Mango Groove - Live DVD Shoot
In honour of the first leg of Mango Grooves Big World Party Tour, EMI South Africa arranged the groups’ first ever live concert DVD at Carnival City’s Big Top Arena. On September 18, the show lived up to its promise of being an absolute spectacular, show-casing hits from the last 25 years of the groups history, including new hit singles from the latest album “Bang the Drum”. The spectacular set was designed by DJ Karsten, who also programmed and operated the show.
The focal point of the set was a circular screen truss, hung as a stage backdrop. Throughout the concert, images of Mango Grooves musical heritage were projected on the 4.5m screen, accentuating the cultural history of the show. The onstage visuals were run from the Hippo Critter server and projected through two BARCO CLM R10+ projectors. Adding some extra sparkle were over 24 mirror balls splashed across the backdrop, on either side of the main screen.
Over 80 moving lights were used for the show – the majority of which were Robe Colorspot, Robe Colourwash, and High End Studio Pix. 24 BriteQ LED Power Banks were added under the stage decks to create that extra special atmosphere. 12 Martin Mac 250’s were evenly distributed around the rear circular truss. The balance of the lights were placed on the side trusses, on the floor and hung overhead.
The entire show set and lighting was designed and programmed using WYSIWYG, our live, 3D rendering software, and controlled by the Road Hog Full Boar lighting console. DJ Karsten worked closely with Mango Groove, helping to create the perfect atmosphere for the show. “Using WYSIWYG helped us create greater effects and saved so much time…” says DJ.
The sound system consisted of 24 LA12 Coda Airline and 12 LA8’s. 8 Coda SC8 subs were added to boost the lower frequencies. This brand new system was powered by 24 Camco Vortex 8 Power Amps.
Two DiGiCo D5 mixing consoles were used; one operated by Johan Griesel on FOH, and the other operated by Nardus de Lange on monitors. The D5’s reliability and flexibility made them the perfect choice for the live recording.
The multi-track recording of the event was handled by two PC’s each loaded with two MADI cards, one as the master unit and the other as a slave to it. A Yamaha PM5D was used as the audio tracking desk, loaded with MADI cards and taking its input directly off the DiGiCo stage Racks. Evert de Munnik oversaw the audio recording elements of the show.
The show was perfectly described by Mduduzi Magwaza, Mango Groove penny whistler… ‘’This is going to be a big South African celebration: All the music, all the magic, all the memories. It’s our past, our present, our future, and we are pulling it all together in a big visual feast!”
