Point Source Microphones Fit for a “King and I”

Petaluma, CA — May 12, 2015 —Jonathan Allender-Zivic, Technical Director and Lighting Designer for Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO), first experienced Point Source Audio (PSA) mics at a conference in 2014. After some evaluation, the Holland School for the Visual and Performing Arts Department of Theatre and Dance at SEMO was so impressed that it ultimately purchased a large stock of the company’s SERIES8 model headset and earworn mics for their upcoming productions.

In February 2015, the mics were seriously road tested during a Main Stage production of The King and I. The cast, including children, consisted of 52 people. The stage crew comprised an additional 20 hands. “There were lots of lights and a full house—900 bodies,” proclaimed Jonathan. “It was hot and sweaty with some actors in very heavy, hot costumes. No one sweated out a mic, and since we did not depend on tape on the face to hold them in place we didn’t have people sweating out of the tape.” Jonathan was very pleased that in this age of extra-severe budget constraints, not one mic was lost as he has seen happen in past productions.

SEMO is a larger Bachelor of Fine Arts program offering 160 majors in Musical Theatre, Dance, and Design/Tech. The department puts on two musicals, two dance concerts and two plays on the Main Stage every year, as well as second stage student pieces. In choosing the new microphones, sound quality was important of course, but durability was paramount for this equipment purchase. Due to budget constraints Jonathan couldn’t afford to replace even one mic.

Point Source Audio’s mics may be low-profile but they really stand out. They have an IP57 rating, which means that they are completely dust-proof, water-proof and will function normally even after being in water for up to 30 minutes in a depth of 1 meter. Jonathan loved that the PSA mics are much more durable and flexible than any other brand of headset microphones he’s used before. Jonathan explained, “A typical failure point is at the boot, whereas PSA’s are much more robust at this critical connection point. The same resilience can be said about the connection behind the ear.”

The decision for fitting single earworn mics on some actors, and the dual ear headset mics on others depended a lot on the costumes and hair. Those who moved most got the dual ear headset microphone style. Jonathan commented, “They needed almost no fitting; they pretty much stayed put throughout the entire performance. The earworn mics stayed well around the one ear, and we taped behind the ear and the base of the neck. Other brands we’ve used bounce around more and just aren’t as flexible nor do they fit as well. We really prefer the dual ear headset microphones, but due to budget constraints, we purchased a mix of single and dual headsets. Also for the King, who had a shaved head, the single ear was more visually appealing.”

This was SEMO’s first production to rely solely on Point Source Audio earworn and headset microphones, and this decision eliminated many problems they had in the past with audio quality. SEMO will be using Point Source Audios mics again for The Addams Family in fall, and next spring for On the Town.

More information about SERIES8 microphones and Point Source Audio’s other industry-leading audio solutions can be found by visiting www.point-sourceaudio.com.