Major Live Event in South Africa Streamlines Monitoring with Aviom

More than 60,000 men from all over South Africa gathered for Mighty Men 2008 to listen to Angus Buchan, farmer, writer and missionary of Shalom Ministries. Housed in the largest outdoor tent in the world, the theater-in-the-round stage presentation offered unique challenges for the technical staff trying to make a connection between those onstage and the audience. Aviom's Pro16® system solved a major feedback problem for the minister and the six-member house band at the event, keeping communication and monitoring clear.

"When you have an event where the stage is in the middle of the audience, all technical problems revolve around keeping the audience's line of sight with the presenter," says Nik Fairclough, owner of Northwind, system designer for the event. "For Mighty Men, we built the stage with the house band sunk down so they were only partially visible to the audience. By using the Aviom system for monitor mixing, we eliminated the need for a wedge monitoring system, gaining more control over the monitor mix for the worship leaders and the band while eliminating feedback."

Due to the large number in attendance, it was not just the balance between the front of house and the monitor mix that Northwind had to contend with but also the sound from the audience competing with the worship leaders' and the band's ability to hear their monitors. "Breaking the distance barrier between stage and congregation in order to bring back some of the lost intimacy that automatically occurs with large events was a challenge," Fairclough explains. "This was overcome by providing large 6m x 4m video screens above the stage and ensuring that the front of house audio coverage was loud and focused. If you add the sonic explosion of having 60,000 voices singing, it is easy to see how the worship leaders and the band would be swamped if we were using wedges. By giving each person their own in-ear mixing capability, we didn't need to constantly raise the monitor system level when the house level peaked. The Aviom provided an elegant solution to this physical problem."

According to Fairclough, other important features of the Aviom system include fast setup time, easy operation and a punchy, clean audio signal. "For the first time, the musicians and performers can now tweak their own monitor mixes. The Aviom system is simple for non-technical people to operate. I am no longer simultaneously bombarded with requests from six musicians to raise this or that level, allowing me to concentrate on the front of house mix. The Aviom system works so well that it is amazing that we got by without it in the past."