www.entertainment-tech.co.za
September / October 2018
FEATURES
INSTALLATIONS
Lighting fixture Warranties Aki Khan
COVER FEATURE
Katy Perry Witness: The Tour
SuperSport Studio HB Thom theatre
POWERED BY
C ON T E N TS
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HB THOM THEATRE
www.entertainment-tech.co.za
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14
IVTM Western Cape
Supersport Lighting Fixture Warranties
30
10 PROFILE
Akbar "Aki" Khan
22 Gateway 69 Dinner Theatre
26 O&L Group corporate event
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Katy Perry: Witness
8 WONDERboom with FBT
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Editor's comment
EDITOR'S WORD Industry gears up for summer
G
reetings and welcome to the spring edition of Entertainment Technology Magazine (ETECH). The past few months have been a busy time for us all, and I am sure that you join me in looking forward to the approaching summer. While it may seem like the year has only begun, the end-of-year function rush is almost upon us, and I wish you all a very pleasant calm - before the storm. Our cover feature for this issue takes a look at the recent Katy Perry concert, held at the TicketPro Dome in Johannesburg. I am sure that I am not alone in being blown away by the amazing staging and production quality that Katy Perry and her Witness: The Tour crew brought to Jozi for the African leg of her current international tour. On the installations front, we spoke with Jacques Barnard, vision control and lighting supervisor at SuperSport about the recent revamp of Studio 6 ahead of the FIFA World Cup. The installation demanded the expertise of some of the leading installers and service providers in the entertainment technology industry and is a project of truly awe-inspiring proportions. We also take a look at the fantastic lighting and control installation that has been achieved at Stellenbosch University’s HB Thom Theatre, which has brought infrastructure at the theatre complex in line with some of the leading theatres in the world. As the leading entertainment technology publication in the country, ETECH would like to take a prominent role in educating readers about some of the intricacies of the industry. It is a fairly well-accepted fact that warranties, terms and conditions are written by some very
clever lawyers, who like to use a lot of words in very small fonts. In an attempt to simplify the whole process and provide you with a quick reference guide, we chatted to some of the leading distributors of professional lighting fixtures about the warranties that various lighting manufacturers extend to the end user. We hope that you find this guide useful. Finally, on our recent trip to the Mother City, I had the privilege of having a cup of coffee with the legendary Akbar ‘Aki’ Khan. Aki shared some of his incredible experiences of the 1970s and 1980s, where he and his buddies "gave the Apartheid government the finger" by leading some of South Africa’s most prominent struggle heroes in song, at a time when it could have landed them in jail. I would like to thank Aki for his incredible story and generosity of spirit, and I hope that you enjoy his wonderful storytelling ability as much as I did. We are very excited about the feedback that we have been receiving over the past few weeks following the launch of ETECH. We would like to extend our gratitude to all of our advertisers and readers for your support, suggestions and comments. As always, we would appreciate any ideas you may have to share with us and hope that you continue to enjoy the publication. Happy reading
@etechza
@etechza
@etechzaW
EDITORIAL Nicole Barnes – Editor editor@pro-systems.co.za +27 (0)66 489 3482
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es Nicole Barn
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news
Audio-Technica confirms new SA distributor Audio-Technica has announced the appointment of a new distributor for both its consumer and professional audio products in South Africa. With effect from 1 September 2018, Pro Audio, located near Johannesburg, will join Audio-Technica’s network of distribution partners across EMEA. The company’s current portfolio includes Turbosound, TC Electronic, HK Audio and Klark Teknik.
LETPC 2018 a success The South African Roadies Association (SARA) hosted its fourth Annual Live Event Technical and Production Conference (LETPC 2018) in May 2018, at The Sunnyside Park Hotel in Parktown, Johannesburg. The threeday event attracted over 120 delegates from different countries across the globe. The LETPC conference has become one of the foremost platforms for international live event technical and production professionals to meet, network and discuss critical issues that are affecting the sector with topics such as such as health and safety, production, event management, venues, artist challenges, dj and producer issue, technical advances being interrogated by the speakers and audience alike. The LETPC 2018 featured a range of local as well as international guest speakers, and as was intended once again, to expose the South African live event,
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Pro Audio managing directors Joss Pack and David Myers
Audio-Technica export sales manager Dre Klaassen said of the new agreement: “We’re delighted to welcome Pro Audio to the Audio-Technica family. We are very confident that it is the right company to build Audio-Technica’s profile in both the pro and consumer markets in South Africa. The company’s wide experience and drive in distribution is unique in the territory, and I very much look forward to working with them in the future.” Neil Schofield, Audio-Technica’s export sales manager for consumer products, added that “Pro Audio joins as distribution partner at an exciting time, with many new consumer products being released to the EMEA market – I’m
looking forward to developing the brand together in South Africa.” Pro Audio’s managing director David Myers said, “I am extremely excited and proud of Pro Audio’s appointment as distributor for Audio-Technica. As a truly world-renowned brand, it will be a great complement to the current portfolio of brands we provide to the pro and consumer markets. With the addition of Audio-Technica, we can now offer a complete pro solution for installation, touring, retail, MI stores, studio, delegate and solution-based corporate installs. This brand pushes our company to the next level and will ensure our continued growth and success in all the markets we represent.”
Graeme Gilfillan moderating with a panel that includes Duncan Riley, Kagiso Moima, Romeo Lekoba, and Jerry Ngobese at LETPC 2018
technical and production sectors and practitioners to best practices occurring across Africa and the world and to share with those from elsewhere the gains made and challenges experienced, locally. According to SARA, “the primary objective of the LETPC has been and remains to pull together the event, technical, production and training and skills development sectors from across the country, the continent and the world.”
“SARA is once again indebted by the continuous support and sponsorship received, especially from anchor sponsor the Department of Arts and Culture, whose support is greatly appreciated. Others who have brought sponsorship support to the LETPC include Black Motion Productions, DWR Distribution, Gearhouse, Sound Corporation, Dr Nandi’s Aesthetic Medical Boutique and as well as media partner, 1912 Online Radio,” SARA concludes.
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news
Loud Audio announces the sale of EAW LOUD Audio, LLC (LOUD), a portfolio company of Transom Capital Group, recently announced that it has sold the EAW business from its portfolio of Pro Audio and MI businesses to the Italian Pro-Audio company RCF Group. This is the third and final divestiture by Transom aimed at allowing LOUD to narrow its focus to the Mackie brand and deliver the best possible products and experience to its customers.
“While I have truly enjoyed working with all of the brands in the LOUD legacy, now it’s time for us to turn the page and to be entirely focused on building the Mackie brand”, said Alex Nelson, Mackie’s president. “Our companies have long lived in a conglomeration of brands, and I believe going forward all the brands are going to benefit from newfound focus, alignment and investment. This last divestiture marks a particularly exciting time for Mackie employees worldwide who are now about to embark on a journey of reinvention and revitalisation.” President of EAW, TJ Smith, added, “Having grown up with the EAW and Mackie brands, I can truly say that this is an exciting moment. Both brands are now in a significantly stronger position to support their unique partners and
DWR appointed official Vectorworks distributor Vectorworks, Inc. is pleased to announce that DWR Distribution has been appointed an official distributor for Vectorworks Spotlight, Braceworks and Vision software in South Africa.
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Dylan Jones and Duncan Riley of DWR
“DWR has demonstrated a strong commitment to Vectorworks and has deep roots in the entertainment industry, and it was a natural progression to have them officially join the Vectorworks family as a distributor,” said Tara Grant, director of channel operations at Vectorworks. Since 2013, DWR has sold software to the entertainment industry and offered extensive training at its office over the years. This new agreement will further benefit customers by allowing greater technical and sales support
customers. I look forward to the continued development of Mackie and EAW under new and more focused ownership.” Ty Schultz, the managing partner at Transom Capital Group, concluded, “Simplifying the LOUD business to focus on high quality audio delivery from consumers to professionals has always been the focus of our thesis. We are very happy to have found a great new owner for the EAW brand and wish everyone involved much success going forward.” EAW and LOUD will be working together over the next few months to ensure a smooth transition for all customers, dealers, and distributors. For more information www.surgesound.co.za
contact
with direct access to the team at Vectorworks. “It’s an honour to be able to distribute a brand like Vectorworks, and we are very excited about the partnership,” said Duncan Riley, managing director of DWR Distribution. “We believe that the close collaboration between MA Lighting and Vectorworks, to assist lighting designers on workflow, will be a game changer. On DWR’s side, we have a passionate team supporting the brand. We see Vectorworks as a 360-degree entertainment design solution for the country, providing professionals and students with a tool that will make their lives easier.” DWR’s Dylan Jones will manage all Vectorworks sales and support. “It’s exciting to be working directly with the Vectorworks team,” he said. “We are looking forward to providing educational and network licenses to the industry. The training Vectorworks provides their distributors has already helped us improve the quality of our technical support, and with direct access to their order process, we are now able to deliver licenses more quickly to our customers.”
news
WONDERboom pushing the FBT sound system during their Best Side Story tour
WONDERboom goes on tour with FBT South African rock band WONDERboom is currently travelling the country with their Best Side Story tour, promoting their new album, Rising Sun. Following a stellar performance at the recent FBT launch hosted by newly appointed local distributor TV Audio, WONDERboom have taken the FBT sound system on tour with them, with TV Audio managing director Peter Berry’s blessings.
