
Robe Helps Play It Forward with Oooth posted: 03/07/2020
Play It Forward an incendiary new live show by South African rockers Oooth - well known for their love of high production values and visual stage presentations - was part of a dynamic live stream designed as a fundraiser for tattoo artists across the country and freelance technicians via #FeedOurCrew who have been left high and dry and without any income during the Covid-19 lockdown. The broadcast - on YouTube and Facebook Live - also included interviews, features and panel discussions, and was staged at leading SA rental company MGG's Studio B facility, one of two such facilities at their HQ in Johannesburg, complete with a full Robe lighting rig.
Reaching around 6000 fans, whilst Play it Forward' was airing, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the following day tattoo artists and studios would be able to re-start their businesses. On hearing this fantastic news, they in turn made a collective decision to donate the proceeds to #FeedOurCrew, an NGO which is providing basic needs and essential relief for event industry freelancers whilst large gatherings and shows are still banned.
MGG's Johannesburg Studio B is the largest of the two at around 16 x 16 metres - allowing for a good amount of social distancing - and has been set up in their structures warehouse since the lockdown, as the company has reorganised and re-purposed itself to deal with radical changes in its current business. With a decent amount of headroom, its ideal for rock n' roll style streamed shows ... which have been produced there since SA instituted level 3 lockdown on June 1st.
MGG's talented and resourceful resident lighting technicians Sipho Kekana and Hein Str h worked together to design the lighting for both Johannesburg studios (MGG has a third at its Cape Town branch), and their input included specifying the 50 x Robe moving lights.
It includes six of MGG's new Robe ESPRITE Profile LED units with the transferrable engine, purchased just before Covid-19 brought the industry to a standstill, together with Pointes, Spiiders, Spikies, LEDBeam 150s, LEDWash 600s, DL4S Profiles, CycFX 8 and Tetra2 moving LED battens ... all of which were picked for their versatility and multifunctionality.
Most of the fixtures are LED light sources to save on daily running costs and assist with keeping temperatures lower and more comfortable without having to crank up the AC excessively.
The ESPRITES are the principal key lighting and are used for accurate framing and sharp shuttering work, and their range of colour temperate whites works superbly on camera.
The LEDWash 600s are the studio's workhorse wash lights together with the Spiiders which can also add extra pixel effects and work as both beams and washes.
The CycFX 8s provide front fill light and footlights to help eliminate eye and nose shadows, while the little Spikies are upstage on the floor punching away with vibrant, dazzling beam effects projected behind the artists.
The Pointes are rigged in the roof grid alongside the LEDBeam100s for additional beam effects and gobo to evoke the vibe of performing on an authentic live stage.
All of these are controlled via a grandMA2.
There has been no better choice of light for us here than the Robe LED-based fixtures, commented Sipho.
Studio B has four Canon HD camera kits installed to catch every angle, all mixed on a Barco FSN switcher with the band all utilising Shure PSM 1000 in-ear monitors engineered via a DiGiCo SD12 audio console in a totally separate control room together with a pair of L-Acoustics 108Ps for the reference mix.
MGG's studio technical crews are working in bubbles so they are fully Covid-19 compliant, and as with all employees and in fact anyone entering the building, there are regular temperature checks, social distancing imposed, compulsory mask-wearing and abundant sanitising facilities throughout.
Oooth are a 4-piece band with some serious attitude, fronted by Jason Oosthuizen ... who is a multi-instrumentalist and a drummer in several other bands which he also manages. In Oooth, he swaps his back-of-stage comfort zone, adds a guitar, and struts his stuff front and centre! The change in perspective keeps him fresh and energised.
Not that there are many dull moments in his schedule! He also has his own wine, coffee, and clothing brands and plenty of tattoos which is where this project started - to highlight the incredible skills, creativity, and philosophy of body art.
Jason also takes a keen interest in production and ensuring that his bands always look and sound fantastic, it's all part of the audience experience . Oooth have their own PA and some lighting and are hoping to invest in further lighting when the industry gets moving again.
He was delighted with the results of the stream.
It looked and sounded amazing, he commented after the show, really appreciating the skills and professionalism of the MGG crews and technicians plus all the energy and enthusiasm that everyone put into making it memorable.
Not having played properly for a couple of months, after an animated set, he admitted to a few aches and pains the following day!
As well as MGG supporting this fundraiser, Robe's South African distributor DWR was extremely proactive in the realisation of Play It Forward and has also been an avid contributor and supporter of Feed Out Crew.
About Feed Our Crew
#FeedOurCrew was established during lockdown by MGG's Tamsyn Strydom and Kagiso Moima from Blackmotion. It is a non-profit organization that has distributed hundreds of grocery vouchers to assist theatre and technical freelancers left stranded by the government's current relief programmes. The SOS Charity fund, an initiative started by Robe's South African distributor DWR, has al
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/07/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
01/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
01/07/2026
Exclusive run of limited-edition modelling pedals
Sweetwater and Andertons M...
01/07/2026
UKTV has today announced the appointment of Matt Berry to the newly created role of General Manager - Marketing, effective 1 July.
Matt will take on this senio...
01/07/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign featuring Deborah Meaden challenges consumers to rethink everyday bathroom wasteWednesday 1 July 2026
Fussy asks Bri...
01/07/2026
Constituency-level analysis reveals where girls miss out most on sport - and where targeted action could unlock more than £640 million in economic and health be...
