Robe Shines on 2013 Metro Radio Music Awards in South AfricaLighting designer François van der Merwe of Wizardry Group chose Robe moving lights to be the central fixtures of his lighting scheme for the 2013 Metro FM Music Awards event, staged at the Durban International Conference Center Arena in South Africa. Van der Merwe was working for Dream Sets, commissioned to deliver the technical elements of the event for producers, Blue Moon Corporate Communications. Dream Sets' Robert Hoey, Sean Hoey, and Eben Peltz were technical directors and worked closely with leading South African rental company Gearhouse South Africa, whose Durban facility supplied most of the equipment used on the show. Seventy Six Robe fixtures were used in total -- 24 Robe Robin LEDWash 600s, 24 LEDBeam 100s, 12 ColorSpot 2500E ATs, and 16 ColorSpot 700E ATs -- together with generic and LED lights, all programmed and operated by van der Merwe using a grandMA2 full size console. The design was a careful blend of theatrical and televisual elements for the show which was hosted by popular Metro FM DJs Azania Mosaka and Robert Marwa, and for the first time, broadcast live on national channel SABC1. The LEDWash 600s were primarily used for powerful back lighting and for in-fill from the sides, chosen for their diversity. The back lighting units could be zoomed out to give a nice even spread across the stage area and set, and then zoomed right in for more beam effects. Van der Merwe's other main reason for picking the LEDWash 600 was "Their rich colors" he explains, adding that he also likes the range of soft pastels, and the fact that the LED rings can be zoned and programmed individually for eye-candy effects when required. The LEDBeam 100s were rigged on scaff nodes around the set. They were used to illuminate the scaff pipes and accentuate the depth of the structure when needed, and at other times were beamed straight out into the audience for dramatic wide angle camera shots. See Robe at PLASA Focus: Austin, September 10-11. 
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