Morgan Wallen's 'This Bar' Spans Across Four Levels, Delivering Audio Superiority
In the heart of Nashville's Lower Broadway district, country music stars Garth Brooks and Miranda Lambert have joined forces with Morgan Wallen in a unique venture - This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen. This six-story, four-floor restaurant and entertainment hub spans approximately 30,000 square feet, featuring three live music stages, six bars, and an open-air rooftop.
To deliver a high-quality audio experience in such a vast and reflective space, JAG Warner Productions, a Nashville-based integrator, was tasked with the design of This Bar's audio system. The solution? The RCF TT+ Audio line, combined with Q-SYS integration.
The showcase system on the first floor of This Bar features two hangs of six RCF HDL 28-A active line array modules. On the rooftop, TT 25-A II active two-way cabinets, SUB 9006-AS subwoofers, and P 6215 two-way weatherproof coaxial speakers fill the lounge and adjoining patio with sound.
The second floor hosts a restaurant, where RCF WMR 60-T two-way wall mount speakers provide equal loudness coverage for high-end background music. During live performances on the second floor, the system can switch through Q-SYS to a delayed stage focus with primary sound coming from RCF COMPACT M 12 cabinets and S 12 subwoofers.
The third-floor nightclub is a powerhouse of sound, with a four-per-side hang of HDL 28-As for coverage, 13 Active TT 515-A units for fill, and TT 25-A II cabinets as stage fills. Four TT+ Audio GTS 29 subwoofers provide low-end augmentation, with two on the ground covering the floor level and two in the air rounding out the bass for the entire room.
The subs in the third-floor nightclub are powered by an XPS 16KD four-channel, 16,000 W DSP amplifier. Active TT 515-A two-way loudspeakers from RCF's flagship TT+ Audio line provide front and under mezzanine fill at This Bar.
This strategic partnership between RCF and Q-SYS offers a powerful solution for managing and mitigating acoustic reflections in large, reflective spaces. By leveraging the controlled directivity of the RCF TT+ line array system, engineers can minimize unwanted reflections, reducing energy hitting reflective surfaces.
Q-SYS's comprehensive DSP capabilities are also utilised, enabling adaptive equalization, delay alignment, and feedback suppression. This allows for precise tuning of the system to the venue's acoustic profile in real time.
Beam steering and array optimization features are employed to focus sound on audience areas and avoid reflective zones such as ceilings or walls. Room modeling and acoustic measurements integrated into Q-SYS software map venue reflections and resonances, guiding EQ, delay, and dynamic processing adjustments to compensate for reflective environment challenges.
Acoustic treatment strategies like sound absorptive panels and diffusers in key reflection points within the venue complement electronic processing and improve clarity and intelligibility. Time alignment and delay settings through Q-SYS ensure sound from different arrays and speakers arrives coherently to the audience, minimizing comb filtering and echo artifacts caused by reflections.
Continuous monitoring of audio performance via Q-SYS’s networked control and remote diagnostics allows for ongoing optimization before and during events. This combined approach delivers clear, balanced, and impactful sound reinforcement, effectively managing reflections in large, reflective spaces.
Engineers who have worked at This Bar have consistently commented on the clean and clear sound quality of the RCF systems installed. The TC Restaurant Group, which manages several artist-themed establishments in Nashville, collaborated with RCF to outfit This Bar's audio system. According to JAG Warner president Jake Warner, the RCF system at This Bar delivers a full spectrum and "very musical solution."
- The RCF WMR 60-T two-way wall mount speakers on the second floor restaurant provide a clear and musical background music experience, while the RCF COMPACT M 12 cabinets and S 12 subwoofers take over during live performances for a balanced sound.
- During events in the third-floor nightclub, TT 25-A II active two-way cabinets, SUB 9006-AS subwoofers, and P 6215 two-way weatherproof coaxial speakers fill the lounge area with sound, complemented by the strategic acoustic treatment of the venue to improve clarity and intelligibility.