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There are few South African rock bands that have demonstrated the staying power of WONDERboom, having rocked South African and international audiences for more than 20 years. Cito, Martin Schofield and Wade Williams, the founding members of WONDERboom, have been writing songs and performing together since the early 1990s. The band are currently touring the country with their Best Side Story tour, visiting a wide range of venues and thrilling fans both old and new with hits such as Never Ever, Jafta Rebel, Something Wrong, Green Fever, Charlie, On The Radio, Karaoke Bar and their more recent hit, Ooh La La. Following the announcement that leading entertainment technology distributor, TV Audio would be taking on the local distribution of world-renowned audio brand FBT, Chris Andrews of Brand Agent approached Cito and the band on behalf of TV Audio and requested them to appear as guest artists at the official launch of FBT’s new product range in July. “Chris Andrews approached us with the opportunity to demonstrate the FBT system at a launch event held at Constantia Hotel earlier this year. We
jumped at the offer because FBT is such an awesome brand, with a very solid international reputation,” Cito stated in a recent interview. “We were extremely impressed with the quality of the FBT system at TV Audio’s launch, and we have since started touring with the FBT systems, using it for gigs where the venue does not have an existing PA,” says Cito. He goes on to state that he and the band have been incredibly impressed with the FBT sound system, provided by TV Audio. “The frequency response of the main system is outstanding, and perfectly suited to the clubs and restaurants where we have been performing over the past few months. The clarity of sound and coverage is remarkable for a system of its size. Also, the stage monitors offer a beautiful frequency range that is perfect for intimate and medium-sized stages. It is truly a sublime setup,” Cito concludes. WONDERboom will be taking the Best Side Story tour to a number of venues in the coming months. For more information www.wonderboom.co.za
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PROFILE SOUND ENGINEER
Aki Khan at the sound desk
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Aki K
PROFILE SOUND ENGINEER
While I have had no lack of wonderful life experiences, it is not often that I have had the privilege of finding myself in the presence of true greatness. I certainly did not expect to find it in a modest sound shop in the streets of Ottery, Cape Town. I will forever
cherish
the
hour
that
legendary South African audiophile and accomplished sound engineer Akbar ‘Aki’ Khaan shared with me
Khan CELEBRATED SOUND ENGINEER AKI KHAN SHARES HIS JOURNEY
during our recent interview. During the course of his career, Aki Khan has worked with some of the best musicians that South Africa has ever produced, become one of the most respected sound engineers in the country, and fulfilled his childhood dream of working with Yusuf “Cat” Stevens,
among
his
many
accomplishments. Despite being at the head of his own highly successful business, recognised as one of the most accomplished sound engineers in South Africa, and enjoying personal connections with some of South Africa’s
most
powerful
personalities,
Aki
incomparably
modest
political remains and
unassuming. My short time with Aki left me feeling incredibly proud to be a South African, who gets to call men of Mr Khan’s calibre my countryman. I hope that this brief transcription of a portion of our conversation will capture a little of the magic that is Aki Khan for you too. – Nicole Barnes
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PROFILE SOUND ENGINEER
Robbie Jansen and Akbar Khan
When did you first come interested in music?
G
rowing up in the 1970s, music was such an important thing for me – it kept one alive, and I have always had a passion for music. I was heavily influenced by Bob Dylan, Carole King, Joni Mitchell and David Crosby. It is amazing how things can be so serendipitous. For example, one of my friends is doing an album with David Crosby at the moment. I remember the very first time I heard Suite: Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills and Nash being played on a dilapidated record player while at school. It was a defining moment for me, and I have been a music and sound guy ever since.
How did you start your career in music? I actually started my career as a teacher. As a youth, you do all this work at school, but you never really know where it is going to take you. I had some really interesting teachers, and so I decided to study education and see where it would take me. The big change for me came in 1976 when the student uprisings started, and Hector Peterson had just been shot. There was so much suffering in the country, but the music that I was listening to was not talking about these experiences. So, a couple of buddies and me got together and started this band called Old Bones. We wanted to make our own music about our own struggles. We also wanted to make people aware of what was happening in South Africa, and music seemed like the best way to tell our stories. We also just wanted to have some fun and show the government the finger. In 1977, when Winnie Mandela was banished to Bradford, Randy [Randolph Hartzenberg] wrote the song called Nelson Born in the Land of the Sun, which was quite a hit and became something of an anthem for the youth.
"What the struggle taught me was that you can be anything that you want to be. Nothing is too big or too small. Basically, in those days, we had no money. All we had was a fierce vision and a dream."
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PROFILE SOUND ENGINEER
How did you become involved in the struggle against Apartheid?
What are some of your most memorable experiences from this time?
While I was teaching at Oaklands High, we put together a school band. In the mid-1980s, the students took to the streets again, and we would take part in the protest action by arriving at places where students were gathering and play songs like We are the World, and Bob Marley songs like Get Up Stand Up For Your Rights and So Much Trouble In The Land. We also played the repertoire that I grew up with as a teenager and the struggle songs that we had written. We performed on a makeshift stage and would smuggle our equipment in through a hole in the fence because the police would set up barricades and surveillance outside the main gates. We were told: ‘If you guys go in there we are going to arrest you and put you away.’ We didn’t let that stop us though – we just made a plan. Our equipment was very rustic, for example, the PA that we were using for a crowd of 5000 people was a Marshal Amp and a box amplifier, with everything just plugged in. Performing the Toyi-Toyi on electric guitars, bass and drums, we would have the entire student body, as many as 5000 students, mesmerised by the music and the experience. It was an incredibly special time, and it confirmed my belief in the power of music to change lives – most especially my own. By the mid-1980, the Oaklands High Band was getting pretty famous, and soon we found ourselves brushing shoulders with some of the most important political activists of the time. We would go on stage and play freedom songs before Dr Allan Boesak, or Dullah Omar made a speech, and then the band would sing a song about the consumer boycott. Before I knew it, I had become a part of the struggle and a freedom fighter in my own way. It was a really exciting time because we had nothing – but we had each other, and we made a plan for whatever we needed. It was amazing to be a part of something like that – and to feel that we had a voice and what we had to say mattered.
I converted the garage at my home into a space where the band could rehearse and hang out. On Friday nights, we had a lot of politicians, activists and people in hiding that would come around to hang out and have a good time in our little cul-desac in Crawford, Cape Town. We started up the Cultural Collective, with people giving guitar lessons, writing subversive songs and holding music workshops. People would go on playing until two in the morning, and the entire neighbourhood would go mad. We didn’t have access to any high-end sound treatment, so we took egg boxes and stuck them to the walls. I was still always in trouble with the neighbours because, in my twenties, I didn’t really understand that egg boxes don’t work very well as sound-proofing. In 1990, when Nelson Mandela was released from prison, I was involved in getting the sound set up at the Cape Town City Hall, where Madiba gave his first public address and set in motion the dismantling of Apartheid. I was supposed to be the guy to hold the mic for Mr Mandela, but it didn’t work out that way. It was still one of the most memorable days of my life.
When did you start developing your skills as a sound engineer? I became a sound guy out of necessity more than anything else. We needed our gear to work, and I figured out how to make that happen – and discovered that I was pretty good at it. When the Oaklands School band rehearsed in a classroom, we sounded pretty good, but the moment that we went outdoors, performing for huge crowds we were singing through horn speakers, and it didn’t sound so cool. I knew that we could do better, so I approached a couple of guys in the industry, like Murray Anderson and Paul Bosner, and asked for help. In true South African spirit, they gave me some gear for nothing, and before I knew it, I had become a sound man. Thanks to donations, we eventually got a pretty cool rig together, including a Fender Rhodes Piano, and old Tama Drum kit, a Roland JC 120 Jazz Chorus Amp and a bunch of microphones. We would load all of the gear into the back of our car and hit the road, going from venue to venue to perform. During the struggle, I really enjoyed being involved in all the subversive stuff, but I also created a name for myself as a sound engineer.
How has being a part of the struggle against Apartheid shaped you? What the struggle taught me was that you can be anything that you want to be. Nothing is too big or too small. Basically, in those days, we had no money. All we had was a fierce vision and a dream. We discovered that you can do anything with nothing, and that every individual has the ability to change the world. We had a say and a voice. Whatever we had, like MacGyver, we would make it work. That is what we did, and it has been one of the guiding principles that I have followed my whole life.
A
fter the fall of Apartheid, Khan began working as a sound engineer in theatre, with some of South Africa’s most influential producers and directors, including Pieter Toerien and David Kramer. His part-time passion became his full-time career when his wife handed in his resignation to the Department of Education in the mid-1990, freeing Akbar to pursue his career as a sound engineer. During this time, Khan established Eastern Acoustics, a Cape Town-based audio-visual company that specialises in both large and small-scale conferences, theatre, concerts and festivals. Eastern Acoustics has established itself as a leader in the professional audio-visual field, with Aki at the helm. Despite his humble beginnings, Akbar Khan continues to work with both South African and international artists of the highest calibre and remains one of the most respected sound engineers in the country.
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INSTALLATION STUDIO
SuperSport Studio FIFA World Cup re vamp
SuperSport, a MultiChoice group of channels, redesigned its flagship Studios 6 production centre ahead of the recent FIFA World Cup held in Russia to provide Africa’s football fans with an exceptional viewing experience. 14
Studio 6 redesigned to deliver an exceptional FIFA World Cup viewing experience
The FIFA World Cup is widely recognised as the most watched and followed sporting event on the global calendar and is broadcast to every single country and territory on Earth. According to statistics released by research company GlobalWebIndex, approximately 3.4 billion people from around the world watched some part of the recent FIFA World Cup tournament between 14 June and 15 July, which represents almost half of the world’s entire population. SuperSport, the main broadcast aggregator of sporting content across Africa, understands the enormous following that the FIFA World Cup enjoys – especially after the first African World Cup took South Africa by storm in 2010. In response, SuperSport and the MultiChoice team decided to overhaul the group’s flagship Studio 6 production centre to provide African fans with an exceptional FIFA World Cup 2018 experience. Studio 6 has become one of the largest broadcast spaces at SuperSport and is able to support multiple simultaneous productions. The new double story set for Studio 6, and the Arena includes straight, architectural lines, while interesting nooks and crannies allow producers a diversity of presentation shots. SuperSport has embraced the AV technology revolution with the inclusion of augmented reality production capabilities. Tracking markers have been installed on the roof of Studio 6, and multiple cameras in the studio have been upgraded to support the new AR system.
