South African company Matrix supplies line array system to popular television event

The reality talent show Project Fame recently took South African TV audiences by storm, resulting in excellent viewing figures. Technically, the show was very challenging and the venue chosen to stage the live events, the Pyramid Convention Centre in Downtown Johannesburg, was merely a shell that was transformed by the temporary installation of an enormous lighting rig, sound system and video screens.

Johannesburg-based audio company Matrix Sound was awarded the sound supply contract and owner Trevor Peters created the sound design. "It was one of the most challenging designs we have undertaken in that the show, stage and space we were working in was so fluid," said Peters. "Each week the line up of musicians, their positions on stage and the performance area of the contestants changed, and most times they ended up in front of the PA system."

Peters chose to install Alcons' The Ribbon line array system as the main PA, consisting of 12 units of ribbon-loaded Alcons LR16 modules, controlled and powered by Alcons ALCs. Peters continued: "The brief for the show was that the live event had to have a concert feel and it should look like a rock concert on TV. To achieve this, the audience had to be enveloped in the sound and the SPLs were not the norm for the usual television studio events. The directivity and the unsurpassed gain-before-feedback played a huge role in assisting us to achieve the high levels we did with most performances in front of the PA and in an enclosed environment." Pproduction company Endemol and pay channel MNet were very impressed with the system. The Alcons LR16s also received critical acclaim from industry press who attended the live shows.

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