DiGiCo D5 Helps 250,000 Dancers To Enjoy The Bestt Sound At Navratri Mahotsav
Claimed to be the world’s longest cultural festival, India’s Navratri Mahotsav lasts for nine days and nights and is a colourful celebration of music, dance and worship. With up to 250,000 dancers at any one time, the production values for the nightly live performances have to be high, which is why pro audio supplier Bestt Sound System used their DiGiCo D5-112EX console at the event.
Taking place in late September, Navratri Mahotsav brings the Gujarati people together to honour the Divine Shakti, which supports the entire universe and is personified as the Mother Goddess, who protects her worshippers, destroys evil and grants boons to her children.
After the inaugural day, which features choreographed dance sequences, for the rest of the festival thousands of people dressed in traditional clothing dance from dusk until midnight. Each night features a major live performance, the 2009 festival including performances by renowned Indian artists including Shree Abhesinh Rathod, Shree Shyamal-Somil Munshi, Arati Munshi, Nayan Pancholi, Aisharya Majmudar, Soli and Nisha Kapadia, Sanjay Oiha and the Golden Cheers orchestra with Praful Dave.
Ahmedabad-based Bestt Sound System was one of the first professional audio companies in India to embrace a no compromise digital audio technology and purchased the DiGiCo D5 in 2007, along with a D-TuBe remote digital tube mic preamp module.
Since then the company’s DiGiCo equipment has been used on a huge variety of events, including some of the country’s leading college festivals, events for famous Bollywood musical director duo Sajid-Wajid (“who refuse to perform with any other sound system but ours,” smiles Amiel) and an event in honour of Her Excellency the President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil.
Used to both provide front of house and monitor mixes, the D5 used around 50 inputs, with the D-TuBe preamp used for vocals and tabla. As well as the main system outputs, seven auxes were used for wedge monitors, with two for sidefills, four for effects
“Navratri Mahotsav provided the biggest audience at any one venue where we have used the D5. 250,000 people dancing to the music is no mean achievement, but the D5’s clarity, sonic purity and reproduction of the quality of the natural textures of the male and female vocalists were extraordinary,” says Amiel Best, owner of Bestt Sound System. “The tap delay and awesome reverb also added to the beauty of the performance.”
But the advantages of using the D5 are perhaps best summed up by the story of a different event.
“At most of the events we service, until the fibre optic multicore is securely laid, we use an ordinary analogue board to line check and sometimes play tracks for rehearsal sessions,” says Amiel.
“One evening the lighting designer, choreographer and performers had a dinner break between a vigorous practice session and the final rehearsal. While they were at dinner, our team had finished laying the fibre optic multicore and the analogue console was swapped out for the D5.
“When final practice began and the first notes of the track rang out, the lighting designer jumped up and exclaimed ‘My goodness! What have you done to the sound? The track sounds incredible, I can't believe its the same one!’"
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