South Africa - Earlier this year, DWR Distribution welcomed DiGiCo’s Tristan Mazire and Ian Staddon to South Africa for a DiGiCo masterclass. DWR’s Kyle Robson, who represents the DiGiCo brand at DWR, helped coordinate the visit.
The masterclass took place at DWR’s Johannesburg offices in June and at the GrandWest Arena in Cape Town, with both sessions fully booked. Tristan shared his insights from over 20 years of experience in live sound, post-production, and recording, with a focus on DiGiCo consoles, KLANG, Fourier Audio and Sound Devices integration.
“My experience in South Africa was amazing,” says Tristain. “It’s a beautiful country, and I met so many talented technicians. The training sessions were packed, and delegates were highly engaged, asking thoughtful questions about workflows and processes. The level of knowledge here is really impressive.”
Ian Staddon adds, “It’s been a wonderful trip. Everyone has been so welcoming, and it’s always a highlight to meet people who generously share their time and passion for audio.”
Kyle Robson adds, “What really blew Tristain and Ian’s minds was that we had over 40 attendees in Johannesburg and more than 30 in Cape Town. I think everyone took something valuable away from it, which was great. We had a mix of entry-level engineers and highly respected professionals, and each person was able to learn something new.
“Tristan was a bit nervous at first because of the crowd, but it was great for him to see how eager people in South Africa are to learn - he really enjoyed that. Having Ian with us felt like welcoming him back into the family. It turned into a wonderful bonding experience between DWR and DiGiCo, and our relationship has become even stronger. What made it even more powerful was that Tristan didn’t just focus on DiGiCo - he also covered Klang, Fourier Audio, and Sound Devices. Now it’s all about seeing how the products integrate and where they’re headed next. Things are only going to keep getting bigger, better, and easier. This really feels like the start of even more exciting things to come.”