01/07/2026
Wuppertal July 1, 2026
Riedel and SKAARHOJ Expand Collaboration With SimplyLive IntegrationRiedel Communications today announced an expanded collaboration wit...
01/07/2026
Apple today introduced power-packed updates to Apple Creator Studio, a groundbre...
01/07/2026
Nectar360, the Retail Media, Loyalty and Insights business of the Sainsburys Gro...
01/07/2026
9.2 million streams on RT Player between 11 and 28 June
Reach of 2.9 million viewers during Group stages of FIFA World Cup on RT 2
23 million video views acr...
30/06/2026
Could your journalism reach an international stage?
Entries are now open for the Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist Award 2026, one of the most prestigi...
30/06/2026
Brings together saturation & lo-fi effects
Following on from the release of their Voxcraft vocal-processing plug-in, UJAM have announced the launch of Retro...
30/06/2026
New IR reverb engine, Juno-inspired chorus & more
The latest version of Rapid Flow's hardware-emulation synth plug-in expands on its predecessor with a ...
30/06/2026
Excels at heavy-handed VCA compression
For their latest release, Shy Audio have recreated the crunchy' sound of a rackmount compressor that found its w...
30/06/2026
Component scarcity drives cost increases
Shortly after Apple's CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that cost increases would soon be inevitable , the company hav...
30/06/2026
Hitachi and Bank Pekao S.A. have completed the installation of the first Hitachi...
30/06/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
29/06/2026
Four-layer instrument aimed at dark electronic music
Excite Audio's latest software instrument has been designed with dark drum and bass, atmospheric te...
29/06/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
29/06/2026
Details environmental policies & results
The Focusrite Group have just announced that following a long audit process, they have published their 2026 sustain...
29/06/2026
Arvato Systems Achieves AWS Cloud Operations Competency
The team behind the AWS Cloud Operations Competency (from left to right: Philipp Hellmich, Johanna Bod...
29/06/2026
RT today announced that Ger Gilroy will join the RT Podcasts team to present a daily sports podcast. Launching later this year, the new show will set the spor...
29/06/2026
RT Commercial announced OUTsurance as sponsor of the Oliver Callan show on RT Radio 1 from Wednesday 1 July.
Oliver Callan doubles the fun, delivering two ...
28/06/2026
Half-size model joins Console 1 line-up
Shortly after the release of their new Flow Studio controller, Softube have announced the launch of another new surf...
28/06/2026
New EXO Series DSP control software announced
EVE Audio's EXO Series monitor range has just gained a new software element that provides remote access to...
27/06/2026
Brings together saturation & lo-fi effects
Following on from the release of their Voxcraft vocal-processing plug-in, UJAM have announced the launch of Retro...
26/06/2026
Virtual session musician plug-in gains new percussion options
Celemony's latest update for their virtual session musician platform complements the exist...
26/06/2026
Half-size model joins Console 1 line-up
Shortly after the release of their new Flow Studio controller, Softube have announced the launch of another new surf...
26/06/2026
ELT Group and Rohde & Schwarz sign a cooperation agreement to explore commercial...
26/06/2026
Flicker Productions to produce five-part docu-reality series following women who have fallen for men in prison and have become TikTok sensations, with brands an...
26/06/2026
Catch up on the latest developments across Baselight and Daylight v7, Nara and F...
26/06/2026
26. June 2026 News
DFT is pleased to announce that a second Polar HQ film s...
26/06/2026
A fresh look at how the Irish helped shape the foundations of the United States
...
25/06/2026
Six free workshops across two days
Global music education platform Music Production for Women (MPW), have just announced a brand new and highly anticipated ...
25/06/2026
Popular pedalboard PSU gets an upgrade
The DC7 v2 is a new and improved version of the renowned effects pedal PSU from CIOKS, and is said to be the thinnest...
25/06/2026
Optimised for lush, enveloping sounds
Described as an instantly rewarding reverb , the latest addition to Arturia's range of creative effects plug-ins ...
25/06/2026
27 June 2026, Westminster University Harrow Campus
GearExpo UK is now upon us, with just two days to go until 150 of the worlds top pro-audio brands and ind...
25/06/2026
alt= data-nectar-img-srcset=https://www.antonbauer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/0...
25/06/2026
Thursday 25 June 2026
Read all about it! The Paper will return for a second sea...
25/06/2026
Thursday 25 June 2026
How to watch the 2026/27 EFL season on Sky Sports
Which EFL matches are Sky Sports showing on the 2026/27 opening weekend?
Sky Sports w...
25/06/2026
Launching today (Thursday 25 June), new RT podcast Ramble with Joe McGucken is a series of curiosity-driven conversations where actor, writer and comedian Joe ...
24/06/2026
Plus: VoiceAssist Basic now available to UA LUNA users
NoiseWorks Audio have just released an update that adds a new Mouth De-Click module to the Advanced t...
24/06/2026
New heavy-duty mic stand joins range
The latest arrival to Gator's Frameworks family introduces a new heavy-duty boom stand that's been designed for...
24/06/2026
Latest major plug-in update goes live
Waves have just announced that the latest major update for their hugely popular plug-in range is now officially availa...
24/06/2026
When assessing cellular coverage, many people look at the signal bars displayed on a smartphone, router or modem. More bars are often assumed to mean better per...