INSTALLATION STUDIO
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INSTALLATION STUDIO
“The new system is a massive upgrade in comparison to the old set. Trussing infrastructure has now been successfully upgraded to safely and reliably support the weight of critical elements of the set.”
DWR upgraded the rig at Studio 6 using Prolyte trussing
– Duncan Riley, DWR Distribution
A solid game plan Michael Gill, of Michael Gill Designs (MGD), has designed numerous sets for SuperSport in the past, and SuperSport once again turned to Gill to provide a new look and feel for the iconic Studio 6 ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Jacques Barnard, vision control and lighting supervisor at SuperSport states that the SuperSport production team supported Gill’s vision for Studio 6 from the start. “We could all see that the new design for Studio 6 was going to be something special. The design aesthetic has moved away from curves and rounded edges, so that the new corporate-looking set has strong, angular lines.” Barnard points out that the set features at least ten different zones or presentation areas, which opens up more creative options for the production team. “DWR Distribution helped us to effectively increase our overall studio colour temperature during the recent LED upgrade, which finally aligned all our visual elements and we knew
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the new set would look beautiful. This time, we utilised DWR to bolster the integrity of our rig and upgrade our whole infrastructure, and we are ecstatic with the results,” Barnard concludes. Once the SuperSport team had reviewed and accepted Gill’s new design for the SuperSport studios, MGD contracted Gearhouse Group’s set company, Sets Drapes Screens (SDS) to build the new set. The project needed to be completed in three months to ensure that the reveal of the new studios would coincide with the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup, held at the Luzhniki Stadium on 14 June.
A challenging rig The implementation of MGD’s ambitious new design for Studio 6 was not without its difficulties. “When we began the process of rebuilding the Studio 6 set, we discovered that the existing rigging was not up to standard. A lot of the set is suspended from the rig, and we had to be certain that everything was constructed according to the required engineering specifications,” Barnard explains. SuperSport turned to DWR for an expedient solution to their rigging challenges.
DWR rigging specialist, Kevin Stannett states that approximately 214 meters of Prolyte trussing was used for the installation. “We dropped all of the existing trussing, had it powder coated black and re-installed using completely new rigging hardware,” Stannett points out. He goes on to explain that the installation included a new cable structure with four DMX tie lines to the Studio 6 control room as well as DMX outlets on the grid and at floor level. Additional dimming in Studio 6 includes five LSC MDR 10-way DMX splitters, and a wireless system enables the studio’s MA Lighting dot2 lighting console to be controlled from a mobile device. “DWR supplied the foundation from which everything hangs – fixtures and set included,” explains DWR managing director, Duncan Riley.
Bring up the lights Lighting designer Joshua Cutts, who has worked on various projects for SuperSport since 2010, carefully planned a new lighting layout for Studio 6. As SuperSport upgraded their lighting fixtures from tungsten to LED technology a little over a year ago, Cutts had an impressive array of fixtures to work with,
Digital displays deliver diverse content The Studio 6 control room
“I used a lot of colour on the previous set, but this time I am lighting with less colour and relying on the ample LED screens in the revamped studio to add another dimension of colour within the space.” – Joshua Cutts, LD
Green Hippo's Hippotizer Boreals have been used as media servers for Studio 6
including QuartzColor Fresnels; Philips Strand SoftLight 300S TV Panels; Robe Robin DL4S Profiles; Robe Robin Spikies; and Philips Strand Relayrack panels. In addition, SuperSport procured a further five QuartzColor X5 LED Fresnels taking the fixture count to 141 units; six Philips Strand 300S Softlights with barndoors taking the fixture count to 23, and twenty Longman Excelsior 184 RGBW LED Bars. Reflecting on the project, Cutts states that one of the key objectives of the lighting design for Studio 6 was being sure not to overlight the space, which could result in the set looking flat. As directors experimented with different camera angles in various zones of the studio during rehearsal times, Cutts and his team followed, brightening or darkening the spaces to reach optimal lighting levels. “It is much like sculpting,” remarks Cutts. “The process is slow because, unlike the larger live entertainment shows that we do, in a studio, everything is visible all of the time.”
Controlling the pixels Central to Gill’s design for SuperSport’s Studio 6 is an impressive array of LED and LCD
monitors, monitor banks, and large-format video walls. To control the video element of the installation, SuperSport called on the services of Richard Baker, Chris Grandin and Mike Tempest from Gearhouse Group to design, install and program the system. LEDVision, the Group’s LED provider, added to its inventory to supply two Hippotizer Boreals, two Karsts and four FX4s for video control, and worked around the clock to get the system running and programmed in time for the FIFA World Cup. Once the team had completed the design for the system, Mike Tempest was brought in to program and prepare all of the groundwork, and to hand the system over ahead of the 14 June deadline. Programming the entire set up was a learning curve as both the studio producers and LED operators had to learn how to work the system to get the most compatible outcome. However, Hippo training, presented by Green Hippo’s product specialist Suzy Stenning at DWR Distribution ahead of the launch proved enormously helpful. Dylan Jones from DWR played a supportive role during the implementation of the Green Hippo system at Studio 6. “The
World Cup broadcast,” says Jones. “Working with Mike and Chris on this project has been an incredible learning experience,” he concludes. “There is a lot Hippotizer Media Servers can do that a lot of other servers can’t,” explains Tempest. “You can operate it manually, which is great because it gives you a randomly accessible mode of operation. When a more advanced look needs to be recalled, you can have a timeline with hundreds of separate keyframes on it, giving you precise control of things which can be animated simultaneously,” Tempest points out. “Green Hippo is quite an intuitive system to get your head around if you come from a media and server background,” Tempest reflects. “What’s really nice is the way the timeline structure is laid out. You can go in and take a snapshot of whatever is in that timeline as a global event, and all the features get saved there. Alternatively, you can filter it down so that only certain components have a change made or recorded. As with any system, there are a couple of things that could be worked on, but all of these systems are cutting-edge,
training by Suzy just before the install was crucial to the success of the SuperSport
and in this industry, we always live on the edge,” Tempest concludes.
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INSTALLATION THEATRE
Lights
shine on HB Thom 18
INSTALLATION THEATRE
Stellenbosch University’s HB Thom Theatre recently benefited from an extensive upgrade to its lighting system. The installation was implemented by Electrosonic SA, who has taken advantage of ETC’s extensive range of technologies, specifically developed for the theatre environment, to deliver a world-class theatre lighting solution at the HB Thom Theatre complex in the Western Cape.
Students rehearse under a new lighting rig at Stellenbosch University's HB Thom Theatre complex
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INSTALLATION THEATRE
Albert Snyman behind the ETC EOS Ion lighting console at front of house
“If you teach students to be theatre lighting designers, you are creating layers of skills for different applications.” – Pierre Arnold Theron, theatre technician at SU
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One of the first university theatres in South Africa, Stellenbosch University’s (SU) HB Thom Theatre complex provides space for the University’s student body to pursue studies in acting, performance and technical theatre management. In addition to presenting both student and professional productions, the HB Thom Theatre hosts numerous amateur theatre groups and youth drama festivals, supporting the development of drama and the arts in the broader community. Over the past few years, the University has embarked upon an ambitious refurbishment project to bring theatre technology and infrastructure in line with the latest international performance and safety standards. Working with Electrosonic SA, the HB Thom Theatre currently boasts what is arguably one of the most advanced lighting installations for a facility of its kind in the country. ETECH recently had the opportunity to visit the HB Thom Theatre, together with Electrosonic’s live events manager and theatre installation specialist Robbi Nassi, where we had the privilege of seeing the breathtaking refurbishment of this historic theatre first hand.
INSTALLATION THEATRE
Enlightening learning
According to Albert Snyman, theatre manager at the HB Thom, the rapid digitisation of theatre technology and the development of LED-based intelligent lighting has resulted in the field of technical theatre changing dramatically over a single generation, and institutions of higher learning are hard-pressed to keep up. When considering the refurbishment of the HB Thom Theatre, Stellenbosch University turned to long-time partner and theatre installation experts, Electrosonic SA for assistance. As an Alumni of the University, theatre technician at SU, Pierre Arnold Theron has a deep appreciation of the role that the theatre plays in developing the next generation of entertainment technology professionals for theatre as well as for a wide range of professional streams in related fields. “The discipline of theatre lighting forms the foundation of the many applications of professional lighting design, from event lighting to architectural, broadcast and photographic lighting design. By ensuring that technical theatre students are equipped with all of the skills and knowledge needed to be excellent theatre lighting designers, you are ensuring that they are able to apply those skills to a myriad of applications and professions,” Theron opines.
Unique installation
The Electrosonic theatre installation team, under the leadership of Robbi Nassi, have deployed a lighting installation at the HB Thom which has not only met but exceeds the expectations of the University’s theatre management team. “The immaculate cabling and emphasis on safety standards is very impressive and provides peace of mind that the technical installation at the HB Thom will stand the test of time,” he points out. Of the Electrosonic installation team, Theron states: “Watching Omar Sharfoodeen, Alphas Nkomo and Thabang Makafane work is truly inspirational. Their level of technical expertise and incredible work ethic is a great testament to the standards and commitment to skills development that Electrosonic brings to the party.” In line with the University’s commitment to producing graduates that are prepared to become leaders in their future careers, SU set out to develop a dynamic learning environment that equips students to work across disciplines and platforms. On completion, the lighting installation at the HB Thom Theatre complex includes the latest in intelligent lighting control by ETC and state-of-the-art fixtures from both ETC and Martin Professional on the main stage, while leaving some of the older conventional lighting fixtures in place in smaller performance venues in the complex. “The students leave the university with a massive skills base, which makes for professionals that are highly skilled and exceedingly versatile,” Snyman concludes.
