Building the Perfect DAW with GC Pro

There are a number of “right” ways to set up a computer for digital audio recording and/or production, but many more wrong ways that could end up becoming a massive source of frustration for you that never allows you to create to your full capacity.

Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro) has a technical services group devoted to the goal of helping you create the best possible digital audio workstation (DAW). The very best DAWs are purpose-built, meaning that it takes into account your exact needs as a music and audio professional. With the myriad combinations of hardware, software, RAM, types of drives, plug-ins and interfaces available today, one of the most valuable services offered by GC Pro is the ability to work with you to help choose and implement those elements to create the ultimate system which functions above your expectations from day one.

In this article, we’re going to look at four distinct Mac-based systems, and give you some suggestions on the various elements that you might specify to your GC Pro rep so that we can handle the often tedious job of setting up your computer, taking care of any conflicts, and ensuring that your system is ready for you to do great work from the day it’s plugged in and turned on.

A typical digital audio workstation (DAW) setup will include a computer, an audio interface, and a means of monitoring your audio. Many factors will come into play regarding how many simultaneous inputs you need, what kind of processing power is necessary for the type of work you do, and the level of quality required.

Singer-Songwriter

In most cases, putting together a recording and simple music production system for a singer-songwriter is easier than most people think. These types of artists don’t need an elaborate amount of inputs and outputs. Often a simple, user-friendly tabletop solution suits the purpose. In some situations, we take into account that a singer-songwriter might benefit from a setup that allows for travel and mobility. In this scenario a laptop, a high-quality yet portable interface (like the Universal Audio Apollo Twin), and some quality headphones may be the best solution.

While your choice of DAW software is important in terms of the way you prefer to create music, you’ll find that for singer-songwriters, there are plenty of options that are very affordable, or even free. Entry-level software like Avid’s Pro Tools | First, Apple’s Garageband, and Cockos’ Reaper can get you rolling with almost no investment required, and you can save your money for the important interfacing and monitoring tools you’ll need.

Singer-songwriters rarely need an extravagant amount of inputs and outputs for their audio interfaces. Manufacturers like Universal Audio, Apogee, Focusrite, PreSonus, MOTU, and others offer the combination of affordability, portability, and quality you want to capture your creativity.

Film Composer
Modern day film and television audio composition tends to be quite resource intensive. Many of today’s composers utilize a variety of virtual instruments and sound libraries. These critical applications heavily rely on RAM, along with the fast read and write specs of Solid State Drives (SSDs). For example, when loading a virtual instrument (VI) within a DAW, many VIs cache (buffer) into RAM. This great increases the responsiveness/triggering of the given instrument. That’s why we set up computers for film composers with the RAM maximized for the most beneficial results.

On the other hand, many VIs require a substantial amount of disk space to store and access their libraries. The good news is that solid state drives have become much more affordable and larger in capacity over the last few years. Utilizing SSDs for library storage drives is a huge benefit when switching through a collection of thousands of samples. If you’re a working film composer, there is no such thing as too much RAM, or too large a hard drive.

One of the best technological advances in recent years for audio professionals has been the advent and continual price reductions of SSD (Solid State Drive) drives. With faster read and write times than any standard HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSDs have been of tremendous benefit to film composers, who often need immediate access to thousands of sounds.

Music/Sound-for-Picture Engineer

There was a time not very long ago that recording sessions were limited to the amount of tracks and channels available in an analog or early digital recording and mixing system. With the exponential growth and advancements of modern day computers and audio hardware, sessions have concurrently grown larger in size and complexity. Audio engineers, whether they work on music or in the sound-for-picture realm, are dealing with more track counts and amounts of layered plug-in processing than ever before. At GC Pro, we can help build a system that makes use of external DSP solutions such as Avid Pro Tools | HDX or Universal Audio Apollo to yield world-class results. These systems go as far as possible to allow you to work with larger sessions and more plug-ins while still maintaining low latency performance to maximize the speed and efficiency of your workflow.

For large-scale projects, some engineers turn to multi-computer setups that allow each processor to focus on specific tasks to speed up the workflow and get jobs done more efficiently. GC Pro’s technical services group can be of tremendous assistance in putting together a multi-computer system; you’d be amazed at what a bank of several affordable purpose-built Mac minis are capable of.

