a very slim yoke and a base unit that has also been redesigned to accommodate the Pan and Tilt motors and the waterproof connectors… because, just like the Argo 6, the Rivale is natively IP 65. An astonishing achievement, the thinness of this spot makes the waterproof fixtures of the competition look like they are WWII battleships.
We almost lost hope waiting for the change in handles on the fixture. Now 4 large handles on the yoke have replaced the smaller ones that were on the base unit, another gold star for that. On the base unit, the menu also benefits from the NFC chip and the Ayrton setting app, in addition to the TimoTwo LumenRadio receiver. At the rear, the connectors welcome a newcomer, a PowerCON copy to supply 4 devices in cascade/linked.
CMY management switches from CMY flags to gradient disks, to eliminate any aberrations in the center of the beam. This new, more homogeneous system is coupled with a CTO corrector and a new red enhancement with a dedicated saturation disc. The color rendering is almost perfect, and without…a Rivale.
The effects are linked as usual, with infinite Pan and Tilt rotation, 2 gobo wheels, an iris, a strobe, 2 prisms, 2 frost, an animation wheel, and 4 framing shutters.
The Rivale Profile model presented at Prolight+Sound was a pre-series. The official launch will take place at the beginning of autumn and may be accompanied by a Wash version.
More information on the Ayrton website
Huayra
The passion of Yvan Péard, founder of Ayrton, for motorsport, comes through in the countless number of fixtures he has invented. Always pushing the limits, he presented at Prolight+Sound a Concept Light, inspired by the Concept Car of the cult Italian car manufacturer Pagani. The opportunity to present a brand new 30,000-lumen color source in a revisited Huracán base.
The future Ayrton profile with additive color synthesis.
Using a color source in a Spot type fixture is a challenge. Low efficiency, complex calibration, and, cooling systems have made the majority of manufacturers favor a white source with an optical trichromacy, petal system, flags, or discs tinting the beam. However, the RGB way would make it possible to obtain much deeper, more powerful colors as well.
Ayrton, therefore, had an RGB + Lime source developed, no doubt approaching 1,000 W. A specific “mixing” box integrates the 3 sources (red, blue, and the green-lime mixture) into the matrix. An oversized cooling system was designed for the 3 blocks, still at the prototype stage.
This model is a presentation of Ayrton’s work on color and shows the technological advance of the French brand, and allows itself a public presentation of technologies that are still secret
Even if the fixture is functional, with the features of a Huracán and a zoom from 4 to 50°, it is still subject to changes. Given its size and its weight of 42 kg, it will undoubtedly seek a few thousand additional lumens to offer a real alternative to the plain white light source.
Bonus: the Ayrton Show
The Ayrton 2023 show was imagined by Stéphane Migné and programmed by Arnaud Pierrel, with the help of Robin Terrier and Rémi Derruau, from Ayrton France. It was set up and designed during the month of March and required 394 fixtures, for a power consumption of 380 kW. 111 Cobra, 24 Domino Wash, 24 Huracán Wash, 109 Zonda 3 FX, and, 126 Zonda 9 FX.
AYRTON – Prolight+Sound 2023 from Ayrton on Vimeo.
The programming was done on a GdMA3, soft 3 versions 1.8.8.2, with 5 GPUs. 700 universes were sent via sACN, including 650 by a Resolume media server. Pixel management was done with Mad Mapper.
