New York, NY (September 11, 2019)—Swedish singer/songwriter Lykke Li has been on the move this year with her So Sad So Sexy tour; along for the ride is FOH sound engineer Dani Munoz, who has been using a Waves eMotion LV1 Live Mixer and Waves plug-ins for the project.
When he first toured using an eMotion LV1 live mixer in 2015, the system took up four road cases, but these days, he’s reduced it all to two Pelican Air Cases with Circle Three designs for flyout racks. “Inside, I’ve got an Axis One compact computer, a SoundGrid Server One-C, a DiGiGrid IOX, a DiGiGrid MGB coaxial MADI-to-SoundGrid interface, a couple of outboard FX units, and a single touchscreen monitor,” he reported. “Setups have been a breeze. I literally walk in, ask for a 4-foot road case, my entire setup is assembled, and I’m ready for PA lines in 10 minutes.”
“I love mixing an artist with such a unique voice,” Munoz says. “Making her vocals sit in the mix the right way is pretty much what this gig is about for me…. Her vocal chain runs like this: the F6 Dynamic EQ for the real-time analyzer, low-pass and high-pass filters, and some initial EQ to clean up the proximity effect etc. Right after that, I have the Primary Source Expander, which I engage and disengage to minimize mic bleed on songs like ‘Little Bit,’ where she sings extra quiet. That goes into a CLA-76 ‘Bluey’ because, after years of using it, it’s still my favorite vocal compressor. It does ballsy compression, and it’s been my friend when it comes to bringing her vocals up close and keeping her wide dynamic range in check. The chain then goes into Sibilance, my favorite de-esser at the moment. Then I use the H-EQ for some final tone adjustments, and finally, Vitamin gives the final shine and excitement that keep her vocals still sounding lively.”
Munoz added, “I want to say I’ve been extremely proud to see the LV1 on many major festivals in the past couple of years. I love to see how engineers who use the platform do it with such passion for the craft. I’ve seen many skeptics who are deceived by the small form factor change their opinion once they hear it for themselves; it’s truly a great-sounding console. I love the contrast of walking in with just a couple of Pelicans and then rocking world-class festival stages like Coachella and Hyde Park.”
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