The inaugural Vodacom CEO Awards took place at Vodaworld in Midrand for the first time in 2017. MGG was appointed to supply the full technical production with a modern vintage theme.
Lighting Designer Francois van der Merwe created pomp and hype on the grandMA 2 full size, while Audio Engineer Fanie Pieterse ensured the theatrical performance was complimented with exceptional sound on a DiGiCo SD10, utilising the new DiGiCo 32-bit Stadius Mic Pre-Amp for the live sound aspects.
“It was a fantastic event,” said Pieterse. “The acts varied from theatre to ballet and from drama to rock. While we had a list of requirements to meet and worked closely with the producers and creative team, it was a lot of fun and the gig came out very well.”
Pieterse ran the show on the grandMA2 full size. “They rocked my world again!” the audio engineer added. The entire lighting rig featured 24 Robe BMFLs, 12 LEDWash 1200, 12 Claypaky Mythos, 26 Robe LEDWash 600, 10 Philips SL Nitros, 18 Robe LEDBeam 100s and 24 Robe Pointes.
“The DiGiCo is the most flexible console I’ve ever worked on. It sounds great, but because it’s so adaptable, working on this platform is made easy. The SD Range is intuitive, enables you to patch the console to anyone’s patch list no matter how random it may seem, and there are features that allow you to operate according to your own personal preferences.”
The vocals and all live aspects such as the guitars and saxophones ran on DiGiCo’s cutting-edge 32-bit Stadius Mic Pre-Amp. The product was released at Prolight & Sound earlier this year, and the improvement in converter technology and audio excellence are distinguishing qualities that the DiGiCo manufacturing team have worked tirelessly to achieve.
For Fanie, the new Stealth Core 2 upgrade is a highlight. “Every channel now has full DSP, where before you were limited to a certain amount of channels. I used to be in the sound team at school,” he recalls. It’s quite funny because I would wake up early on a Saturday morning to set up the sound on the sports grounds. I would then play rugby, and when everybody went off to a party, I would strike.”