Multimedia system for a brewpub and music hall

Visiting breweries has become a popular pastime for relaxing, drinking beer, and listening to music in a beautiful setting. The owners of the Pro Re Nata Brewpub & Music Hall in Crozet, Virginia wanted a complete audio-video system that would cover all the areas of the venue. So they called Crutchfield for help.

The layout

The Pro Re Nata's layout includes four areas dedicated to different activities. There's a dining area, where one can sit and enjoy food, drink beer, and listen to music. A stage at one end of the room is for live shows. The bar and brewery areas are tucked together, but there's plenty of room for people to socialize, drink, and watch sports on TV. An outdoor patio offers a splendid view of the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains.

Flat-screen TVs behind the bar

Two wall-mounted Samsung 55" HD TVs ensure that everyone at the bar will be able to clearly watch sports. Barely visible, just left of the PRN beer menu sign, hangs one of the four JBL Control HST speakers that provide sound coverage for the bar area.

Projection TV for the bar seating area

And because two video screens weren't enough, an Epson PowerLite high-definition video projector and a Da-Lite 106" projection screen make sure those patrons in the bar seating area don't miss a moment of the action. Two more of the JBL Control HST speakers are visible on either side of the projection screen.

Crutchfield makes sure all the little details in this kind of installation are thought through — like the Chief RPMAU Elite projector mount that helps hold this video projector (the white box hanging near the ductwork) securely in exactly the right position.

Speakers for the dining room

The dining area functions more like a club room. Patrons can eat, drink, play board games, and enjoy music. Four JBL Control 25AV surface-mount speakers provide plenty of background music or TV sound coverage for this area.

There's another Samsung 55" flat-screen TV here to make sure no one will ever have to miss a crucial play in a crucial game.

Sound for the patio

Two weather-resistant JBL Control 25AV speakers mounted beneath the porch roof let those outside hear the music or play-by-play.

The audio brains of the outfit

To power, control, and distribute the sound to ten speakers in three different areas takes a commercial-grade (70-volt) amplifier system. Different size amps cover different areas of the business, each of which has a different volume requirement.

Starting at the bottom of the stack, an Atlas AA240 puts out enough power to be heard over a noisy crowd in the bar area. An Atlas AA120 handles the dining area, while an Atlas AA35 takes care of the patio.

The black box at the top of the stack is a Furman M-8x2 power line conditioner and surge protector, which protects the electronics from power surges and noisy interference.

The PA system

Two JBL PRX412M 12" PA speakers hang from the ceiling. They're aimed to give everyone in the audience balanced and clear-sounding music. A JBL PRX418S subwoofer sitting in a rear corner of the stage brings on the big beat. Two JBL JRX212 12" monitor speakers make sure performers hear themselves clearly.

The guitar player's singing through a Shure BETA 58A microphone, an industry-standard workhorse of a microphone that's perfect for vocals. Crutchfield also provided all the microphone, speaker, and signal cables that were necessary to connect all this gear together.

PA power

Power for the front-facing and monitor speakers comes from two Crown XLS 1502 power amplifiers. A Crown XLS 2502 powers the subwoofer. Protecting the PA from electrical spikes and noises is a Furman M-8Dx power conditioner and surge protector. The amps and surge protector are safely housed in a steel Sanus CFR2115 component rack.

Stacked on top of the rack is a Yamaha MG16XU 16-channel mixer. This little mixer will handle the audio needs of almost any band that'll play the Pro Re Nata. Plus, it features USB digital connectivity for recording live shows.

"The bands love the PA," said John, one of the co-owners. "As soon as they see we have all the equipment they know they can just show up, and have fun, and jam."

The owners love it

When John (on the left, with co-owner Andrew) called Crutchfield, he told us he wanted the best for his new venue. So when Crutchfield's Commercial Audio/Video designers first planned out the system and gave him choices of some good, better, and best components for a system, he went with the best of the best.

"My experience with this job has been outstanding. Everything worked perfectly from day one, with no issues. I got exactly the coverage I wanted in each of the three zones — in the bar, dining area, and patio. I asked for the highest quality possible, and I think we got it."

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