Front-of-house engineer Jeff Sandstrom employs the Waves eMotion LV1 Classic console.
Renowned front-of-house engineer Jeff Sandstrom, known for his work with Chris Tomlin, Passion City Church and Lauren Daigle, has selected the Waves eMotion LV1 Classic console, along with the eMo IEM immersive in-ear mixing software, to manage FOH and monitors operations for Grace Church in Greenville, South Carolina. The LV1 Classic is now deployed at their largest campus on Pelham Road.
Sandstrom comments, “We mix all of our music using the LV1 Classic, ensuring pristine audio quality for our 800-seat venue. Our band features a full drum kit, bass guitar, two electric guitars, acoustic guitar, keys, tracks and four vocalists. Additionally, our hosts and pastors utilize handheld and headset microphones, and we integrate video playback into our productions. Every input and output runs seamlessly through the eMotion LV1 Classic, delivering a cohesive and professional mix.”
“Sermons are recorded in advance (on Thursdays),” he explains. “These recordings are then sent as files to each campus, where they’re played back locally during services. Separately, we use the LV1 Classic’s matrix mixer to manage live audio routing, for example, sending mixes to recording feeds, the lobby and overflow areas. Its flexible matrix capabilities allow us to tailor audio distribution across our spaces. We’ve also just started experimenting with the Waves eMo IEM immersive in-ear mixing software. It’s a simple software add-on to the LV1 Classic, which makes it very easy to implement in our setup. It allows our band to achieve greater clarity in their mixes without sacrificing essential elements. You can take peripheral parts such as extra guitars and pads and position them ‘behind’ you and out of the way using 360-degree immersive panning, ensuring that crucial aspects like pitch and timing remain at the forefront. Click tracks, lead vocals and core rhythmic elements are naturally perceived as louder simply by moving ‘extraneous’ things out of the way.”
One aspect of the LV1 Classic Sandstrom finds particularly beneficial is its seamless processing workflow. He says, “The integration of Waves plugins within the LV1 Classic eliminates the need for manual latency alignment, as it is seamlessly managed within the console’s processor. Having direct access to a wide array of plugins, rather than being locked into a particular console channel strip, allows us to shape the tonality of our inputs in highly creative ways. Also, not being confined to a single channel strip for filtering, EQ and compression enables us ultimate flexibility and creativity. With more tools at our disposal, we can achieve exceptional results more efficiently, optimizing both workflow and sound quality. If I want my instruments to be SSL-based and my drums to be API-based, or any variation in between, I can do so effortlessly. Different effects can add innumerable varying colors, expanding our creative sound palette.”
Sandstrom’s must-have plugins include the SSL E-Channel for snare drum and vocals and the H-Comp Hybrid Compressor for drum channels. When processing drums, he applies the API 550 EQ to several inputs and an API 2500 compressor on the kick drum. Additionally, he utilizes the Kramer PIE Compressor on the parallel drum bus, and the API 2500 on the LR bus.
For instruments and vocals, he inserts the H-Reverb Hybrid Reverb, while the CLA-76 Compressor/Limiter processes the bass guitar. Electric guitars and piano benefit from the PuigChild Compressor, and he enhances vocals with both the Renaissance Vox and Waves Tune Real-Time plugins.
Describing his setup, he notes, “Backstage, there are two DSPRO StageGrid 4000s along with an IONIC 16 stagebox handling most of our band inputs. On the drum riser, another Ionic 16 manages drum and tracks inputs. In our video booth, a DSPRO StageGrid 1000 is used for playbacks. Outputs from the Ionic are sent analog to the PA system. While we mix monitors and FOH from the LV1 Classic, our musicians control their mixes remotely using the Waves MyMon Personal Monitor Mixing App on their phones.”
“The small footprint of the LV1 Classic is crucial for us,” he adds, “because real estate at FOH is at a premium. We can easily fit an FOH operator and an A2 in the booth, along with a second screen and a computer for recording and virtual playback. A larger console would not provide us with enough space to manage everything comfortably and efficiently.”
“The LV1 Classic also delivers an outstanding user experience as well,” he remarks. “Each week, our volunteers operate at FOH, and learning the platform has been an enjoyable and engaging process for all of them. We have a ‘master show file’ that each operator loads at the start of rehearsal. They then save that file under the current date and their name, then make changes, accordingly, loading user presets based on specific singers, instrumentation, and other variables. They have become very comfortable with user layouts on fader banks, and can configure those banks to suit their particular workflow preferences. For beginner-level users, we lock certain plugins to ensure they can focus on mixing faders without needing to worry about what’s happening under the hood. Additionally, we’ve created a dedicated user layer labeled ‘Resources’ for our team that uses the room for simple vocal mic setups and video playback, so they never even see the band inputs.”
“We also hold a quarterly ‘team night,’” he observes. “During these sessions, we evaluate mixes and give volunteers an opportunity to practice their skills, in a low-pressure environment, free from the demands of a rehearsal or service. They can fail safely and learn from one another and grow as engineers. We also utilize this time to discuss different plugins, concepts and approaches. They can learn about EQ and dynamics by playing with plugin settings, using a virtual playback of our actual band. The LV1 Classic is ideal for this, thanks to its intuitive and user-friendly workflow.”
Sandstrom concludes, “Since transitioning to the eMotion LV1 Classic, we have received a lot of positive feedback. First, the band is thrilled with how good it sounds. During the first rehearsal after deployment, the band put in their in-ear monitors as we were setting gains, and immediately asked, ‘What happened to the sound? It’s never been this good!’ – and that was before we had things really dialed in. That reaction is a testament to the high-resolution preamps and the clarity the LV1 Classic provides, with the onboard Waves Ionic Signature mic preamps playing a key role in delivering incredible sound quality. Other pastoral staff have also commented about how great the room sounds and how much impact the mix has. It’s due to the warmth and punch we achieve through our use of Waves plugins, and the colors we are able to create. Most importantly, the LV1 Classic has performed flawlessly. We’ve had zero failures or issues! And when other locations’ consoles reach the end of their lifecycle, we will be replacing them with the eMotion LV1 Classic.”
