We took a trip to Japan this summer to experience the annual Summer Sonic festival first-hand. The super-heated weather didn’t detract from our experience too much; this is the stuff great outdoor music festivals are made of, after all. They seem to thrive in the summer swelter, and this year’s Summer Sonic was no exception! During the festival, we sat down with sound engineer Ken “Pooch” Van Druten to talk about his history in sound, staying healthy, his work relationships and the gear he uses to get the perfect mix. Pooch is a front of house engineer (FOH) for the rock group Linkin Park, who played at this year’s Summer Sonic. [caption id="attachment_317" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Pooch mans the mixing board for Linkin Park.[/caption] Great show, but wow, was it hot out!  Not only must this be physically demanding, but what kind of effect does this have on the sound of the show? Gear, PA tweaking? OMG, was it hot. 110 degrees Fahrenheit and 75% humidity is not a happy place for humans or gear. We physically had to take pieces off of gear and had air conditioning units squirting AC into computers in order for them to function. Humidity plays a huge part in PA tuning. The physics of that are difficult. I turned to my assistant halfway during the show and said, “I think I am going to pass out. Please find some ice and cool water. I am dying.” Tell us a little about yourself…how you got into the pro audio industry, bands you have worked with, etc. Over twenty years ago I graduated from the Music Production and Engineering department of Berklee College of Music in Boston. I moved to Los Angeles and was a producer and recording engineer for the first few years of my career. I started doing some live shows on the side and fell in love with the instant gratification of mixing live shows. I still thrive on the feeling of 10,000 people screaming and enjoying something that you have a creative part of. Over the years, I have worked for many bands. Some of the highlights are KISS, Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Whitney Houston, Motley Crue, Pantera, Guns & Roses, Jane’s Addiction, Rob Zombie, Smashing Pumpkins, System of a Down, etc. You have worked with Tater (Kevin McCarthy) for quite some time and it seems like you guys get along pretty well! How important is it to have a good working relationship between FOH and monitor engineers (MON)? It is absolutely imperative. We work together as a team. Everything that I do at FOH is related to something Tater is doing onstage. The best-case scenario is to work with someone like Tater, who takes into account what I am trying to achieve at FOH. We know each other’s workflows intimately and almost communicate without having to speak to each other. I learn things daily from him, and am truly blessed to have a relationship with a friend and confidant who works so closely with the band on his end of the snake. Plain and simple – I couldn’t do as great of a job without him. When we work apart on other projects besides Linkin Park, I miss him. Do you do anything special to maintain the health of your ears? WHAT?!? I couldn’t hear what you said…just kidding. I have my ears checked twice a year by an audiologist. EVERY time I am near anything that is loud, I wear earplugs. Planes, busses, opening acts, etc. I have never worn earplugs while I mix a band, but outside of that I protect my ears the best that I can. What Audio-Technica mics are you currently using and for what applications? Feel free to elaborate on why you choose a particular A-T mic. AT4050. It is my go-to large diaphragm condenser microphone. I use it on all stringed instruments, overheads, etc. AT4047. Has a little different character than the 4050 that I like on some guitar amps. AE2500 on kick drum. The combination of condenser and dynamic microphones make for an amazing result. AE3000 on toms – really kick-ass tom sounds. The diaphragm is large enough to capture the nuances of larger tom toms. ATM350 on toms, brass, woodwinds, etc. Great tight pattern and overall very useful with the small lavalier-like design. AT835ST – I use this shotgun mic exclusively for recording audience tracks. I spend a great deal of time remixing Linkin Park shows and these mics pick up the energy of the crowd like no other. Do you have a favorite A-T mic and if so why? The AT4050 and AT4047. Both of these microphones are the best at acoustic-to-electric transducing of stringed instruments. The results I get from using these mics on guitars are still amazing. What are the unique challenges of mixing a band like Linkin Park? We currently have 75 inputs. Finding space for all the playback and live instrumentation within the stereo spectrum is difficult. A-T mics allow me to get the true tone coming from an instrument. The first conversion of acoustic to electric transduction is so important, and A-T still does it the best. What would you say is the biggest challenge in your work? Being away from my family for long periods of time. What is your favorite part of the job? When you get it right. When the hair is standing up on your arms and people are losing their minds because the planets have all aligned. The band is playing stellar and you are hitting all cylinders with your mix. There is no drug, no alcohol, no sex that beats that feeling in that moment. I chase the dragon every day to get there. We’d like to thank Mr. Van Druten for taking the time to talk about live mixing with us. Follow Pooch on Twitter to keep up with his career and keep checking the A-T blog for more pro audio interviews!