A leap to the future
In addition to architectural lighting control, installed and programmed by Electrosonic’s networking and control specialist, Jesse Dullabh, and enabled by ETC’s Paradigm, all of the infrastructure throughout the HB Thom Theatre complex has been network enabled with the deployment of a Luminex networking solution. Luminex switches are compatible with multiple protocols, which
“We can show both old and new theatre lighting technology to the students, providing them with the opportunity to learn and experiment using both.” – Albert Snyman, theatre manager SU
combines network for the theatre’s lighting, audio and video applications. The Luminex networking solution means that students and theatre technicians no longer have to climb the truss to change a device setting or patch lighting fixtures, as all of the converters and splitters are Remote Device Management (RDM) enabled. To ensure that both tungsten and LED fixtures are accommodated at the theatre complex, Electrosonic deployed ETC’s ColorSource ThruPower. Each ColorSource ThruPower circuit feeds directly into the panel wiring, breaking out to dimmer and relay inputs, which means that all circuits can switch between relay and dimming without changing any hardware. The technology allows programmers to change the operation of any circuit locally with the easy-to-use interface, while remote changes can be made with RDM. For front of house control, SU invested in two ETC EOS Ion consoles, which provide fully integrated control of media servers, conventional lighting fixtures, LED fixtures and moving lights for the main theatre and in the studio. The console is designed to be highly intuitive and accommodates the needs of beginners and professionals alike – making it the perfect tool for a training environment where students have the opportunity to gradually develop their skills, using the same tools and technology as some of the best theatre programmers in the world.
Bring up the lights
In addition to the extensive control and networking solutions implemented by Electrosonic at the HB Thom, Nassi and his installation team supplied a brand new lighting rig for the main stage, which is one of the first of its kind in a South African theatre and is based solely on LED lighting fixtures. Fixtures include Martin Professional MAC Quantum Profiles and MAC Aura XB Washes. ETC’s ColorSource PAR fixture, with various diffusor options from wide, medium and narrow, as well as the ColorSource Spot Light Engine with Source Four 15-30 degree zoom lenses and ColorSource spot deep blue light engine with a variation on CYC lens attachments and Fresnel attachments with barndoors. “The lighting rig that has been installed at the OB Thom is the same as what one would find in a repertory theatre anywhere in the world. Students trained at universities with this level of theatre technology walk away with a truly transferable set of skills on an international level. They are empowered to ‘go and do’, at any venue in the world,” Theron concludes.
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INSTALLATION DINNER THEATRE
Gate69 Dinner theatre By Deidre Bartlett and Gill Midgley
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Who would imagine an 1890s heritage site, once used by Freemasons, providing the venue for a quaint dinner theatre in Cape Town's trendiest suburbs? Chirstopher Dudgeon and Brendan van Rhyn, together with business partner Luanna Shonfeld, decided to pursue this ambitious project, with help from some of the country's leading theatre installation specialists, Eastern Acoustics and Prosound. From the seed for the idea, which emanated in 2011, an extensive search for the right venue ensued. Finally, the pair settled on an interesting heritage building on Bree Street, Cape Town. Converting a heritage site into a “purple palace", as Gate 69 is fondly nicknamed, was not without its challenges. Strict preservation regulations meant that only minor structural changes were permitted. The original ceilings and floors could not be altered in any way save for a coat of paint or varnish. Further discoveries revealed outdated plans, crumbling wood and plaster walls, a slanting theatre floor, and a balcony that sits at a steep angle in relation to the stage which required creative seating solutions. The venue’s grand, old-fashioned proscenium arch had to be correctly placed to avoid creating the appearance of shallow and two-dimensional proportions. “These are just a few of the issues we encountered but as it turns out all of these issues forced us to come up with solutions that have actually created the character of the place. In the end, we realised that without these difficulties, our original vision would never have come to pass,” says Dudgeon.
INSTALLATION DINNER THEATRE
Gate69 is the proud realisation of Christopher Dudgeon and Brendan van Rhyn’s vision of a cabaret dinner theatre that would boast upmarket fantastical musicals within the embrace of an intimate theatre.
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INSTALLATION DINNER THEATRE
the right sound Technical hurdles, inherent in an historical structure not designed for theatrical performances, were successfully negotiated by Eastern Acoustics and Prosound. “One of the main challenges we had was creating a big, warm, cabaret-style sound in such a small venue”, says Dominique Adams, sound designer, from Eastern Acoustics. “We had to create the illusion that the sound was coming off the stage naturally and that no speakers were involved.” This ‘speaker-less illusion’ was achieved by delaying the PA transmission to backstage, thereby allowing the sound from the stage to reach the audience’s ears a mere millisecond before that of the PA. In addition, the stereo signal was split to feed up to six speakers, each with its own graphic equaliser and delay settings, from the Midas Venice u32 mixing console into the EV DC-One Sound System Processor. This process included the placing of a reference speaker at the centre of the stage. Then, by playing a stripped song (just guitar and vocals), the front left and right speakers were delayed through the DC-One, until the sound was in-phase and coherent with the reference speaker. The placement of the proscenium arch in front of the main front speakers meant that only those sitting to the sides would hear the sound perfectly. To rectify this Adams placed ‘front frills’, normally reserved for bigger and wider stages, at the side edges of the stage, angled slightly inwards to reach those in the front and centre of theatre. The speaker situated at the top of the proscenium arch was re-angled to fill the centre back of the theatre, and 8-inch Maestro’s on a support cross beam filled the third audio pocket on the balcony. Delay adjustments were implemented to ensure that all speakers remained in phase with each other. A palace of pizzazz goes hand-in-hand with reflective surfaces a-plenty causing challenges for the bass end of the sound register. To achieve a tight, natural sounding bass
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response, Adams crossed the subs over at 80Hz and cleaned out the 60Hz bandwidth on the graphic equaliser. “Being a bass head, I did a 2dB boost at 40Hz (my favourite frequency) just to put more emphasis on the low-end rumble. This was particularly enjoyable during a scene in ‘Cathy and the Trolly Dollies’ when the audience is transported right into the airport by the feeling of the aeroplane taking off,” Adams states. As the stage is very small, a stereo analogue Klark Teknik Graphic EQ and only two monitors are used to reduce any bleed through of sound to the audience. “I was quite surprised to hear how the on-stage monitors added a subtle warmth to the FOH mix,” Adams points out. Far from a mere veneer of perfection and polish, every detail, hidden or not, receives the attention necessary to create a performance of ’wow ’, even if it means running cables through the roof. “I was told not to step on the roof itself, but go from beam to beam as it is an old building. All things audio had to remain hidden, which helped my sound design illusion of no speakers,” said Adams. The only visible speakers are those of the balcony but even there, the Eastern Acoustics team hung them to favour discretion. Subwoofers under the stage allowed the artists to truly “feel” the show as well as double as bass monitors. The main and centre PAs are well hidden within the Proscenium Arch as are the stage monitors in the wings. All these extensive processes meant that the sound challenges caused by the quirks inherent in a building of this nature were cleverly addressed.
Adding the dazzle From a lighting perspective, the vintage aesthetic that is so much a part of Gate69 was further enhanced through the use of LED PAR Cans with various colours added to them, which highlighted the original 130-year-old ceiling.
INSTALLATION DINNER THEATRE
Lighting bars were strapped to existing structural beams with care taken not to overload them. This included the FOH bar where lighting designer Lamont Williams hung two Martin Mac250s, controlled remotely from the Martin Zero 88 lighting console. An extra four Martin Mac250s on stage eliminated the need to focus LED PAR Cans and Profile 750s to cover any dark spots. Co-founder Dudgeon believes that the patient and generous expertise and guidance from Eastern Acoustics and Prosound has been central to the success of Gate69. “It’s a very busy little theatre,” he says, “we’ve mounted a Broadway hit, hosted internationally acclaimed performers, showcased the country’s very best comedy line-ups, reintroduced the fine art of Burlesque to these shores and we write and produce a minimum of three proudly South African, original
musical theatre productions every year.” Included in the line-up of artists who have performed in the ‘palace’ are Christina Bianco, Ceri Dupree, Paul du Toit, and Genna Galloway. “We believe in performance as therapy, and with every second we spend in our Purple Palace with our customers, we give the performance of our lives,” he says. “We wanted a theatre in which we could create and produce content that is not being seen on these shores.” An example of this is their opening show, the Broadway production, Hedwig and the Angry Inch which debuted in South Africa at Gate 69. Dudgeon adds, “Gate 69 prides itself on its culture of inclusion that we worked so hard to cultivate. No matter who you are, or where you come from; who you love and what you do – you feel safe, at home and appreciated when you walk through our doors.”
“One of the main challenges we had was creating a big, warm, cabaret-style sound in such a small venue.” – Dominique Adams, sound designer, from Eastern Acoustics
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Photo: Willem Vrey
EVENT CORPORATE
The Ohlthaver & List Group turned to rental company dB Audio Namibia to breathe new life into the company’s annual
employee
engagement
roadshow, with state-of-the-art fixtures from Elation Professional lighting the way to a successful series of events for more than 6000 employees across Namibia.
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The Ohlthaver & List Group (O&L) is Namibia’s largest privately held group of companies, with revenues contributing roughly 5% to the country’s GDP. The group has business interests in food production, fishing, beverages, farming, retail trade, information technology, property leasing and development, renewable power generation, marine engineering, steel retailing, advertising and the leisure and hospitality industry.
BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER O&L group manager for employee engagement, Sonja Thieme explains that the annual Mwenyopaleka Employee Engagement Roadshow is part of a strategic employee engagement initiative that started in 2004, with the purpose of creating pride and passion amongst all O&L employees, while mobilising employees to actively and consistently internalise the Group’s purpose, values and vision. She adds: “Mwenyopaleka is an Oshiwambo word meaning ‘revitalisation’, but it can also be used as a synonym for ‘rebirth’. Over the past few years, the Mwenyopaleka Road Show Programme has allowed the O&L Group to promote and communicate these objectives to employees.” Over the past 14 years, the O&L Group has been connecting with their almost 6000 employees across Namibia through the Mwenyopaleka Employee Engagement Roadshow. The programme combines content facilitation and industrial theatre with competitions and music. Employees from across the company’s 12 operating companies take part for a perfect blend of infotainment and team building. The first Mwenyopaleka Roadshow of 2018 took place on 10 April, in Walvis Bay with the final event held on 23 June in Mariental. The roadshow ran a total of 17 times in 7 different towns with a combined team of 24 personnel travelling more than 4000km over the course of the programme.
