Point Source Microphones Capture the Fierce Fight Sounds of Cirque du Soleil’s ‘R.U.N’

Cirque de Soleil’s latest production, R.U.N, which opened November 14 at the Luxor in Las Vegas, continues to flip theater expectations with a little help from Point Source Audio microphones. Point Source GO-8WM moldable microphones capture the excitement of the show, with renowned sound designer Jonathan Deans at the helm.

With dozens of people engaged in slamming, brawling action, live Foley is nearly impossible,” he explains. “It just can’t be predetermined down to a beat because they’d hurt themselves and no one would be ready.”

Deans says he had a lightbulb moment with Point Source GO-8WM moldable microphones, which can be shaped into collar, halo, or headset mics. “We selected about eight artists and put the microphones on top of their heads,” he explains. “They’re running around like microphone stands, if you like, with the mic in close proximity to their physical noises—you know, the bang, punch, the ‘hunh!’”

Point Source GO-8WMs feature miniature 3mm omni capsules, which discreetly pick up sounds all around the performers, and can handle up to 136 dB SPL. “The sounds are natural because they’re actually fighting,” says Deans.

Deans says Point Source GO-8WM mics shine onstage with R.U.N for many reasons. First, they offer superior fidelity. “I need good quality,” he says. “I want to be able to capture the true sound of what’s going on.”

Point Source GO-8WM mics are also unconventionally malleable: “We could just shape them to whatever form we wanted, not knowing exactly how the performers’ moves would work and whether they would feel comfortable about how it would be best placed on them,” he explains. “Both the location of the transmitter and how the microphone gets to a place where we need them to capture the sounds—not just of the performers themselves, but the sound around them. I needed a microphone with some kind of rigidity that I could bend to whatever shape was needed, as opposed to a basic shape around the head.”

Finally, quite simply, Point Source GO-8WM mics, like Cirque’s stunt artists, can take it. The GO-8WMs feature a proprietary Lemo-style connector; Deans appreciates that its rugged strain relief doesn’t snap like so many others. “It’s perfect,” he says. “We’ve got these people doing all these physical things that are crazy for most people. I needed something that could withstand the abuse the microphone and connector would be getting.”