The right sound in every zone.
Multi-zone background music, TV mounting and speakers for restaurants and bars. The bar and the dining room at different levels, outdoor speakers for the patio, every cable concealed, and independent control of each zone.
Background music in a business is a public performance that needs licensing; many commercial music services include it. General information, not legal advice.
The right system for every part of the room.
From the bar to the dining room to the patio, each zone is designed for its job and controlled on its own.
Multi-zone speaker systems
In-ceiling speakers in the dining room, speakers over the bar, outdoor-rated speakers on the patio. Each zone has its own amplifier channel, so the bar can run loud while the dining room stays calm.
Independent zone control
Volume and source for each zone from a wall panel or tablet. Your bar manager can turn the bar up at 10 PM without making the dining room uncomfortable, and nobody walks to the back office.
TV mounting and cabling
Commercial mounts into solid structure: lag bolts into studs, or sleeve anchors in solid brick, never the mortar joint. Cables in the wall or in raceway, an outlet behind each TV coordinated with the electrician, and screens at a height and angle guests can watch.
Outdoor and patio speakers
Outdoor-rated speakers with an IP rating, aimed in toward the seating and away from the neighbors, with direct-burial cable where a run goes underground. It should sound like music, not a PA system.
Background music source
We connect your music source to the new system: a commercial music service, or a streamer such as Sonos running one. Personal streaming accounts usually do not cover playing music in a business.
Bar and event sound
Beyond background music: inputs and amplification for DJs, trivia nights and private events, with enough headroom to get loud without distortion.
Any game on any screen. Sound from the one you pick.
A video matrix sends any source to any TV over Cat6. Pick a lineup, then pick which screen the bar speakers follow.
Audio follows TV 1: the bar speakers carry Game A. Pick another screen above and the matrix switches the bar audio to that source. Every other screen stays silent.
Audio follows TV 2: the bar speakers carry Game A. Pick another screen above and the matrix switches the bar audio to that source. Every other screen stays silent.
Audio follows TV 3: the bar speakers carry Game B. Pick another screen above and the matrix switches the bar audio to that source. Every other screen stays silent.
Audio follows TV 4: the bar speakers carry Game B. Pick another screen above and the matrix switches the bar audio to that source. Every other screen stays silent.
Audio follows TV 5: the bar speakers carry Game C. Pick another screen above and the matrix switches the bar audio to that source. Every other screen stays silent.
Audio follows TV 6: the bar speakers carry Game C. Pick another screen above and the matrix switches the bar audio to that source. Every other screen stays silent.
Audio follows TV 3: the bar speakers carry Game A. Pick another screen above and the matrix switches the bar audio to that source. Every other screen stays silent.
Audio follows TV 4: the bar speakers carry Game A. Pick another screen above and the matrix switches the bar audio to that source. Every other screen stays silent.
Audio follows TV 5: the bar speakers carry Game A. Pick another screen above and the matrix switches the bar audio to that source. Every other screen stays silent.
Audio follows TV 6: the bar speakers carry the house music, since the specials screen has no sound. Pick another screen above and the matrix switches the bar audio to that source. Every other screen stays silent.
Audio follows TV 1: the bar speakers carry Game B. Pick another screen above and the matrix switches the bar audio to that source. Every other screen stays silent.
Audio follows TV 2: the bar speakers carry Game C. Pick another screen above and the matrix switches the bar audio to that source. Every other screen stays silent.
Audio follows TV 4: the bar speakers carry Game C. Pick another screen above and the matrix switches the bar audio to that source. Every other screen stays silent.
Audio follows TV 5: the bar speakers carry the house music, since the specials screen has no sound. Pick another screen above and the matrix switches the bar audio to that source. Every other screen stays silent.
Sound is an operational issue, not only an aesthetic one. Guests stay comfortable when the level is right: loud enough to feel the room, quiet enough to talk across the table.
A bar at conversation-killing levels next to a dining room that wants calm is a business problem, not a vibe problem. Separate zones let floor managers tune each area to what works in it, in real time.
Dead spots, speakers that distort at a reasonable level, a patio that sounds hollow: guests notice even when they cannot name it. A well-installed system disappears. A bad one does not.
What goes in the rack and the ceiling.