DELIVERING A GREAT EXPERIENCE Rental company dB Audio, a leader in the technical events industry in Namibia, has been involved in the Mwenyopaleka Employee Engagement Roadshow for a number of years. This year, the rental company took responsibility for the technical translation and realisation of the roadshow concept and event content. Lighting design for the roadshow was provided by Geraldo Papo and supported by Gillroy Barmann. The designers elected to include Elation Professional fixtures as a centrepiece of the set, to give the show a more modern, futuristic look and feel. “The designers turned to the highoutput narrow-beam LED effect light to create the look that the client wanted to achieve. The ACL 360 Bars were spaced close together. Being a bar, Geraldo could create different shapes and cutting-edge beam effects on stage. The positioning of the fixtures in different configurations kept the stage dynamic for different scenes,” explains Ernst Steynberg, corporate communication manager at dB Audio Namibia On the market for three years now, the colour-changing RGBW batten with continuous rotation has proven itself a diverse fixture that looks great as a blade effect, eye candy effect or even as a single LED pinspot, and can add an element of dynamism to any show. “The addition of Elation Professional ACL 360 Bars provided the set with the futurist look that was included in the brief by the event producer, who specifically requested a linear beam effect,” David Benade, founder and managing member of dB Audio, explains. “The aim was to create a futuristic and modern look and feel for the event,” he concludes. After 14 years, the 2018 iteration will be the last time that O&L will be using the edutainment format to keep their employees connected to the O&L purpose. “dB Audio Namibia has been privileged to share most of this journey with O&L, and we excitedly look forward to what the future holds in store,” Steynberg concludes.
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2018. 08. 14. 9:48
COMPANY PROFILE IVTM WESTERN CAPE
Cape Town’s corporate events industry is in good technical hands with INHOUSE Venue Technical Management (IVTM) Western Cape, part of the Gearhouse Group of Companies. Following their appointment to the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), IVTM Western Cape has made some impressive upgrades to their rental inventory and restructured their management team to ensure that IVTM can provide comprehensive technical support to the corporate events industry in the region.
CORPORATE EVENTS INDUSTRY IN GOOD HANDS 28
COMPANY PROFILE IVTM WESTERN CAPE
INHOUSE Venue Technical Management (IVTM) is the corporate arm of the Gearhouse Group of Companies, which specialises in supplying technical services for the corporate event industry in South Africa and across the African continent and is currently contracted to 26 key venues around the country. IVTM has offices in Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and services some of the largest and most prestigious corporate event venues in the country, including the Sandton Convention Centre, the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) and The Hilton Hotel, Durban. ETECH recently spoke with Jacques Fourie, general manager of the Western Cape branch of IVTM about the growth that the Cape Town branch has demonstrated over the past year.
IVTM WESTERN CAPE The Western Cape branch of IVTM has been in operation for 11 years and has built a reputation for outstanding service and technical expertise in the region. IVTM Western Cape has recently relocated to offices inside the CTICC, to ensure that they are well positioned to service the extensive audiovisual needs of the region’s largest corporate events venue. In addition to CTICC, many of the leading venues and event planners in the region rely on IVTM for audiovisual, staging, rigging power and support staff for their corporate events, including the Westin Cape Hotel, two Southern Sun hotels in the province, and the Cape Town Marriott Hotel, among others. “The world of technology is constantly evolving, and it is important that we strive to meet our clients’ expectations as we maintain and exceed the standards of top national and international conference organisers and clients,” states Fourie.
EQUIPPED TO SUCCEED IVTM Western Cape has invested in a range of new technologies to ensure that they are in a position to deliver the highest quality corporate events for their Cape Townbased clients. Among the company’s latest acquisitions is a range of Panasonic laser projectors, which are far superior to lamp-based equivalents, and deliver maximum brightness and superior colour accuracy for any corporate presentation. The company has also made a significant investment in professional lighting, adding fixtures from the world’s leading manufacturers to their already impressive inventory. “We have invested in a number of fixtures from Martin Professional, including the Martin Rush Par 2 – Zoom, and the Martin Quantum Profiles, as well as a number of the ever
popular and versatile Robe Spiider wash fixtures,” Fourie points out. IVTM Western Cape has also purchased additional MA dot2 lighting consoles, which are perfectly suited to programme and control professional lighting for the corporate events market.
A WINNING LEADERSHIP TEAM IVTM is committed to attracting highly experienced and dedicated senior management teams, who are committed to directing the company’s stable of technical, project and operations managers. In keeping with the national company goals, IVTM Western Cape has appointed Jacques Fourie in the of role general manager, under the directorship of James Demore. Fourie started his career in professional AV with the Gearhouse Group of Companies in 1998 and has extensive experience in the live events industry, both locally and abroad. In his current position, Fourie oversees 14 sites, including two large-scale convention centres and 12 hotels. “My passion is to see people develop under my guidance, and I remain committed to taking IVTM Western Cape to new heights by constantly improving our service delivery,” Fourie states. Fourie leads an outstanding senior management team at IVTM Western Cape, including Jana Duvenhage who serves as new business development manager, Brandon Wheller in the position of technical manager, and Vatiswa Gilivane who heads up sales. “I am confident that the senior management team will take IVTM Western Cape to new heights, under the careful guidance of our managing director, James Demore,” Fourie concludes. Fourie works in close collaboration with Francois Liebetrau, who serves IVTM as general manager at the CTICC site. Liebetrau brings more than 20 years’ experience in technical theatre and events, serving in a management capacity for the majority of that time. Liebetrau echoes Fourie’s commitment to service delivery and mentorship, stating that: “I have a passion for leading, mentoring and guiding young, aspiring people, with the goal of seeing the pro-AV industry achieving greater heights through service excellence.” In addition, IVTM employs a diverse team of professional staff that are equipped to deliver on every aspect of a project, to provide the best in technical venue management. “IVTM offers a team of project managers, who work very closely with clients from start to finish. These project managers serve as a single point of contact for the client, ensuring that a client’s requirements are delivered efficiently and effectively, according to detailed specifications. Our project managers take a huge amount of stress away from clients and from the technicians on the floors.,” Fourie concludes.
“With the additional fixtures in our inventory, we are confident that we can continue to deliver high-quality professional lighting for the largest and most elaborate corporate events, while still providing services for smaller clients, simultaneously,” – Jacques Fourie GM, IVTM Western Cape
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SURVEY WARRANTIES
When deciding to invest in professional lighting fixtures, various factors need to be considered, including the intended application, your existing inventory and your budget. One of the most important considerations, however, is the level of support you can expect to receive if your lighting fixture fails during its warranty period. ETECH spoke with some of the leading distributors of professional lighting in South Africa to compare the manufacturer’s warranty and product support provided by local distributors across the various brands that are supported in the country.
Lighting FIXTURE WarrantIES 30
SURVEY WARRANTIES
ContentS 38
Martin By Harman
39
Philips Professional
40
ClayPaky
41
Robe
42
ETC
43
Chauvet Professional
44
Elation Professional
45
Beamz
46
Hybrid
warranty /'wawr-uh n-tee', n/ 1. a written guarantee, issued to the purchaser of an article by its manufacturer, promising to repair or replace it if necessary within a specified period of time.
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SURVEY WARRANTIES
©Bryan Hartley
Lighting FIXTURE
MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY
2
YEAR
WARRANTY
Consumables excluded
Parts
Electrosonic certified to carry out labour
labour
Covered by distributor where applicable
freight
LAMP
LTD
Consumables excluded on warranty
DISTRIBUTOR SUPPORT: Electrosonic WARRANTY RETURN PROCESS Once the fault has been reported, the unit is collected, evaluated and repaired at no charge. If the fault is found to be due to mishandling, then the freight and repairs will be billed to the client.
DISTRIBUTOR CERTIFIED FOR LOCAL REPAIRS Electrosonic is certified to carry out repairs on Martin Professional lighting fixtures to full component level.
SHIPPING COSTS FOR WARRANTY REPAIR Electrosonic has an agreement with HARMAN whereby freight costs are covered if the fault falls within the terms of the warranty. Electrosonic takes responsibility for the cost of local freight.
WARRANTIES ON PRODUCTS NOT PURCHASED THROUGH THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR Warranties are honoured by the appointed reseller who sold the product in the country of origin.
AVAILABILITY OF LOCAL SPARES Electrosonic has well over R1 million worth of spares for all of the Martin Professional fixtures.
For limitations on warranties and full terms and conditions, visit www.martin.com/files/images/company/gtcs.pdf The above information has been provided by Electrosonic, the certified distributor of Martin Professional by HARMAN and has been deemed to be accurate by Electrosonic at time of print.
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LOAN UNITS FOR PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY Electrosonic has a full range of backup products that we will make available to clients while their units are in for repairs.
REPLACEMENT OF PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY Electrosonic will replace the unit if it has a major fault and is uneconomical to repair.
SURVEY WARRANTIES
WarrantIES
Lighting designer Bryan Hartley uses Philips Professional lighting for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Warranty
Tip #1 The majority of
certified distributors are qualified to carry out repairs on products that they distribute in South Africa.
MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY
2
YEAR
WARRANTY
DISTRIBUTOR SUPPORT: DWR WARRANTY RETURN PROCESS DWR use serial number tracking on all Philips Professional lighting fixtures and units are either repaired onsite or at our offices, depending on the needs of the client.
