Waves Audio's eMotion LV1 Classic Console Continues to Gain Industry Trust

Waves Audio's eMotion LV1 Classic console continues to rapidly earn the confidence of the industry, being successfully adopted across major tours, music festivals, house-of-worship (HOW) installations, and broadcast productions.

The TEC and Parnelli Award-nominated eMotion LV1 Classic live mixing system has become the preferred choice of front-of-house engineers across multiple high-profile tours. Its combination of pristine sound quality, flexible I/O and streamlined workflow has made it a standout solution. The LV1 Classic is consistently chosen by engineers seeking reliability and modern mixing capabilities on the road.

The LV1 Classic's growing popularity reflects its TEC Award nomination and adoption by FOH engineers across prominent U.S. tours. With its low-latency architecture, modular workflow and seamless Waves plugin integration, the LV1 Classic delivers studio-grade sound in demanding live environments. Its compact size and lightweight design further enhance its appeal. Transport and setup are easier for fly dates, festival stages and tight touring schedules, without sacrificing power or flexibility.

Leading engineers and tours embracing the LV1 Classic include Will Madera (Pitbull), who says, "The LV1 Classic delivers exceptional sound quality – the best I've heard. We're talking about top next-level audio in a demanding live environment, which raises the bar for live mixing. On top of that, all the Waves plugins are fully integrated into the system, which means zero stress and seamless control during every show."

Relying on the LV1 Classic for power, flexibility and superior sound quality on Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden frontman's 2025 tour, Ken "Pooch" Van Druten, three-time GRAMMY® nominee and recipient of two Parnelli and eight Top Dog Awards, notes, "I'm really super-pleased that I've chosen the LV1 Classic for this tour. It's exceeded expectations in every way. Despite its compact size, it delivers powerful performance and incredible flexibility. I wouldn't hesitate to take this console out on an arena tour, especially now that Waves enables expansion of this console to 80 channels and 160 inputs, a clear sign of how committed they are to evolving this platform. The LV1 Classic sounds fantastic, and we're proud to have it on the road with us."

Recipient of two Parnelli, eight Top Dog Awards and an LPS award, monitor engineer Kevin "Tater" McCarthy remarks, "Switching to the LV1 Classic for the Bruce Dickinson tour was a leap of faith, but one that paid off. There was no rehearsal time. I had to deliver mixes immediately. The LV1 Classic made that possible. It's compact, fast to set up, and the fader layout is intuitive. Most importantly, it sounded great right from the start."

Additional tours include Don Toliver's U.S. dates in December, and HOW installations such as Grace Church, manned by renowned FOH engineer Jeff Sandstrom (known for his work with Chris Tomlin, Passion City Church and Lauren Daigle).

Sandstrom comments, "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. That impact comes from 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."

On the LV1 Classic being chosen for Don Toliver's 2025 World Tour, front-of-house engineer John Buitrago (Karol G, J Balvin) shares, "With the LV1 Classic, everything runs smoothly. Communication between playback, monitors and FOH has been amazing. I'm so happy and confident with the system. People ask me, 'You're using this small console for a big show?' And I say, 'Bro, it's not about size, it's about sound.' When they hear it, they get it. It's a small console with a huge sound, and that makes me proud."

Toliver's monitor engineer, Dennis Barnes (Future, Megan Thee Stallion), adds, "Out on the road, the eMotion LV1 Classic makes my life easy. Every city we roll into, the workflow, the tools, and especially the Waves eMo IEM help us deliver a great show. It's been a game-changer, not just for me, but for the entire band. The desk opens up the sonic image in each mix, giving me space to separate and define every element with precision. It's more than stereo; it's a full 360-degree surround image I can shape for each artist."

The Waves eMotion LV1 Classic delivers next-gen sound, redundant system design for touring stability, full Waves plugin integration, and compatibility with leading stage boxes, networking protocols and recording workflows. Recent updates boost performance and reliability, making it ideal for arena tours, festivals, corporate and broadcast events, houses of worship and compact fly-date rigs.

With its recent 80-channel software upgrade, the LV1 Classic unlocks unprecedented mixing power, enabling users to handle larger, more complex shows without compromising speed or clarity. Combined with the new Fader Expansion Controller, engineers gain tactile, ergonomic control for faster, more intuitive mixing.

"We are honored to be nominated by the TEC and Parnelli Awards," says Waves Audio CEO Mick Olesh. "It doesn't happen very often that a product reshapes a highly innovative industry, where dreams meet reality and all the right elements come together. Understanding the next level of user experience, down to the smallest detail, is what makes a truly unique and successful product available to the community. That's when you get a classic: the eMotion LV1 Classic."

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