L-ISA Hyperreal Sound technology and DiGiCo consoles enhance the sound of 'The Voice' in South Africa

Provider Multi-Media has worked with 'The Voice' since the talent show arrived on African soil four years ago. During this time, the company has grown and become more involved in live events.

The Voice (The Voice) It is now experiencing its third edition in South Africa with the support of the audience. The program is broadcast from the Mosaiek Theater in Fairland, Johannesburg by M-Net, DStv 101. This time, the technology L-ISA Hyperreal Sound of L-Acoustics and the mixing consoles DiGiCo play a relevant role provided by the complete technical provider of the program, Multimedia.

Multi-Media has worked with The Voice since the talent show arrived on African soil four years ago. During this time, the company has grown and become more involved in live events. Earlier this year, he decided the time was right to invest in a high-end audio system, initially purchasing 30 L-Acoustics Kara, 12 SB18, four KS28 and seven LA12X amplified drivers, adding another 18 Kara, four SB18 and five LA12X to the Mosaiek Teatro L-ISA setup.

Early in his career, Multi-Media audio engineer Adriaan van der Walt recognized the limitations of stereo systems when trying to create a natural sound mix. He became interested in how technology would develop to achieve a closer representation of how sounds are perceived by the human ear.

"I always jumped at the chance to work on quad and surround sound shows. These were few and far between and some had greater levels of success than others. There was generally very little correlation between a studio setup and a large format PA system – it really was hit and miss! Then L-ISA caught my eye and I knew it would be a game-changer. L-Acoustics is a brand I trust and is always ahead of the curve, setting trends and standards for the rest of the world. "For me, moving to L-ISA was a no-brainer. I knew it would have great benefits for a strong production like The Voice. When I presented the idea to the production team, they were convinced too," he says.

Chris Pugh, from Van der Walt and DWR, traveled to the manufacturer's headquarters near Paris for an extensive four-day training session on L-ISA. “It was very informative, with a lot of information to absorb, but the friendly and welcoming spirit at L-Acoustics made it a special experience for me,” says Pugh. "I had dreamed of visiting L-Acoustics for 15 years and Adriaan and I loved every moment. We couldn't wait to get back to South Africa to get started."

The Mosaiek Teatro configuration consists of five arrays of nine Kara each, positioned across the width of the stage as a Scene system. KS28 submarines are flown centrally, providing seamless coverage throughout the facility. Six Kiva IIs per side act as an extension system and provide a bigger picture to the audio experience. The fronts are made up of two X12s and, due to the width of the enclosure, there are two additional ARCS WiFo flown per side to cover the outer sides of the enclosure. For stage monitoring, Simon Panos of Multi-Media has used two X12s flown into the lighting grid and two X12s on the side of the stage.

Configuration

Control is via a DiGiCo SD10 running the latest firmware. “It has a couple of new features that bring L-ISA and DiGiCo together,” says van der Walt. "The setup on the SD range is incredible. I set it up so that, in no more than three button presses, you can be anywhere you need to be and do everything you need to do. Of course, it takes a little time to get everything in order and program it but, once you're in that mode of operation, it's really a breeze to work on."

The DiGiCo system integrates Waves Multi-Rack, L-ISA Controller, Multitrack Recording and a high occupancy Optocore backbone. “There was a lot of routing and push patching that had to happen in the background,” he said. “We almost managed to max out the first Optocore loop – there are only 40 audio paths left out of 500.”

For van der Walt, the SD10 is an extension of himself with the console layout going hand in hand with his thought process: "That's the beauty of it; once you've laid it out, it becomes an extension of your thoughts because you don't have to tap to get where you need to be. You think something, tap once or twice and you're there."

The Voice It's a complex and busy show, sometimes with just 15 seconds between performances, and van der Walt is able to jump from one to the next with great ease: "The way the SD10 remembers the fader banks of the entire console with just a snapshot is truly amazing. We've rehearsed the program so much that it's really just a matter of remembering Snapshots and adding fine adjustments during the live broadcast."

Although there are familiarities in the audio system setup, the mixing approach is, van der Walt says, a departure from what he is used to: "Experience means applying yourself in a new way. Your creative input becomes more valuable with L-ISA. It gives you the opportunity to interpret the music and place things where you think they should be in the space," he concludes.