The World Machine powered by Electro-Voice and Dynacord for Level 42’s big anniversary tour

• Electro-Voice X-Line Advance X2 loudspeakers and Dynacord TGX20 amplifiers help Level 42 celebrate their breakthrough album’s major milestone
• Compact footprint and simple flying line-array system ensure rapid setup and teardown, SONICUE Sound System Software was used for sound system setup, monitoring and control
• Safe Hands Audio in charge of the UK tour across 32 venues

Straubing/London, November 2025 – Level 42’s 40th anniversary tour of their breakthrough album The World Machine is benefitting from the practicality and musicality of Electro-Voice loudspeakers and Dynacord amplification. The UK leg of the tour, which has been extended to cover 32 venues across the country, is being supplied by Safe Hands Audio and has been described by audience members as “the best gig sound they’ve ever heard”.

“We’ve gone with a standard setup which we are using in each venue,” explains Neal Allen from Safe Hands Audio. “We designed it to fit the points in the venue with either 12 or nine X2 loudspeaker elements per side with cardioid subs, and that’s what you need for this kind of touring.”

For the UK leg of the tour, Safe Hands Audio has supplied 30 X2-212 loudspeakers with six XLE181 cabinets for lip fills, and X12-128 subs run in a cardioid configuration to provide punch, definition and dynamics. Portable EVOLVE 90 column loudspeaker systems have also been deployed as balcony fills in certain venues. The entire system was driven by Dynacord TGX20 amplifiers.

“The X2 line array is compact and easy to fly, because a lot of these venues don't have good weight loading on the points. It's great to put it up, you can still get a good hang on a on a lightweight point. And most of all, the sound is beautiful,” notes Level 42 FOH engineer Mark Clements.

Level 42 has relied on Electro-Voice for a number of tours and for Clements this is due to the sound quality. “I’ve used everything over the years but this is great,” he reflects. “I just don’t think any other smaller PA has the high-end clarity that the X2 have. Vocally, it’s in your face and it sounds really nice. I’ve found that you can't use a horn-loaded loudspeaker or a folded horn. The attack is not quick enough. With the X2, the attack is very fast, even though it's a large driver.”

This performance is due to Electro-Voice’s unique Pin Diffraction Hydra controlled linear high frequency performance. “The X2 is an acoustically engineered box with all loudspeaker components engineered from the ground up in our US headquarters,” furthers Electro-Voice’s Arthur Achard. “We’re not just coloring the sound and putting those drivers in a box. We’re actually making the sound as good as possible and the cabinets as time aligned with each other as possible.”

One of the common challenges the tour has faced came at venues like Stoke-on-Trent where areas on the balcony couldn’t be covered by the main PA. To overcome this, the team deployed EVOLVE90 powered column systems. “It’s full range sound so we can set them up and can fire down the balcony,” explains Allen. “It’s brilliant and everyone gets the same experience.”

Alongside the Electro-Voice loudspeakers, Dynacord electronics and software powered the tour. SONICUE Sound System Software has been used for setup and control in every venue, while the market leading power density of the TGX20 four channel amplifiers drove the system. Added to the 20 kW from a single amp, TGX20 offers tour-grade 96 kHz DSP resolution with multi-band PEQs, crossovers, limiters and delay per channel. FIR-Drive and dedicated speaker presets yield a level of unparalleled audio quality, while Dante audio and uncompromising stability down to 2 ohms make them the number one choice for touring professionals.

The effort that has been put into the touring system has not been lost on anyone, and the band is particularly appreciative of the reactions they are getting. “Mark King gets feedback from fans after every gig and he has been sharing emails from people saying it that the sound was amazing and the best they have heard,” reveals Clements. “He is ecstatic with the sound. The reports he’s getting is it sounds just like the record and that is exactly what we’re going for.”