FOH and Systems Engineer Luis Irizarry has recently utilised the Waves eMotion LV1 Software Mixer on tour for the Puerto Rican urban/hip-hop act, Residente.
Irizarry commented: “I have been working with Waves tools for several years, and they have always been my first choice when selecting equipment for a tour. When I started to see the possibility of using the eMotion LV1 mixer, the first thing that grabbed my attention was the option of having a console so portable and versatile, that you can use it in a huge show of 30,000, or just as easily, mount it in your hotel room and be able to work. Its setup is seamlessly simple. But above all that, the sound quality is just incredible.
“I use a Windows 10 professional computer, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD hard drives, 2-touch screen monitors and Waves’ Icon Platform controllers for faders. For DSP, I use a SoundGrid Extreme Server and for IOs, the DiGiGrid IOX and DiGiGrid IOC units. Using a MacBook Pro with Waves Tracks Live, I can record the show and do a virtual soundcheck with the Tracks Live playback.
Irizarry explained: “Apart from how easy it is to set up and how comfortable it is, an especially crucial benefit in using the LV1 is the accessibility of Waves plugins, which means that I can use the same plugin presets used in the album mix. This enables me to have the show sound as close as possible to the mix of Residente’s CD. Also, it is a no-brainer when it comes to doing a virtual soundcheck before the show.
On the drum kit, Irizary used Waves CLA Classic Compressors and the SSL E- Channel. On percussion, the Waves CLA-2A Compressor/Limiter, the SSL E- Channel and PSE. Residente’s pianist uses a Nord Stage 2 EX 88, which Irizary processes with the Waves CLA-2A, the SSL-G Equalizer and the C4 Multiband Compressor. “The latter helps me to handle all the piano channels’ frequencies, creating an organic and more natural sound. It’s a show where there are a lot of dynamics, and the most important challenge is making sure that the vocal does not get lost in the mix. Using the LV1 and Waves plugins gives me the confidence that I am in total control of the sound.”
Irizary concluded: “Basically, the Waves eMotion LV1 console has everything you need at FOH, with outstanding sound quality. It’s so versatile – you can run it in your living room today, then use it at FOH tomorrow.”
