Lighting Up the Future: What’s New with Martin Lighting in 2025

Martin Lighting, a division of Harman, continues to set the standard for stage, architectural, and outdoor lighting. Their recent product launches highlight two clear themes: ruggedness for all-weather use and smarter, more connected control experiences. Here’s a look at what’s new, why it matters, and where Martin is heading.

Recent Product Highlights

One of the most exciting announcements this year was the ELP MANET 8f, a new LED stage and studio Fresnel fixture introduced in September 2025. It delivers the soft, controlled light Fresnels are known for, but with the efficiency and colour quality of LED technology—making it ideal for theatres, studios, and live productions.

Back in May 2025, Martin released Software 6.2.0 for the P3 System Controller, an important update that introduced compatibility with a leading third-party 3D visualiser protocol. For lighting designers, this means a smoother workflow: pre-visualisation tools now integrate seamlessly with Martin’s control systems, allowing more accurate planning and tighter real-world execution.

On the fixture side, January saw the debut of the MAC Aura Raven XIP, a weatherproof wash light designed for outdoor and festival environments. It delivers powerful output in a rugged form factor, showing Martin’s commitment to blending touring-grade performance with real durability.

In March, Martin expanded their architectural line with the Exterior Projection Pro Compact. This projector offers high-output image projection in a smaller footprint, making it perfect for architectural mapping, signage, and façade illumination where space or aesthetics are a concern.

Finally, April marked a milestone: the 10,000th MAC Viper XIP rolled off the production line. This shows not only how popular Martin’s weather-resistant XIP fixtures have become, but also how central they are to modern production setups where indoor-quality light is expected outdoors.

The Trends Behind the Products

These launches reflect some clear trends in Martin’s direction. First, the emphasis on XIP weatherproof technology shows that outdoor readiness is now a baseline expectation, not an afterthought. Touring companies, festivals, and permanent outdoor installations need fixtures that are both powerful and resilient.

Second, the focus on compact but powerful designs—like the Projection Pro Compact—shows how Martin is solving practical challenges for designers and installers. Smaller, lighter fixtures reduce rigging demands and fit more easily into architectural spaces.

Third, the push toward smarter control and visualisation is evident in the P3 Controller update. The ability to integrate directly with third-party pre-visualisation software is a major timesaver and reduces risk when moving from design to showtime.

And finally, the success of the MAC Viper XIP underscores how important versatility and reliability have become. Lighting professionals are choosing fixtures that work equally well indoors or outdoors, cutting down on the need for separate inventories.

Looking Ahead

Martin’s current trajectory points toward more hybrid fixtures that combine indoor performance with outdoor resilience. Expect to see additional XIP versions across the MAC and ERA ranges, as well as further development of compact architectural projectors for creative installations.

On the control side, Martin is likely to expand on remote diagnostics and app-based tools like their Companion Mobile app—helping crews monitor, configure, and troubleshoot fixtures more efficiently on site. And as projection mapping continues to grow, Martin seems poised to push further into that space with more powerful, flexible projectors.

Conclusion

Martin Lighting’s recent releases show a company intent on keeping ahead of the curve. From rugged XIP fixtures to compact architectural solutions and smarter software, they’re delivering tools that make life easier for designers while raising the creative ceiling for productions of all sizes.

For festivals, permanent outdoor venues, and forward-thinking stage designers, Martin’s latest innovations are well worth watching.