The recent UK tour by English jazz-funk band Level 42 was supported by rental company Merlin PA (based in Nottingham) with a main sound reinforcement system headed by Electro-Voice X2 line arrays driven by Dynacord TGX amplifiers with control from SONICUE system software.
The tour marked the first time that the band’s front of house engineer, Mark Clements, had moved away from Level 42’s usual equipment supplier for 25 years. However, the group had been working with Merlin PA on overseas and festival packages so it became a logical move to tour the UK with support from the rental company as well.
A further reason for the switch, Clements adds, was to move to X2 arrays, which he’d heard several times. “The percussive and transient nature of Mark King’s style really shone through with the use of the X2’s 12-inch driver on the Mid Band Hydra,” explains Merlin PA’s Neal Allen. “That’s what the technology in the MBH allows you to deliver.”
Low frequencies were reinforced with X12-128 dual 18-inch subwoofers deployed in a cardioid arrangement in almost every venue. “Due to the nature of the stage setup, some venues required a supercardioid sub design, which dramatically cleaned up unwanted resonance onstage for (bass player) Mark King,” Allen adds.
Meanwhile, two-way Electro-Voice XLE cabinets were called into action to provide additional coverage where needed. “XLE was required to provide extra intelligibility and consistency,” says Allen. “This was particularly important at Sheffield City Hall, which is a notoriously tricky venue to contain with a full house when you need to cover all three floors.”
Dynacord electronics and software drove the system for every performance. “TGX amplifiers and SONICUE sound system software provided the backbone power to the Electro-Voice system,” Allen concludes. “The intuitive nature of SONICUE enabled us to make effortless on-the-fly changes at different locations, while also providing an overall picture of all aspects of the system.”
