Clair Solutions was tasked with designing and installing all of Ole Red Nashville’s audio, video and lighting systems; integrating a concert-level performance experience into the heart of the venue’s main dining spaces.
Jeff Hatfield, technical services director for Opry Entertainment Group, a division of Ryman Hospitality Properties explained: “We have a long history with Clair Solutions and have completed a lot of successful projects with its team, including the recent installation of a comprehensive new JBL sound system in Ryman Auditorium, we have a unique legacy in the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium, and everything we do has to meet or exceed the high bar we’ve set at those venues.”
The Clair Solutions team travelled to Tishomingo, Oklahoma to integrate AVL for the first Ole Red and are currently working on the third location, Ole Red Gatlinburg.
Dan Heins, regional vice-presidential of Clair Solutions said: “Ole Red Nashville has a lot going on, and we determined early on that its AV system should allow any audio or video source to be routed to any output destination.”
A Dante-enabled BSS Blu DSP system handles the audio routing logic while a Ross Audio switcher handles the video routing logic. A custom Crestron control panel system allows Ole Red staff to select a destination and then to assign any input to that destination, with intelligent links between audio and video where appropriate.
The first two stories of the building are combined, with part of the second floor retained as a balcony overlooking the room’s main attraction: a 20’ x 15’ stage for frequent performances by local, regional, and national acts, including Blake Shelton. A vibrant 16’ x 16’ PixelFLEX LED screen is a focal point behind the stage. A stereo set of deeply musical Clair Brothers kiT Series line arrays, with kiTCurve12 full-range elements and kiT-Sub subwoofers, cover most of the floor and balcony.
Clair Brothers F28-VP loudspeakers serve as under-balcony delays. Clair Brothers 1AM wedges and a kiT-Sub-mini handle on-stage monitoring, and Lab.gruppen D-Series amplifiers power the system. A Yamaha digital CL-5 console commands the system from FOH. A combination of ETC, Chauvet, and Elation lights controlled from High-End Systems processors and interfaces provide exciting and well-balanced stage lighting.
Michelle Caron, Theatrical Lighting Designer with Clair Solutions said: “I’m proud of the flexibility and usability of the lighting system at Ole Red, during the installation, we had a lot of companies and producers come through – folks who were responsible for shows after the opening. They were super happy and felt it was a lighting system they could use with very little adjustment. It’s all industry-standard gear that’s been through its paces, and we worked hard to ensure folks could bring their own lights or lighting controllers and easily integrate them with the rest of our system.”
Clair Brothers 12-CX and Tannoy CMS803I in-ceiling loudspeakers provide routine audio coverage, with amplification from Lab.gruppen and additional processing from BSS. A Barco projector and a mobile Da-Lite screen provide video output in the event hall, whereas flat-screen TVs provide coverage in the fifth-floor restaurant/bar. Chauvet moving lights and a lighting grid, combined with High End’s HedgeHog controller, set the right mood for any kind of event, again with flexibility and power.
