DiGiCo SD8 takes centre stage in Zanzibar

Four consecutive nights of non-stop, eight hour live performances meant that using a digital console made a lot of sense. Purchased for last year’s festival, the DiGiCo SD8 and MadiRack had been stored in a container for a year. ‘After being cleaned and tested at the end of last year’s festival, the console and MadiRack were kept in their flight-cases inside a large storage container, along with other PA equipment,’ recalled FOH engineer Gurjit Dhinsa.

‘When we got them out for this year’s festival, all the hardware was in a stable condition, the touch screen was fine and there were no issues with the MadiRack. The only issue we had was that the console’s faders weren’t sliding smoothly. But a chat with Robert Andrews from DiGiCo’s technical support team determined it was simply down to the lack of use. Sure enough, after we ran through some diagnostic tests they stabilised and worked perfectly.’

Using a console that had the facilities to handle a wide array of inputs, and quickly change over between them, meant that Ms Dhinsa and visiting sound engineers were able to keep up with the festival’s schedule. ‘On any given day, the festival may start with a Taarab orchestra and move on to a band consisting of drums, bass, guitars, keys, various acoustic instruments and vocals. After that there may be a percussion group, then a singer/guitarist and so on,’ she said.

‘The setups vary anywhere from eight up to 40 channels. The SD8 was the festival’s only FOH board, so it had to deal with changeovers in-between all the performances while, (at the same time), the MC microphones, CD playback, local record and audio feeds for video cameras and external spaces were kept running.’

To ensure that changeovers were as fast and reliable as possible, the team created snapshots for various ensemble types at the start of the festival and used them as a basis for quick input assignment as the event progressed. Certain inputs, outputs, master/matrix parameters and sends also needed to be recall-safe, so as not to be affected by snapshot changes from act to act.

‘We kept labelling to a minimum and were able to create an individual mix quickly,’ Ms Dhinsa continued. ‘We could recall a snapshot for the next artist with all the input, dynamics, EQ and effects parameters intact from the sound check while the MCs introduced them. This was truly appreciated by incoming engineers, who found it quick and easy to familiarise themselves with the console and use their own external effects and dynamics with the console’s local inputs and outputs if they chose.

‘Without the SD8’s snapshot program and recall ability we would have been running well behind the festival’s tight schedule everyday. It played a major role in making the event such a success.’

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