Ken Van Druten and Kevin McCarthy Select Waves LV1 Classic Consoles for Tour by Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson

	(l-r) Kevin McCarthy and Ken Van Druten

Mixer and front-of-house engineer Ken "Pooch" Van Druten (Linkin Park, Kiss, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z), three-time GRAMMY nominee and recipient of two Parnelli and eight Top Dog Awards; and monitor engineer Kevin "Tater" McCarthy (Linkin Park, Judas Priest, Stone Temple Pilots), recipient of two Parnelli, eight Top Dog Awards and one LPS award, rely on the Waves eMotion LV1 Classic for power, flexibility, and sound quality on the Bruce Dickinson 2025 tour.

Bruce Dickinson is the iconic lead vocalist of Iron Maiden, renowned for his wide vocal range, dynamic delivery and distinctive operatic style. He has contributed significantly to the band's sound and success since joining in 1981 and is also known for his work as a solo artist, airline pilot and author.

For Dickinson's solo tour, Van Druten and McCarthy have built a touring rig centered around the Waves LV1 Classic consoles, a platform they say delivers the sonic precision and workflow efficiency required for a world-class performance.

What drew Van Druten to the platform is its "unbelievably great sound," he says, "but also its flexibility and familiarity. I also mix records, and I use many of the same plug-ins in the studio. With the LV1 Classic, I can bring those exact tools into the live environment. It's seamless."

His console layout is designed for speed and clarity. Inputs are organized across three layers: drums on the first, bass, guitars, keys and vocals on the second, and additional guitar channels on the third. "It's all about keeping things intuitive," he explains. "My custom layer is what I use during the show. I've got one fader for all drums, one for bass, one for guitar and so on. Bruce's vocal is right there, along with delay sends, effects returns, intro music, walk-in and my left/right masters. Everything I need to touch during the show is within reach."

Van Druten's routing strategy in the LV1 Classic, which integrates Waves plug-ins, is centered around group processing. "I use a lot of groups, and often groups within groups. For example, all the drums go to three different groups: two for shell drums with different compression flavors, and one for cymbals. Those then feed into a monitor send called 'Band,' which has its own compression. Each stage of compression is subtle, around 3 dB, but layered, it gives me a tight, punchy sound."

Dickinson's vocal chain is a highlight of the setup. "I start with high-pass and low-pass filters to isolate the vocal range and control plug-in thresholds," Van Druten says. "Then I use the Waves Primary Source Expander (PSE) plug-in. It's a vocal gate that keeps stage noise out when Bruce isn't singing. I tune it to open only at a very specific frequency, around 490Hz."

From there, the vocal hits a CLA-2A Compressor/Limiter, driven hard to introduce harmonic distortion that Van Druten finds flattering on Bruce's voice. "Then it goes into the C6 Multiband Compressor, which is essential for Bruce's dynamic range. He sings from his belly, chest, and throat, each with a different tonal character. The C6 smooths that out beautifully." An F6 Floating-Band Dynamic EQ follows for surgical frequency control, and two additional EQs are kept in reserve for emergency tweaks. "I also use X-FDBK to help prevent feedback in tighter venues."

On the master buss, Van Druten uses the Abbey Road TG Mastering Chain primarily for stereo imaging and mid-side processing. "It really opens up the mix," he says. "Then I run into the L3 MultiMaximizer to bring the mix up to record-level loudness. Finally, I keep a GEQ Graphic Equalizer at the end of the chain, not for tuning the PA, but as a live tool to notch out any offensive frequencies during the show."

McCarthy shares a similar experience. "I'm running ten wedge mixes, four stereo in-ear mixes, and over 40 inputs. We max out the IONIC 24 and IONIC 16 stagebox preamps. Audience mics come in locally for playback and talkback. It's a straightforward setup."

Tater's workflow is built around consistency and speed. "I always assign aux outputs to Mixer 2. If your gain structure is right, everything just works. Mixer 1 handles all my inputs, and once I'm set, I switch into show mode. I've built a custom layer for fast access to sends, EQs, and mix adjustments."

For processing, he relies on a trusted chain: GEQ Graphic Equalizer, SSL G-Master Buss Compressor, L2 UltraMaximizer, and C6 Multiband Compressor. "I've used these for years with the same presets. I don't even hit the SSL comp hard -- I just like the tone it adds. The L2 has saved me more than once when playback levels from front-of-house weren't what I expected. And the C6 just smooths everything out and makes it musical."

Switching to the LV1 Classic for this tour was a leap of faith, but one that paid off. "There was no rehearsal time. I had to deliver mixes immediately. LV1 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."

Van Druten concludes, "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."

Mixing Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) Live | "Pooch" Van Druten | LV1 Classic: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjehY1nXbzI