Las Vegas, NV (June 15, 2023)—Over the past 30 years, Cirque du Soleil shows have become an integral part of Las Vegas nightlife—epic theatrical productions filled with death-defying acrobatics, breathtaking scenery, impish characters and more, all delivered in family-friendly, romanticized presentations that are almost otherworldly. And then there’s Mad Apple. A tribute to New York City, the show is extremely worldly—forget the “other”—as well as in-your-face, bawdy and a lot of fun. Yianni Epivatinos, sound designer and production services sound manager for all of Cirque’s Vegas shows, said simply, “It’s a party.”
Presented at the New York–New York Hotel & Casino, the high-octane, 90-minute show is staged twice a night, five nights a week, serving up six acts ranging from jugglers to acrobats hanging by their hair to The Wheel of Death. There’s also large helpings of standup comedy, slick genre-mashing musical performances, showstopping dance numbers and, of course, shadow puppets.
While it’s a new show that opened only last year, Mad Apple took over its 1,200-seat theater from Cirque’s Zumanity, which ran for 17 years until the pandemic brought that production to an end. As a result, when gearing up for the new show, Epivatinos and the audio team knew the theater well, and opted to keep some elements of the existing audio system while updating other parts.
The house system was retained, though Epivatinos used the opportunity to retune the room, improving sound and minimizing dead spots. Based around Meyer Sound CQ Series loudspeakers and 650 Series subwoofers, the system also sports QSC-powered Nexo PS8 and PS15 boxes for delays and the occasional surround speaker. Even though much of the show takes place in front of the P.A. often high above the audience, speaker placement wasn’t affected by having to accommodate unusual acts such as acrobats.
Much of the system update centered around networking, swapping out an old Peavey MediaMatrix setup for a BSS-aided fiber network that now ties in a pre-existing ClearCom point-to-point and FreeSpeak II IP Beltpack system. The ClearCom gear, along with a behind-the-scenes set of CCTV cameras, is crucial on a show where performers may disappear into the rafters or the floor at the end of an act. “The CCTV system and the intercom system are most important because of safety; if we lose communication, nothing works,” said Epivatinos. “We have cameras with different views of the room so that people up in the booth can hear the ‘clears’ from the other technicians at the same time that they have eyes on it—and before they move [a set piece]—to make sure we’re doing everything safely.”
Other upgrades to the show include the addition of Avid S6L consoles at front-of-house and in a backstage monitor room, mixing 48 channels from the five singers and six-piece band of multi-instrumentalists, as well as some digital tracks. Because the show doesn’t have an overall plot, it’s constantly evolving, with the six acts variously getting swapped out as needed, so using snapshots on the consoles is crucial.
“Everything gets pre-produced and premixed to pretty much how it’s going to sound, as we have to keep our levels,” said Epivatinos. “We pay attention to hearing conservation, so everything’s very set—but the house engineer has to really mix it. There are some support tracks on some parts, sure, but it’s not anything major; if you listen to the show, it’s live and it’s really happening. There are human beings playing—they’re very good, very consistent, but they’re human beings—so he has to mix it accordingly.”
There’s a lot to mix, too—while the singers and musicians have a bandstand high above the action, they’re just as often running around the stage itself, brandishing keytars, brass instruments, portable drum sets and more, all well in front of the P.A. While the various musicians each wear in-ear monitors—mostly Ultimate Ears—the other performers don’t require monitoring for their acts.
On The Cover: Las Vegas Takes Immersive Live
All five singers belt nightly into Shure Axient Digital wireless systems with KSM11 cardioid condenser vocal capsules. “We started the show with KSM9s for the vocalists, then KSM11 came out and I loved it,” said Epivatinos. “I got some demos to try them, and Shure couldn’t get them back! The first time we tried the KSM11, the singers heard them and said ‘Wow.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I agree—that stays here.’ It’s an incredible mic.”
Elsewhere in the production, the extensive drum kit is captured with a Shure Beta91A and Beta52A in the kick drum, while cymbals are heard via KSM137s and the toms are nabbed with Sennheiser 904s. Elsewhere, DPA 4099s are used on all brass—saxes, trumpets, trombone and the like. While the mic selections are varied, they all serve the ultimate goal of creating a great-sounding show. “I’m always going to get the 91 and 52 for bass drum because I just feel
comfortable using them, I know what to expect and I know I’m going to get the sound I want out of them,” said Epivatinos. “I’m not saying this is the best mic money can buy; I don’t know if it is—but it is for me.”
Keyboard-world up on the bandstand centers around Roland RD-2000 and Fantom G7 keyboards, joined by a Moog Matriarch, redundant Ableton setups, Apogee Symphony I/O Mk II interfaces, and a Radial switch on hand for switching systems in an emergency.
All of it makes for a show that is determinedly not a typical Cirque du Soleil production. “You have this incredible band, and it’s more like a rock ‘n’ roll show than a theater show,” said Epivatinos. “In other Cirque shows, we mix the action—everything in those is an experience, so the music is like a live music score, a soundtrack that supports the action you’re watching. With Mad Apple, the music is the main focus, and it’s punchy, it’s fun! Plus, this show changes a lot—they bring in new ideas, new acts, so for our engineer, it’s not like mixing a play where it’s the same show every night. It changes over time and keeps you on your toes. We find this very challenging and entertaining because you never get bored ever!”
