“Putting sound into a large college football stadium is always about punching all the way to the other side of the facility, but also sounding good doing it, which is why we landed on the K2,” comments Ben Boeshans, Senior Consultant at Salas O’Brien, which designed and specified the L-Acoustics sound system installed at Nashville’s FirstBank Stadium, just in time for the start of the 2024-25 college football season. “It puts the sound exactly where it’s needed.”
FirstBank Stadium, home to Vanderbilt University’s Commodores, boasts more “firsts” than its name suggests. Opened in 1922 as Dudley Field, this 40,000-seat venue was the American South’s first stadium built exclusively for college football. The Commodores’ influence extends beyond the field: Their leadership pioneered the modern scoring system, advocating increasing touchdowns from five to six points and reducing field goals from four to three.
As a concert venue, FirstBank has hosted shows for the Rolling Stones, Luke Bryan, and the Dave Matthews Band, among many others, over the years. As venerable as the venue is, it still needed to have its sound brought into the 21st century, and that process was primarily completed in late August, with the installation of a new L-Acoustics K2 sound system, designed by consultancy Salas O’Brien and installed by Brentwood-based integrator CTS AVL.
“FirstBank Stadium boasts a rich history that sets it apart,” remarks CTS AVL Vice President of Integration Neal Watson. “While its design may echo other college football venues, recent renovations have significantly enhanced the fan experience. New seating areas were added near the north end zone, where a state-of-the-art PA system is also installed. The primary goal was to ensure excellent sound coverage for all seats, blending the stadium’s storied past with modern amenities.”
That system now comprises 24 K2 enclosures in left/right arrays in the north end zone, below which are hangs of four A15 speakers per side, deployed as fills for the seating below. Low end is boomed out by 16 KS28 subwoofers. The K2 and A15i are driven at single-box resolution via LA7.16i, and the KS28 subwoofers are driven by LA12X.
While FirstBank Stadium shares design elements with other college football venues, it stands out through its rich history and thoughtful modernization, embodying the evolving spirit of collegiate athletics. For instance, says Boeshans, throw distance and the amount of volume necessary can make speech intelligibility a challenge. “In stadiums, echoes are your biggest enemy. The key is precision: put sound where you need it, keep it out of where you don’t,” he explains. “This is crucial for referee mics especially. If you’re not careful with aiming and control, you’ll end up blasting sound all over the field – and then you’re toast.”
The design solution, he says, was to create three independent speaker arrays. “We articulated each array with precision: the top targets the south end zone, while the middle and bottom cover specific seating sections. This deliberate targeting ensures complete coverage without overlap, dramatically improving sound clarity throughout the stadium.”
The other bit that’s noteworthy, he adds, is that the top two of those arrays are K2 speakers, but the bottom is an A15. “The additional gain output of a K2 was not necessary in this part of the space,” he says. “Fortunately, L-Acoustics gives us the range of options we need to fit the system design perfectly to the project requirements.”
The Commodores kicked off the season with two impressive and electrifying home victories. The new sound system has amplified this on-field excitement, as Watson enthusiastically notes: “The system sounds fantastic, and the coverage is exceptional. The PA’s great energy synergizes with the team’s performance, creating an electric atmosphere that fires up the crowds. It’s a perfect complement to the Commodores’ winning momentum.”
