AFRICA NEWS

NBCFC INVESTS IN KLANG IMMERSIVE IN-EAR MIXING

THE NEW BEGINNINGS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP CHURCH (NBCFC) BECOMES ONE OF THE FIRST IN SOUTH AFRICA TO INSTALL THE IMMERSIVE IEM SOLUTION.

Johannesburg’s New Beginnings Christian Fellowship Church (NBCFC) regularly hosts over 1,000 worshippers in its auditorium for Sunday services. To cope with the demands, the church has upgraded its audio system, becoming one of the first in South Africa to enjoy an installation comprising a KLANG:vokal immersive in-ear mixing processor, along with seven KLANG:kontroller personal monitor mixers, and two DiGiCo SD9 mixing consoles.

Audio consultant, Victor Vermaak worked closely with suppliers DWR Distribution to come up with a solution that would provide reliability and excellent sound for years to come. “The existing audio equipment was outdated, not serving the needs of the church nor covering the venue properly, and was starting to break down,” he explained.

Having worked with the NBCFC over the past seven years, he lent them some of his demo equipment. It was used by the church for a couple of weeks, and they soon realised that they could not go back to what they had before. “The church broadcast team spoke about a positive change in the audio over those two weeks,” recalled Jaco Beukes of DWR. “The only thing different was the demo DiGiCo console.”

The installation commenced in 2021, with COVID-19 restrictions still preventing worshippers from physically attending church. “It was the first KLANG processor installation DWR had worked on with the recently released KLANG:kontroller,” said DWR’s Kyle Robson. “We had fantastic support from KLANG when setting the system up for the first time. It was a great learning curve for everyone and incredible to experience the power hidden inside the units. The next step was to guide both musicians and engineers to change their mindset from traditional stereo in ear (some were also on mono) mixing to KLANG’s powerful immersive mixing.”

Describing the result as “incredible”, Robson commented: “Nothing beats watching people get so excited and passionate about what they do. With many of the church’s technical team working on a volunteer basis, most of the training was held after hours or over weekends. They were so gracious, always made sure we were well looked after on site, and always welcoming. After the installation and training, everyone agreed they have the knowledge and tech to keep them going strong for many years ahead.’’

The full audio revamp includes two compact DiGiCo SD9 digital mixing consoles, one used at FOH with the KLANG system for in-house services, and the second with a Waves SoundGrid system used for their broadcast mix.

“NBCFC is now also the first church in Africa to have the new L-Acoustics A15 system installed,” added Vermaak. The L-Acoustics system comprises six A15 wide, four KS21 subs with an LA12X amplified controller. The X8 delays and monitors, four of each, are powered by an LA4X Amplified controller.

“The new system is more than just a hearing difference,” he concluded. “It has made an emotional difference.” Photo: NBCFC www.digico.biz

Gripelectric Worx’s Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Sitole.

GRIPELECTRIC WORX GETS FIRST ASTERA PIXELBRICKS IN SA

THE JOHANNESBURG-BASED COMPANY UTILISES THE FIXTURES ON A NEW NETFLIX SERIES.

Gripelectric Worx has purchased eight Astera PixelBricks from South African distributor DWR Distribution – the first investment of its kind in the country.

Run by freelance gaffer Emmanuel (Manny) Sitole, Gripelectric Worx is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and owns some specialist lighting kit, which is used primarily on Manny’s own projects. He first heard about the PixelBrick via the ICLS (International Cinema Lighting Society) a global group of gaffers, rigging gaffers, and console programmers dedicated to expanding the field of cinematic lighting.

Manny also already owned a set of Astera Titan and Helios Tubes, so he was already familiar with the brand. “I love the fact you can clamp them together and create different shapes,” he stated. “They are perfect for lighting action, environmental scenes like clubs and other scenarios needing some ‘live’ elements of lighting. You can pull a PixelBrick out of a case and deploy it anywhere – on a desk, in a roof, on the floor, in a fridge – and it will look like part of a set.”

The PixelBrick has been designed for use on anything from concerts and events to a range of filming and broadcast applications. Its IP65 rating is rain and damp resistant and multiple PixelBricks can be joined together to create all sorts of combinations. “The price is also very reasonable,” noted Manny, adding that he hopes this purchase will also potentially be a source of new work.

He frequently uses the AsteraApp for controlling the PixelBricks, but also likes the option to run the fixtures via DMX off a standard lighting console. The Gripelectric Worx PixelBricks went straight out on a Netflix series that Manny was working on for two months which involved several location shoots.

He believes they will get used “all the time” just like his Titans and Helios and have been a “completely solid investment” that will work constantly and consistently. He feels that the relationship with the distributor is a vital part of the equation when making an investment in any brand, and he praises DWR and its Astera account manager, Marlene Riley, for their “excellent and efficient service and prompt deliveries.” Photos: Gripelectric Worx www.astera-led.com

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GRANDMA3 STARS ON THE SATURDAY SHOWDOWN

BLOND PRODUCTIONS SUPPLIES A COMPLETE MA LIGHTING GRANDMA3 SYSTEM FOR NEW GAMESHOW SHOOT.

Lighting Designer Ryan Lombard used a complete grandMA3 solution to run lighting and video content on South Africa’s newest DSTV gameshow, The Saturday Showdown.

Recorded at Johannesburg Urban Brew Studio 10 and produced by Red Pepper Productions for broadcaster Mzansi Magic, the show saw Lombard specify a grandMA3 light as the main console for graphics and lighting, coupled with grandMA3 onPC running on a dedicated computer on the network accessed via a grandMA3 onPC command wing, which was used to trigger all the reactive LX and AV cues as different sections of the games were played.

Two MA Network Switches and one grandMA3 processing unit were also part of the package delivered by lighting and LED vendor, Blond Productions, creating a complete grandMA3 system.

The set – designed by Michael Gill Designs and built by SDS – was divided into two areas, the Arena or Field, where the action took place, and the commentator / studio setup where the competitors were also seated for the relevant segments. A total of 52 moving lights were on the rig and used for effects and precision lighting around and the field, with 60 Martin by Harman VDO Sceptron 10 LED pixel battens (and their own controller) utilised as set eye candy also being run from the grandMA3.

Substantial quantities of LED strip were part of the set ‘practicals’ as well, and there were 62 LED fixtures for set specials, keys and arena lights with another 120 LED PARs for ‘stadium lights’, up lighters, and truss warmers – an eclectic mix which were skilfully combined to produce a slick and stylish look.

Eight individual video feeds controlling digital content appearing on the multiple LED surfaces around the studio were received from a Hippotizer Boreal+ Mk 2 media server into the grandMA3 system.

“I thought this was an ideal scenario to make the transition to grandMA3 and stay current by using the latest and most powerful control technology,” commented Lombard, who was particularly impressed with the console’s Phaser engine. “I soon felt really comfortable figuring out how to set up some of the more advanced functionality and especially the cues involving the media server,” he noted. “It was an absolute blast using the desk and the grandMA3 system.” Lombard tapped into multiple systems for this show, running a multi-user session for the main lighting console and the games console, together with MA-Net3 for the lights plus Art-Net and HippoNet for the media server to access and control the graphical systems.

“It was a big learning curve – especially incorporating all the video elements,” he admitted. “It’s an intricate tool that takes some figuring out, but it’s a lot of fun to use.” He also appreciated the generally much “cleaner and more streamlined” grandMA3 user interface.

Naturally, the “outstanding” support from local MA distributor DWR Distribution was “brilliant as always,” confirmed Ryan. Photo: Annie Goetzsche www.malighting.com

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