Sennheiser Digital 6000 Help Cirque du Soleil return to the stage

After the inactivity forced by the pandemic, the Circus of the Sun (Cirque du Soleil) has taken advantage of this time to update its shows to the Digital system 6000 Wireless de Sennheiser, that are already in production.

Since its foundation, in the year 1984 in Quebec (Canada), he Circus of the Sun has delighted and captivated audiences of all ages. The company's traveling theatrical and acrobatic performances, known worldwide for their dramatic creativity, imaginative stories and audience participation, They are also recognized for their production values: from sound and lighting, even costumes and scenery.

A history of successful shows and tours that in March 2020 They stopped abruptly with the start of the pandemic. A long downtime that the production team has spent testing, evaluate and verify your entire arsenal of equipment for tuning or renewal.

“When all the shows closed, Most of the technical equipment that was in North America was trucked to our warehouse and put on shelves - recalls M.atthew Steuart, Cirque du Soleil sound specialist. In May 2021 we start with a show called Kooza and we obtained a list of projects to carry it out”.

After testing and evaluating the sound equipment needs for the show, which combines the two classic circus traditions of clowns and acrobatics, “it was updated to the system Digital 6000 Wireless of Sennheiser due to the benefits it presented”, assures.

Another Cirque du Soleil show that opened in Houston in November 2021 has been Happiness. Happiness, which features many of the entertaining ingredients that Cirque du Soleil followers and admirers have come to expect.: amazing stunts, fine performing arts and a poetic history.

An unwanted pause

The recent long pandemic pause gave the sound team the opportunity to closely examine each part of the sound chain: “We were able to observe everything more closely., including the RF - Steuart continues -. You can have what appears to be a working system, but if you have the possibility of improving two or three links in an audio chain, In the end, greater performance is achieved. While we're on tour, We generally only have one day in each city to do all our maintenance.”.

In the case of the Sennheiser Digital wireless system 6000, which was already used in the show Happiness, the team did not have to do anything other than perform a recommended firmware update. “We tried it and everything worked”, this expert assures.

One of the reasons why Circo del Sol chose the Digital system 6000 the Sennheiser, brand that sells in Spain Magnetron, was for its ability to identify and lock frequencies in an increasingly congested RF environment.

“The spectrum is becoming more and more crowded,” observes Steuart.. when we send Happiness to Miami a year and a half ago, if we hadn't had digital 6000, It simply could not have been done because there was no RF space. With the latest firmware updates, including the new modo Link Density, it's much easier. Sometimes we have to include all our wireless channels in one block of 6 u 8 MHz, so working with such a narrow bandwidth has been key”.

Before the start of the pandemic, the Cirque du Soleil traveling tour had more than a dozen active shows, each with its own set of artistic and technical challenges. Now, in the middle of its relaunch period, The company is rapidly climbing towards its previous performance level.

“Before COVID 19 we were in twelve shows, which was a lot. Now, con Happiness and at least four more productions, included Kooza, Luzia, Kurius-Cabinet of Curiosities y Ovo, that will arrive in the present 2022, we are on the right track. There are many more shows in the works”, Steuart points out.

at the show Happiness, for which trials were carried out in Houston (EU), eighteen channels of the Digital system were deployed 6000, along with several bodypack transmitters and a pair of handheld transmitters SKM 6000.

“The bodypack transmitters are hidden and quite well protected in the costumes,” explains Steuart.. Our wardrobe department is fantastic.: They add these bags to any part of the costume that works best for the artist: inside the thigh, in the lower back, behind the neck or under the arm. Having these really small transmitters is amazing and we can place them anywhere, and their battery levels, mutes and so on are excellent”.

To Kooza, which is scheduled to open in Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) at the end of this year, The Cirque du Soleil production team is using ten channels of the Digital system 6000, including some challenging stage applications.

“We have a guy in a big furry dog costume wearing a wireless microphone and, in another scene, to a large confetti blower who also uses it to capture noise -continues-. Everything we execute through Digital 6000 wireless has excellent sound. It is also very easy to connect instruments to our flasks and they always sound great”.

While Steuart is delighted with the relaunch of Circo del Sol touring productions, is also grateful for the training and support provided by Sennheiser over the course of the last twenty months.

“When the pandemic started, Jamie Criswell, business development manager at Sennheiser, He was on the phone with us the next day offering training classes - remember -. It was fantastic, from Sennheiser they made sure we had what we needed for the programs to develop. This level of support was invaluable and appreciated by the entire team”.