DISTRIBUTOR CERTIFIED FOR LOCAL REPAIRS Consumables excluded
Parts
DWR certified to carry out labour
labour
Covered by distributor where applicable
freight
LAMP
DWR Distribution is certified by Philips to carry out all repairs on products under warranty.
SHIPPING COSTS FOR WARRANTY REPAIR If a unit under warranty is faulty, DWR will arrange for the unit to be collected and a loan unit delivered for use while the fixture is repaired.
WARRANTIES ON PRODUCTS NOT PURCHASED THROUGH THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR DWR uses serial number tracking, and if a serial number has been tampered with, Philips considers the warranty as void.
AVAILABILITY OF LOCAL SPARES LTD
Consumables excluded on warranty
DWR maintains a comprehensive inventory of spare parts for all of the Philips Professional lighting units that they distribute.
LOAN UNITS FOR PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY
For limitations on warranties and full terms and conditions, visit www.lighting.philips.com/main/home
DWR will always supply loan units where a client’s fixture is in for repairs under warranty and cannot be repaired on the same day.
The above information has been provided by DWR Distribution, the certified distributor of Philips Professional and has been deemed to be accurate by DWR at time of print.
DWR have never had to replace a Philips Professional fixture. However, the decision to replace a fixture will be at the discretion of Philips Professional.
REPLACEMENT OF PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY
33
SURVEY WARRANTIES
Lighting FIXTURE Ilusio Magic On Ice, Virginia USA featuring Claypaky Lighting
MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY
2
YEAR
WARRANTY
DISTRIBUTOR SUPPORT: DWR WARRANTY RETURN PROCESS Once a client notifies DWR of a faulty unit, serial numbers are tracked the unit is brought into the DWR service department for assessment and repairs.
DISTRIBUTOR CERTIFIED FOR LOCAL REPAIRS Consumables excluded
Parts
DWR certified to carry out labour
labour
Covered by distributor where applicable
freight
LAMP
SHIPPING COSTS FOR WARRANTY REPAIR DWR will collect a faulty unit and provide a client with a loan unit while repairs are carried out.
WARRANTIES ON PRODUCTS NOT PURCHASED THROUGH THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR DWR tracks the serial numbers on all original Claypaky fixtures, and if the serial number has been tampered with, Claypaky considers the warranty to be void.
AVAILABILITY OF LOCAL SPARES LTD
Consumables excluded on warranty
For limitations on warranties and full terms and conditions, visit www.claypaky.it/en/company/legal-notice The above information has been provided by DWR Distribution, the certified distributor of Claypaky and has been deemed to be accurate by DWR at time of print.
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DWR is certified to carry out repairs on all Claypaky units that are under warranty.
DWR maintains a complete and comprehensive inventory of spares, including loan units.
LOAN UNITS FOR PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY DWR will always supply loan units where a client’s fixture is in for repairs under warranty and cannot be repaired on the same day.
REPLACEMENT OF PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY DWR have never had to replace a Claypaky unit. However, according to the manufacturer’s warranty, the decision to replace a unit remains at the discretion of Claypaky and will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
SURVEY WARRANTIES
WarrantIES
Warranty
Tip #2
Certain distributors use serial number tracking to ensure that you get the most out of your warranty.
MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY
2 5 to
YEAR
WARRANTY
* Robe fixtures 2 years, Anolis architechtural fixtures 5 years
DISTRIBUTOR SUPPORT: DWR WARRANTY RETURN PROCESS DWR use serial number tracking and goods under warranty are either brought in or repaired on site.
DISTRIBUTOR CERTIFIED FOR LOCAL REPAIRS Consumables excluded
Parts
DWR certified to carry out labour
labour
Covered by distributor where applicable
freight
LAMP
DWR is certified to carry out all repairs on Robe products.
SHIPPING COSTS FOR WARRANTY REPAIR If a unit under warranty is faulty, DWR will ensure that the fixture is collected from the client so that repairs can be carried out.
WARRANTIES ON PRODUCTS NOT PURCHASED THROUGH THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR DWR is the only recognised dealer of Robe products in the region. Both DWR and Robe track serial numbers on all Robe fixtures.
AVAILABILITY OF LOCAL SPARES LTD
Consumables excluded on warranty
For limitations on warranties and full terms and conditions, visit https://cdn.robe.cz/fileadmin/robe/media/doc/ legal/General_ Delivery_Business_Terms_and_Conditions.pdf The above information has been provided by DWR Distribution, the certified distributor of Robe and has been deemed to be accurate by DWR at time of print.
DWR maintains a comprehensive spares inventory, as well as backup fixtures offered as loan units for the duration of the repairs.
LOAN UNITS FOR PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY DWR will always supply loan units where a client’s fixture is in for repairs under warranty and cannot be repaired on the same day.
REPLACEMENT OF PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY DWR has never had to replace a unit that is still under warranty; however, Robe states that the decision to replace a unit under warranty is subject to the manufacturer’s discretion and will be made on a case-by-case basis.
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SURVEY WARRANTIES
Lighting FIXTURE
MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY
5
YEAR
WARRANTY
*5-year warranty on the whole fixture, 10-year warranty on the LED array
Consumables excluded
Parts
DISTRIBUTOR SUPPORT: ApexPro WARRANTY RETURN PROCESS The returned product will be assessed by the dealer in conjunction with ApexPro. ApexPro will then carry out repairs locally. If this is not possible, ApexPro will return the product to ETC for assessment.
DISTRIBUTOR CERTIFIED FOR LOCAL REPAIRS ApexPro employs ETC ASC certified technicians to carry out all warranty repairs locally.
SHIPPING COSTS FOR WARRANTY REPAIR labour
freight
LAMP
ApexPro certified to carry out labour
ApexPro will pay for shipping to ETC; ETC will pay for the return.
Covered by distributor where applicable
ApexPro tracks serial numbers and can tell if a product has been imported and when it was purchased. All ETC fixtures bought from ApexPro are guaranteed local support.
AVAILABILITY OF LOCAL SPARES LTD
Consumables excluded on warranty
For limitations on warranties and full terms and conditions, visit http://www.etcconnect.com/ uploadedFiles/Main_Site/Documents/Public/ Ltd-terms-and-conditions.pdf The above information has been provided by ApexPro, the certified distributor of ETC and has been deemed to be accurate by ApexPro at time of print.
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WARRANTIES ON PRODUCTS NOT PURCHASED THROUGH THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR
All ETC fixtures are backed up by an extensive spares inventory
LOAN UNITS FOR PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY ApexPro carries demo units on ETC’s behalf that can be provided to clients if they need them.
REPLACEMENT OF PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY Most warranty repairs don’t require a complete replacement. However if a unit has failed and it cannot be clearly ascertained as to why, the unit will be replaced.
SURVEY WARRANTIES
WarrantIES
Warranty
Tip #3 Complying with maintenance
schedules on certain fixtures is essential, as failure to do so may affect your ETC lights the Geneva International Motor Show 2018
MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY
2
YEAR
WARRANTY
warranty.
DISTRIBUTOR SUPPORT: Audiosure WARRANTY RETURN PROCESS On receiving a unit, a comprehensive assessment is carried out to identify whether the unit failed due to a manufacturing or handling fault. Repairs are then carried out accordingly.
DISTRIBUTOR CERTIFIED FOR LOCAL REPAIRS Consumables excluded
Parts
Audiosure certified to carry out labour
labour
Not covered
freight
LAMP
LTD
Consumables excluded on warranty
For limitations on warranties and full terms and conditions, visit www.chauvetprofessional.com/wp-content/ uploads/2015/07/CHAUVET_Warranty_Card_US_ Rev06.pdf
Audiosure is certified to carry out all repairs on Chauvet fixtures.
SHIPPING COSTS FOR WARRANTY REPAIR A client will need to ensure that the faulty product is delivered to Audiosure for assessment.
WARRANTIES ON PRODUCTS NOT PURCHASED THROUGH THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR Chauvet Professional products are warrantied worldwide and serial number tracking is used.
AVAILABILITY OF LOCAL SPARES Audiosure supports a comprehensive inventory of spares for all of the lighting fixtures that they distribute.
LOAN UNITS FOR PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY Audiosure does offer clients loan units for the Chauvet Professional range.
REPLACEMENT OF PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY The decision to replace a unit is at the discretion of Chauvet and Audiosure and is made on a case-by-case basis.
The above information has been provided by Audiosure, the certified distributor of Chauvet Professional and has been deemed to be accurate by Audiosure at time of print.
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SURVEY WARRANTIES
Lighting FIXTURE
MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY
2 YEAR
WARRANTY
Parts
labour
LAMP
LTD
Once a product is booked in, a technician does a thorough assessment to ascertain the nature of the fault. The Production Warehouse will then carry out all necessary repairs and return the unit in working order as quickly as possible.
DISTRIBUTOR CERTIFIED FOR LOCAL REPAIRS
The Production Warehouse certified to carry out labour
SHIPPING COSTS FOR WARRANTY REPAIR
Consumables excluded on warranty
For limitations on warranties and full terms and conditions, visit www.elationlighting.com/warranty-information The above information has been provided by The Production Warehouse, the certified distributor of Elation Professional and has been deemed to be accurate by The Production Warehouse at time of print.
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WARRANTY RETURN PROCESS
Consumables excluded
Covered by distributor where applicable
freight
DISTRIBUTOR SUPPORT: The Production Warehouse
The Production Warehouse is certified to carry out repairs on all Elation fixtures under warranty.
Expenses incurred on warranty repairs are covered between Elation and The Production Warehouse.
WARRANTIES ON PRODUCTS NOT PURCHASED THROUGH THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR Both Elation and The Production Warehouse track serial numbers and warranty repairs need to be carried out by the original distributor.
AVAILABILITY OF LOCAL SPARES The Production Warehouse has a solid spares inventory on hand for Elation products.
