For the first time, though, this year's gathering was also broadcast live on local and international cable networks, posing considerable challenges for the event's audio crew. The crew for the event relied on Aviom's Pro16 monitor mixing system as a solution for stage monitoring to minimise stage volume for the live broadcast.
"Since the event was being recorded as well as broadcast live around the world, we needed to ensure as quiet a stage as possible," explains Nik Fairclough, owner of Northwind Recording, system designer for the event. "All guitar and other amps were below the stage enclosed in gobos. The amps seen on stage were purely aesthetic. All the players in the worship band came from churches where Aviom systems are a standard part of the audio design so everyone was comfortable and familiar with the quality and flexibility of the Aviom system."
Northwind designed a monitor system that was based around a Yamaha M7CL digital console with an Aviom16/o-Y1 A-Net Card inserted in a console expansion slot. The digital signal and power for the six A-16II Personal Mixers on stage was distributed by an Aviom A16-D Pro A-Net Distributor positioned under the drum riser. Two of the Personal Mixers were hooked up to Sennheiser G2 wireless IEM packs, which were used by the worship leaders. The PA for the event, the largest line array ever used in South Africa, was designed exclusively with L-Acoustics products.
"Thanks to the Personal Mixers, the recording for the event was cleaner due to low stage noise," says Fairclough. "The PA sounded better because we didn't have to fight with a second PA monitor system being used by the worship band for its monitor wedges."
(Jim Evans)
