Sound Systems for Nashville Bars, Restaurants and Live Music Venues
Sound, lighting, video and control for Nashville bars, restaurants and live music venues.
Photo: Understood Spaces
A Venue That Sounds Good at Every Table
Black Box AVS designs, installs and supports audio, lighting, video and control systems for bars, restaurants, honky-tonks and event spaces across Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Some of our best-known work is on Lower Broadway, including Ernest Tubb Record Shop, Hank Williams Jr. Boogie Bar, BB King's and Jon Bon Jovi Nashville.
Many Broadway rooms are long, narrow and hard, with brick on both sides and wood floors. Heavy acoustic treatment usually isn't an option in a building like that, so the work comes down to speaker coverage, delay zones and careful tuning. The goal is even level from the stage to the back bar, so a steel guitar still sounds like a steel guitar at the last table.
We tune for clarity first. Guests stay longer when they can hear the individual instruments and still talk to the person next to them.
Simple Enough for Your Staff to Run
Your bartenders and managers shouldn't need an engineer to start the night. We put sound, lighting and video on one control system, usually an iPad, tied to equipment racks in a back closet instead of a booth on the floor. Opening, band changeovers and closing become a few taps, and the tuned settings stay where we left them.
What We Install in Hospitality Spaces
Live music sound systems, stage monitors and front fills
Background music zones for dining rooms, patios and rooftops
Stage lighting and house lighting control
TVs and LED video displays for sports and events
Wireless microphones and stage inputs
Network switches and Wi-Fi built to carry the AV system
Equipment racks and cable management built to be serviced
Acoustic treatment where the room needs it
Photo: Understood Spaces
Case Study: Ernest Tubb Record Shop, Lower Broadway
Ernest Tubb Record Shop hosts live music across four floors, from the vinyl shop up to the rooftop bar. We designed, engineered and installed the full system: Yamaha CZR and NEXO ePS loudspeakers with front fills, Chauvet lighting on Visual Productions control, NETGEAR network switches and RUCKUS Wi-Fi, and Middle Atlantic racks. Staff run sound and lighting from iPads. When the stage layout changed mid-project, we upsized the main speakers and kept the sound clear and balanced.
Yamaha published the project as a case study: Ernest Tubb Record Shop: Redefining Sound on Lower Broadway.
Venues We've Worked With
Ernest Tubb Record Shop, Hank Williams Jr. Boogie Bar, BB King's, Jon Bon Jovi Nashville, Opry Backstage Grill, Itta Bena, Arthur Murray and Playdate Nashville.
Built Around Your Construction Schedule
Venue work usually happens inside a buildout with a hard opening date. We coordinate with your architect, general contractor and electrician early, so conduit, power, blocking and rack space are in place before the walls close. We hold Tennessee contractor license 80386 and Metro Nashville low-voltage license LV732, and we pull our own low-voltage permits.
After Opening Night
We're based in Nashville at 475 Metroplex Drive, close enough to come back when something needs adjusting. We train your staff at handoff, document the system and support it after opening.
Service Area Coverage
We serve businesses throughout Greater Nashville and Middle Tennessee, including:
Franklin
Murfreesboro
Smyrna
Brentwood
Gallatin
Mt. Juliet
Hendersonville
Lebanon
Nashville
If you're nearby and not sure whether you're in range, call us and ask.
Questions Venue Owners Ask Us
Can you work in a historic or narrow building?
Yes. Ernest Tubb Record Shop is a long, narrow brick building on Lower Broadway. We use speaker placement, delay zones and tuning to get even sound when heavy acoustic treatment isn't possible.
Can my staff run the system without a sound engineer?
Yes. We set the system up so opening, changeovers and closing are a few taps on an iPad or wall panel.
When should we bring you into a buildout?
As early as you can, ideally during design. It's much cheaper to run conduit and plan rack space before drywall than to add it after.
Do you only work on Broadway?
No. We work with bars, restaurants and event spaces across Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville and the rest of Middle Tennessee.
Let’s Work Together
Get in touch so we can start working together.