LOAN UNITS FOR PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY Where possible, we do supply loan units to the customer.
REPLACEMENT OF PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY We have never had to replace a fixture from Elation. However, the decision to replace a persistently faulty unit remains at the discretion of Elation and The Production Warehouse.
SURVEY WARRANTIES
WarrantIES Elation's Platinum FLX textures Thievery Corporation Fall Tour 2017
Warranty
Tip #4
Purchase products through reputable manufacturers and distributors and ensure you understand the warranties and backup service.
MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY
1 YEAR
WARRANTY
DISTRIBUTOR SUPPORT: TV Audio WARRANTY RETURN PROCESS A faulty unit will be brought to TV Audio, and our technicians will conduct an assessment. Repairs will be carried out under warranty or we will replace the unit.
DISTRIBUTOR CERTIFIED FOR LOCAL REPAIRS Consumables excluded
Parts
TV Audio is certified to carry out labour
labour
Covered by distributor where applicable
freight
LAMP
TV Audio is certified to carry our repairs on all Beamz fixtures.
SHIPPING COSTS FOR WARRANTY REPAIR TV Audio will cover the cost of collecting and returning a unit under warranty, when needed.
WARRANTIES ON PRODUCTS NOT PURCHASED THROUGH THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR Repairs or replacement of Beamz fixtures will only be carried out if the client has a genuine proof of purchase from TV Audio.
AVAILABILITY OF LOCAL SPARES LTD
Consumables excluded on warranty
For limitations on warranties and full terms and conditions, visit http://tvaudio.co.za/brands/beamz The above information has been provided by TV Audio, the certified distributor of Beamz and has been deemed to be accurate by TV Audio at time of print.
TV Audio maintains a comprehensive spares inventory for Beamz fixtures.
LOAN UNITS FOR PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY We do not ordinarily supply clients with loan units. We effect repairs quickly or replace the unit.
REPLACEMENT OF PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY If it is not economical or efficient to repair a faulty unit that is under warranty, TV Audio will replace the unit.
39
SURVEY WARRANTIES
Lighting FIXTURE WarrantIES Warranty
Tip #5
Hybrid lighting at Mediatech 2017
Even some inexpensive lighting fixtures offer warranties. Purchase fixtures that suit your market and budget.
MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY
1
YEAR
WARRANTY
Consumables excluded
Parts
DISTRIBUTOR SUPPORT: Viva Afrika WARRANTY RETURN PROCESS If the unit fails within the first week or fails before it is sold to an end user we will replace the unit with a new one. If the unit has been used by an end-user, we will carry out repairs under warranty.
DISTRIBUTOR CERTIFIED FOR LOCAL REPAIRS Viva Afrika is certified to carry out repairs on all Hybrid lighting products.
SHIPPING COSTS FOR WARRANTY REPAIR Viva Afrika certified to carry out labour
labour
All units are repaired locally or replaced; therefore international shipping costs are not applicable.
WARRANTIES ON PRODUCTS NOT PURCHASED THROUGH THE LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR Not covered
freight
LAMP
AVAILABILITY OF LOCAL SPARES LTD
Consumables excluded on warranty
For limitations on warranties and full terms and conditions, visit www.vivaafrika.co.za/repairs The above information has been provided by Viva Afrika, the certified distributor of Hybrid Lighting and has been deemed to be accurate by Viva Afrika at time of print.
40
NA
Viva Afrika keeps an inventory of spares for all Hybrid lighting.
LOAN UNITS FOR PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY Viva Afrika does not provide loan units as a norm. However, if the client needs the unit for a show and requests a loan unit, we will supply one if we have units in stock at the time.
REPLACEMENT OF PRODUCTS UNDER WARRANTY If a repair cannot be done within an acceptable period, the unit will be replaced.
It’s never been so easy to think big
The new Axcor 300 family of moving LED fixtures brings Claypaky’s no-compromise quality and performance to the broad mid-market. Now, more designers than ever before can achieve their biggest ideas. With a physical size, power consumption, price-point that disguise their strength and creative potential, the Axcor 300 range enables a new world of expression in touring, events, TV, theatre and installed lighting markets. The Axcor Spot 300, Axcor Wash 300 & Axcor Beam 300 are available now! AXCOR 300: small body, big personality, mass appeal.
DISTRIBUTOR FOR SOUTH AFRICA: CLAYPAKY DISTRIBUTOR FOR SOUTH AFRICA:
DWR DWRDISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION It’s all all about People It’s aboutthethe people
BlockC,C,Unit Unit1 1 Block Kimbult Park, KimbultIndustrial Industrial Park9 Zeiss Road, Laser Park 9 Zeiss Road, Laserpark Honeydew, Honeydew,2170, 2170,Johannesburg Johannesburg
+27 11 794 5023 Tel:Tel: +27117935066 Fax:+27117925076 Fax: +27 11 794 5702 sales@dwrdistribution.co.za sales@dwrdistribution.co.za www.dwrdistribution.co.za www.dwrdistribution.co.za
www.claypaky.com
EVENT CONCERT
Renowned American singer and songwriter, Katy Perry recently performed three shows in Johannesburg as a part of her current international tour, titled: Witness: The Tour. The show featured lighting and stage design by some of the leading designers in the world and provided South African audiences with the opportunity to be a part of one of the most ambitiously staged tours of the year.
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EVENT CONCERT
43
EVENT CONCERT
Witness: the tour
44
Katherine Elisabeth Hudson, known professionally as Katy Perry, rose to fame in 2008, following the release of her second album titled: One Of The Boys. The album’s single, I Kissed a Girl topped the US Billboard Hot 100 charts for seven consecutive weeks and her third album, Teenage Dream, released in 2010, became the first album by a female artist to produce five number-one songs in America. Katy Perry released her fifth album, Witness, in June 2017 and announced that she would be promoting the album with her fourth world tour. Witness: The Tour presents audiences with a multimedia showcase that captures the energy and cuttingedge attitude of the artist on a grand scale. The show features stunning high definition video content and breath-taking props and staging effects, which aims to take the audience on a retrospective journey through Perry’s career, in a two-hour long show comprising six distinct acts.
Perry launched Witness: The Tour on 19 September 2017 in Columbus, Ohio and took the show on an extensive North American tour which ended in February 2018. The tour visited Asia between March and April, with the Singapore show being hailed as “one of the grandest shows that the Singapore Indoor Stadium has ever witnessed” by online music magazine Bandwagon. Between May and June, the European leg of the tour took Perry and her team on a gruelling trip that included shows in Cologne, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Paris, Zurich, Copenhagen and Stockholm, before embarking upon an extensive tour of the UK. In July, Perry and her team arrived in South Africa to perform three shows at the TicketPro Dome in Johannesburg. The away leg of Witness: the Tour concluded in August, with 14 shows across Oceania that included additional dates in Australia.
EVENT CONCERT
Collaborating
Perry has collaborated with award-winning Irishborn lighting designer, Baz Halpin for a number of years and once again turned to Halpin to deliver the lighting design for Witness: The Tour. Halpin not only developed a truly spectacular lighting show for the tour but also took on the role of producer. Halpin teamed up with Australian creative show directors and choreographers, Antony Ginandjar and Ashley Evans of The Squared Division, who have worked with Britney Spears, Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas to name a few. The Squared Division team worked closely with Perry to provide creative direction for the tour’s staging and choreography. Halpin also worked in close collaboration with London-based stage designer Es Devlin – a multiple award-winning artist whose practice ranges from solo gallery works to kinetic sculptures and dynamic stage design for opera, dance, concerts and theatre. Devlin has worked with Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, U2 and Adele, and has received numerous awards for her work, including an OBE in 2015. The technical team for Witness: The Tour also included Jay Schmit, who has served as Perry’s production manager for the past seven years, together with the associate lighting designer and video programmer Eric Marchwinski, and lighting director and video programmer Drew Gnagey.
STaging
Innovative stage design dominates the production of Witness: The Tour, with audiences greeted by a massive main stage, backed by an extra-large eye-shaped video wall, and a 27-meter long runway stage. Perry and her montage of dancers, Parkour performers and stilt walkers perform amid a montage of moving platforms, kinetic stage sculptures and meticulously mapped video content displayed on LED screens that are positioned throughout the set. TAIT, a global leader in the design and construction of live event equipment for the international market, delivered a full stage production for Witness: The Tour, including a custom-built stage, automated rigging, and a performer flying system. The 20-meter wide main stage is equipped with eight performer lifts, surrounded with LED video panels that transform into staircase-like configurations that display video content throughout the show. The show ends with a powerful performance of Firework, with Perry sitting in the palm of a giant inflatable hand, supported and lifted by a TAIT performer zip lift, which raises the hand 3.5m into the air towards the audience. The entire stage, including the enormous props and custom designed LED wall have accompanied Perry and her crew all over the world over the past year, where her specialised crew oversee the installation of the set in each venue. Speaking to ETECH in a recent interview, Jakobus de Wit of Gearhouse – who served as project manager on the Katy Perry shows at the TicketPro Dome in Johannesburg, expressed his pleasure at working with the touring crew. “Katy Perry’s crew are as professional as you get, and proved incredibly skilled at getting the rig set up in record time,” de Wit observes.
“It was a pleasure and a privilege to have the opportunity to work with Perry’s technical team,” – Jakobus de Wit, Gearhouse.
