Nashville-based audiovisual production company CTS recently updated the War
Memorial Auditorium with a complete sound and lighting solution by HARMAN
Professional Solutions, including a JBL Professional by HARMAN VTX Series system
and a full array of Martin by HARMAN RUSH fixtures. With construction dating back
to the 1920s, the historic building in downtown Nashville hosts a diverse range of
events, from major concert tours to weddings to corporate seminars. The new
HARMAN solution enables the War Memorial to provide tour-grade sound and
lighting for national music acts, and provides the flexibility they need to
accommodate any type of performance or event.

Over the course of 90 years of operation, the building has never been equipped with
a permanent PA or lighting system. The auditorium’s historic architecture makes it
very difficult to load equipment in and out, since there is no loading dock and the
only doors to the facility are followed by multiple sets of stairs. In order to save
labour costs and reduce the strain on the staff, management made the decision to
install permanent audio and lighting systems.

“There were some weight constraints due to the structure of the building, so we
needed a lightweight system that could deliver powerful output and maintain even
coverage throughout the venue,’ said Mike Taylor, Vice President of CTS. “The VTX
V20 system was the perfect solution for the building, and it took away a lot of the
constraints we were facing. It’s lightweight and has more than enough power, plus it
provides true 110-degree horizontal coverage. With other products, we might have
had to add extra line arrays to get coverage.’

The VTX Series system CTS deployed featured two main arrays of 9 VTX V20
loudspeakers and two ground stacks of 3 S28 subwoofers. The system also included
4 SRX812 portable speakers for lower out fills, 4 VRX928 loudspeakers for front
fills, 2 F12 loudspeakers that were flown for out fills, 10 VTX M20 stage monitors
and a VRX918S subwoofer for a drum sub. The entire system is powered by 12
Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD power amplifiers. The CTS team relied on JBL HiQnet
Performance Manager 2.1 software to tune and configure the system.

For lighting, War Memorial wanted to install a permanent system that could be used
to supplement national touring acts, as well as meetings, theatre productions and
other events. In order to meet this goal, CTS deployed a full range of Martin RUSH
fixtures, including 8 RUSH MH7 Hybrid fixtures, 6 RUSH MH6 Wash fixtures, 10
RUSH PAR 2 RGBW Zoom LED fixtures, 4 RUSH MH4 Beam fixtures and a JEM Hazer
Pro haze machine.

“They needed a lighting system that could be used for a wide range of events—from
a national touring musical act to a safety meeting,’ said Taylor. “The RUSH line is
incredibly versatile, and all of the fixtures we chose are multi-functional, which
gives them great value for their investment.’