Commercial distributed audio, sized for coverage and set up so the staff never has to think about it.
70 V amplifier, a channel per zone
70 VCommercial distributed audio runs on 70 V lines: one amplifier channel drives many speakers on one run, and each zone gets its own channel and volume. Home 8 ohm speakers are never mixed onto the same output.
Speakers with transformer taps
Bar and diningEach 70 V speaker has a transformer tap, for example 1, 2, 4 or 8 W, that sets how loud it plays. Higher taps over the bar, lower taps in the dining room, and the taps add up to less than the channel can deliver.
Outdoor-rated speakers
PatioWeather and temperature rated speakers with an IP rating, or covered-area models under an awning. Direct-burial cable for underground runs, and power outdoors on a GFCI-protected weatherproof outlet coordinated with the electrician.
DSP with paging and ducking
PagingA paging microphone at the host stand pages one zone or several. The DSP ducks the music in that zone under the voice, then brings it back. Paging here is for service; it is not a fire alarm system.
Zone control panels
Wall or tabletPer-zone volume and source on a wall panel or tablet, with a maximum level set per zone so a busy night cannot push the speakers into distortion.
Video matrix and HDBaseT
Sports barsAn HDMI matrix sends any cable box or player to any TV, with HDBaseT over Cat6 to each screen (up to 100 m, 328 ft). Audio from the screen you pick goes to the bar zone.
From walkthrough to a tuned room.
Four steps from the first walkthrough to a multi-zone system tuned for service.
Space walkthrough
We look at the dining room, bar, patio, kitchen pass-through and utility access, and identify ceiling types, wall materials and cable paths before anything is specified.
Zone design
Speaker placement mapped, amplifier channels and taps sized for coverage, and source and control specified per zone. You approve the plan before anything is ordered.
Install
Speakers mounted, cables concealed, amplifiers racked and zones set up, scheduled around your service hours.
Tuning
Levels set per zone and EQ adjusted for each space, tuned with the room the way it sounds during service, not in an empty room.
Restaurant sound and video, answered.
How many audio zones does a typical restaurant need?
Most restaurants do well with 2 to 4 zones: dining room, bar, patio, and sometimes a private dining or event room. A small cafe may be fine with one. The question to ask is whether any two areas would ever want different volumes or different music; if so, they should be separate zones. Adding zones at installation is simple; adding them later means pulling new cable.
Can I play different music in different areas of the restaurant?
Yes. With a multi-source, multi-zone amplifier and DSP, each zone can play its own source at the same time: the dining room gets one playlist, the bar another, the patio a third. That needs the right amplifier and source setup, which we specify in the design. Single-source multi-zone (the same music everywhere at different volumes) is simpler, and we will talk through which fits how you operate.
What is the difference between indoor and outdoor restaurant speakers?
Outdoor speakers are built for moisture, sun and temperature swings. They carry an IP (Ingress Protection) rating and use materials that hold up when wet or frozen. Indoor in-ceiling speakers are not built for weather and fail outside. Outdoors, sound also spreads and fades quickly, so we choose speakers with more output and aim them at the seating to avoid dead spots without a wall of sound along the edge, or into the neighbors.
Do I need a special music license for background music in my restaurant?
Generally, yes. Playing music in a business is a public performance, which in the US is licensed through performing rights organizations such as ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Personal streaming accounts like Spotify or Apple Music are licensed for personal use, and their terms usually do not cover playing music in a business. The simplest route is a commercial music service, for example Soundtrack Your Brand, Cloud Cover Music or Mood Media; many include the public performance license, and we connect them to your system. We install the hardware; the licensing comes through the service you choose. This is general information, not legal advice.
How loud should a restaurant's background music actually be?
As a rough guide, dining room music sits around 65 to 70 dB: audible and atmospheric, but low enough that two people across a table do not raise their voices. Bars often run around 70 to 80 dB, where energy is part of the draw. The usual problem is not the target level but inconsistency: hot spots under speakers, dead zones between them, or a system that distorts when staff turn it up at night. We set the EQ and a maximum level in each zone to prevent that.
Audio and video for every kind of business.
Ready to sound as good as you look?
We walk your space, design the zones and give you a clear written scope and price: multi-zone speakers, TV mounting and outdoor audio from one installer.