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EVENT CONCERT
Lighting Katy Perry’s Witness: The Tour opens with a powerful image of Perry’s eye on an immense eye-shaped LED screen, designed by Es Devlin. The opening image transforms into a galaxy and takes the audience on a journey through outer space before opening to reveal Perry riding upon a star-shaped structure, in an avant-garde red catsuit that has become an iconic image of the show. Halpin explains that he worked in close collaboration with Devlin to develop a lighting rig that would embrace the enormous eye-shaped LED screen, rather than against it. “I wanted to make sure that the lighting design complemented not only the screen’s shape but was also able to compete with the incredible amount of light emitting from it,” Halpin points out. According to Halpin, the lighting and video design team worked in close collaboration with Gabriel Coutu Dumont and JT Rooney of Silent Partners Studio during the development phase of the show to ensure that the screen content and lighting design worked together seamlessly. “We planned out certain songs where the screen would be dominant with narrative content and others where the screens would act as more of a light source,” Halpin explained in an interview with PLSN magazine during the North America leg of the tour. After discussions with video and lighting designer Marchwinski, Halpin chose the Claypaky Scenius Profile together with the Scenius Unico as the key fixtures in the lighting rig for the eyeshaped LED screen. Halpin’s design calls for large amounts of the single fixture type, arranged in 43-meter spans across the upper lid of the eyeshaped video screen. “We needed a fixture with enough flexibility to act as a key light, wash light and beam effect light, all at once. The Scenius fixtures are wonderfully versatile and have enough punch to stand up to the LED screen behind,” Halpin states.
“The production is large format and makes a bold statement with its enormous eye-shaped LED screen,” – Bez Halpin. 46
Joburg Witnesses Katy The original rider for Katty Perry’s Witness: The Tour called for 112 Clay Paky Scenius Unico and 16 Clay Paky Mythos fixtures. Lighting designer at Gearhouse Group, Robert Grobler proposed that these fixtures be replaced with 112 Martin by HARMAN Mac Vipers and 16 Robe Robin Pointes, in line with Gearhouse’s available inventory for the Johannesburg shows. “Katy Perry’s production team were satisfied with the response rider, and the lighting rig for the eye-shaped LED screen that is central to the show performed well with the replacement fixtures at the TicketPro Dome,” Grobler told ETECH. Thousands of Joburgers flocked to the TicketPro Dome on the evenings of 18,20 and 21 July to witness Katy Perry first hand. Local media house Channel24 stated in their show review: “Katy’s stage production is insane, making the audience feel as though we had been transported to another planet.” Reflecting on the show, Grobler points out that Witness: The Tour is one of the largest scale productions to visit the country in some time. De Wit agrees, stating that South African audiences are rarely able to see productions of this scale, and the show proved a treat for SA audiences, both young and old.
Expert Opinion
Round or Square
Untold festival – project by arena events
48
Expert OPINION
EXPERT
OPINION with Rinus "Rhino" Bakker
It is generally accepted that our entertainment trusses are equipped with chords made of round tubes. There is not an organisation that specifies this common diameter in a law, not even in a standard. Such a common understanding is what I call a ‘silent standard’: it is not stated on paper, but generally accepted as normal. We also accept it that these tubes have an outer diameter (OD) of 48-50mm. This is within the same range as ‘standard’ scaffolding tubes: 48,3mm OD. Less of a coincidence is that in many new or newly installed theatres, the batten size of the fly bars is often in that same 50mm range.
A Silent Standard, why? Well, if we combine all types of show-related material, we have uncountable kinds of hooks, clamps, claws, triggers, snappers, lockers, brackets etc.. A lot of the material is used every day again, often in different venues to suspend the millions of entertainment equipment units.
The size of 50mm diameter became the widely accepted size of the round tubes in our business. If that dimension might not be sufficient for reasons of strength, it has to be decided which other size is suitable. Very soon there will be a discussion about what the standard of choice should be.
What about other shapes? Even though the round tubes of 50mm are commonly accepted, we see different shapes appearing in our industry. Some manufacturers produce oval shape aluminium extrusion battens for their fly bars systems, in circa 80x50mm’s. A (slight) increase in vertical capacity, but not any stronger in horizontal direction. Some trusses are made of 50mm square tubes, easier to cut, weld and definitely a bit stronger than the round tubes. A conspicuous square tube chords type is the Prolyte BGR70, with 80x80x5mm extrusions. The BGR70 is designed to create large spans that can hold heavy loads. The rectangular profiles create a truss that can be used for spans up to 45 meters, still allowing a centre point load of 750 kg. Usage for another purpose can influence the choice for round or square tubes. Once the trusses are leaving the territory of 50mm chords for reasons of capacity, they enter into the realm of (temporary) support structures. At that very moment the round cross section shape of the chords have become less important anyway. The application of fixtures or similar equipment is not the first requirement.
Verto Truss
Incredible fast connection by a simple flick of your wrist The Verto truss is a new revolutionary system, making truss connection fast, silent and safe. The Verto truss brings a totally new perspective on truss assembly and is described as a game changer in our industry. Official Prolyte distributor www.prolyte.com/verto |
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SPONSORED NEWS
The Soundking Science Park, Ningbo, China
The Soundking Group celebrates
30 years of growth
The Soundking Group, an original equipment
manufacturer that specialises in the development
and manufacturing of professional audio systems,
musical instruments and digital cinema solutions, is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary. Established in
1988 as a small enterprise, the Soundking Group has grown to become a respected manufacturer of
original audio equipment for the professional market with a global reach.
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COMPANY PROFILE
The Soundking Group started operations with ten employees, manufacturing XLR connectors for the professional audio industry in 1988. The small manufacturing facility quickly gained a reputation for quality workmanship, and by 1995 the enterprise employed 300 people at a large-scale manufacturing facility in Ningbo, China. The company quickly expanded its product range to include an array of audio cables, wire solder and injection moulded plugs and sockets for the professional audio market. Building on its trajectory of growth, Soundking continued to develop its manufacturing capabilities and scope to become one of China’s largest manufacturers of original sound equipment, an achievement marked by the company’s relocation to what has become known as the Soundking Science Park in 2005. The Soundking Science Park, situated in Ningbo, China, is a 185,000m2 compound that serves as the company’s headquarters and includes state-of-the-art manufacturing and research and design facilities and provides employment for more than 2,000 people. The 2008 Beijing Olympics served as an opportunity for the Soundking Group to demonstrate its growing capabilities as a provider of professional audio consultant and installation services. The company provided audio engineering services to more than 30 Olympic venues and was recognised as a vital service provider during the global event. BY 2010, the Soundking Group had significantly extended its international reach, supported by the acquisition of three major international audio brands, including Carlsbro, one of the most established guitar amplifier companies in the UK, the Cadac
mixer company and the music technology manufacturer Studiomaster. The Soundking Group has also established research teams in America, the UK and Germany and continues to invest heavily in research and development to ensure that Soundking continues to innovate in line with the rapid digitisation of professional music and audio equipment. In 2016, the Soundking Group launched one of the first 20-channel compact digital consoles, which has received a number of international awards. In a recent interview with ETECH, Soundking president Leo Wang expressed his optimism regarding the company’s ability to make a valuable contribution to the professional audio market in South Africa. “We manufacture a range of professional audio products that offer high performance at an affordable price, which suits the needs of customers in developing markets,” Wang explains. He goes on to state that Soundking has been favourably received by clients across Asia and Latin America. More recently, Soundking has started to make inroads in the African market, with significant growth in Kenya and Nigeria. In 2017, Soundking attended Mediatech Africa, South Africa’s only dedicated professional audiovisual tradeshow and exhibition, and has since developed a solid understanding of the local market. “While South Africa is a new market for Soundking, our experience at Mediatech 2017 has instilled a lot of faith in our ability to develop mutually beneficial partnerships with distributors in the country. We intend to attend the upcoming iteration of Mediatech with the aim of deepening existing relationships and developing a closer understanding of the needs of the South African market,” Wang concludes.
“While South Africa is a new market for Soundking, our experience at Mediatech 2017 has instilled a lot of faith in our ability to develop mutually beneficial partnerships with distributors in the country." – Leo Wang President of the Soundking Group
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SOCIAL
Ben and Matt from Hunn Industries
Paul Louw, Gareth Edwards and David Broad
Martin Audio Launch
hosted by Audiosure City Life Centre, Lonehill Claire Badenhorst and Greg Payne
Nadia Botha and Nicola Holt (Audiosure)
Edward Hadzhi and Patrick Mabotha
Smaart Training
hosted by Surgesound Johannesburg
Ruan Joubert delivers Smaart training
A group of Smaart sound engineers complete training in the Smaart FFT-based software platform
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DiGiCo-SD12 OUR ULTIMATE
FESTIVAL
CONSOLE WHAT’S YOURS? Seen at:
BESTIVAL • BIGGEST WEEKEND • CAPITAL FM SUMMERTIME BALL • CMA FEST • COACHELLA • FESTIVAL CASTELL DE PERELADA • FESTIVAL DE LA PORTAFERRADA
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• FESTIVAL DE LOS PALOMOS • FESTIVAL ESCENA GANDIA • FIESTA NACIONAL DE LA VENDIMIA • FUSION FESTIVAL • GROVE & VINEYARD FESTIVAL (10TH ANNUAL) • KENDAL CALLING • LATITUDE FESTIVAL • LEEDS FESTIVAL • LIVEFEST WINTER • LOWLANDS • MERLEFEST • MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL • MUESTRA INTERNACIONAL DE JAZZ (8TH MIDJ) • MUNAKATA FESTIVAL • NORTH SEA JAZZ • PINKPOP • PUKKELPOP • RADIO ONE BIG WEEKEND • READING FESTIVAL • ROCK WERCHTER • SEETHER SA • STUDAVESNA OF STAVROPOL • SUMMERFEST • SZIGET FESTIVAL • TRNSMT FESTIVAL • USADBA JAZZ FESTIVAL • V FESTIVAL • WOORDFEES • OPPIKOPPI
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OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTOR FOR SOUTH AFRICA: DWR DISTRIBUTION It’s all about the people
Block C, Unit 1, Kimbult Industrial Park, 9 Zeiss Road, Laserpark, Honeydew, 2170, Johannesburg Tel: +27 11 794 5023 | Fax: + 27 11 794 5702 | sales@dwrdistribution.co.za | www.dwrdistribution.co.za