MGG Productions has deployed its newly-acquired L-Acoustics K2 sound system at the Toyota Innibos Lowveld National Arts Festival, marking a milestone as the company celebrates its 25th anniversary year.
The strategic investment in K2 technology represents MGG's continued growth and positions them to take on increasingly important projects across diverse market sectors.
MGG Productions acquired its K2 system through L-Acoustics Certified Provider Distributor DWR Distribution. The system acquisition, which began with discussions at ISE in February, was delivered in time for the festival deployment.
For this year's festival, MGG faced the complex challenge of delivering pristine audio coverage across the venue's challenging layout at Hoërskool Bergvlam. Having provided audio services for Innibos for several years, MGG has built a deep understanding of the event's requirements and audience expectations.
"The venue presents unique acoustic challenges," explains Dean Parker, MGG's Head of Audio. "Despite being situated on a sports field, the stage angle combined with off-axis grandstand, multiple VIP areas and surrounding tents, demanded a sophisticated approach to sound distribution, with complex coverage requirements across the entire audience area."
The system design phase used L-Acoustics Soundvision software for venue modelling and coverage optimisation. Parker's team imported the venue layout and stage configuration, then used the software's prediction capabilities to address the complex acoustic challenges. The software proved particularly valuable for assigning amplifiers, loading FIR filters, and making real-time adjustments during the event setup.
MGG deployed a L-Acoustics sound system featuring L/R hangs of 12 K2 enclosures with three Kara II down-fill speakers per side. Behind the main arrays, ten SB18 subwoofers were flown in two side-by-side hangs of five units each.
The low-frequency foundation consisted of a delay arc of 24 KS28 subwoofers in 12 stacks of two units. Three delay towers of Kara II—configured with six, six, and nine enclosures respectively—ensured consistent coverage throughout the expansive audience area. The system featured advanced networking capabilities through LS10 switches and P1 processors, providing full Milan-AVB redundancy and significantly streamlining setup procedures.
This network-based approach required only power and network connections for each amplifier location, eliminating the need for traditional AES/EBU or analog cabling infrastructure, making the installation more cost-effective, quicker, and more streamlined than conventional approaches. [MH1] The integration of SFP modules in the LS10 switches enabled fibre-optic connections to LA-RAK amplified controllers positioned on either side of the stage, creating a robust, redundant infrastructure.