If you’re like most people, you haven’t had to use multiple computers running in parallel, and might not have an understanding of how to set up and make the best use of such a system. GC Pro’s technical services group are experts at this kind of advanced method to go beyond the limitations of a single computer.

For serious professional engineering, you never want to accept compromises in how music and audio gets created. Interfaces and digital converters of the highest level of audio quality and with plenty of inputs/outputs are of paramount importance in pro studios. Some systems also offer external DSP processing, taking some of the load off of the computer itself.

Music Producer

The role of producer bridges the gap between the creative and technical aspects of music making, and modern music producers use a variety of technologies to achieve their desired results. The focus of these resources can be divided into several categories, starting with the signal chain. This is where one of the most critical steps in the process happens: analog to digital conversion. Selecting the correct combinations of microphone and preamplifiers can be a big part of this, but the end result is only as good as the conversion process that allows the audio to get into your DAW as flawlessly as possible.

Both the quality and price of professional-caliber A/D converters have have become much more financially accommodating in recent years. Brands such as Apogee, Universal Audio, Lynx, Antelope, Prism, and others offer some great choices in this regard. Available in both large and small form factors, and with a variety of connectivity options, the right conversion selection can yield noticeable quality results.

The second part of this choice is the digital audio workstation itself. This is rarely a “one size fits all” situation. Start by doing your research, and look into your own way of working. Is the DAW merely a tool to capture and manipulate audio, or do you plan on having it be the centerpiece for all your work in music creation as well? Start by doing your research, and then talk to your GC Pro representative, who in many cases can arrange for you to test-drive DAWs including Pro Tools | HD, Logic Pro, and Digital Performer, or can answer any questions that might come up in the process.

In a serious music or film/TV post-production studio, even the form factor of the computer itself comes into play for maximizing your workflow. Companies like JMR Electronics, Sonnet Technologies, and others make rack-mountable chassis solutions with easy access to removable drives and more. GC Pro can tell you about your options and help you choose the right solution for your facility.

The Next Step
As you can see, there’s no single solution for “the best DAW” for music and audio applications that can address everyone’s needs. GC Pro and our technical services group are here to help in every step of the process. Whether you are starting from scratch or building up from an existing system, contact us for a personal consultation.

Yaniv’s Studio Again Turns to Guitar Center Pro

Yaniv Farber, seated in Yaniv’s Studio – a facility outfitted from top to bottom by GC Pro.

— Loyal GC Pro customer acquires AMS Neve Genesys G32 console —
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, January 19, 2016 — Woodland Hills, California-based recording facility Yaniv’s Studio is the dream project of Yaniv Farber, also known as the longtime proprietor of Sandy Ceramic and Stone, Inc., a high-end tile, granite and marble installer in southern California. In the decades spent building up Sandy Ceramic and Stone, Farber was diligently recording in a home space, and the time was right a few years ago to take the plunge and create a state-of-the-art studio space. And it was outfitted from top to bottom with equipment sourced through Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the business-to-business (B2B) division of Guitar Center providing highly customized service for professional accounts. The studio features a great collection of microphones, preamps and outboard gear, and recently Farber made another big leap: he upgraded his studio by acquiring an AMS Neve Genesys G32 console, featuring 32 inputs, 16 Neve 1073 mic pre’s, eight 88R EQ’s, eight 1084 EQ’s and 16 VCA compressors – and again he turned to GC Pro for the consultation, gear and support.

The Genesys joins the existing products purchased for the studio by Farber through GC Pro in the last few years: an Avid Pro Tools HDX system, Apogee Symphony I/O converters, Focal SM9 monitors and a wide microphone and outboard collection from Manley, Universal Audio, Tube Tech, Lexicon, Bricasti, API, SSL, AKG, Neumann, Blue, Royer and Telefunken to name a few.

“We can do live sessions here, and it’s a great-sounding room to record in, so I am doing a lot of tracking of trios and smaller groups, all the way up to very large bands or sometimes just a vocal session,” stated Farber. “As work picked up, it was clear to me that the time was right to move to a more powerful console. I called up Ziv [Gross, GC Pro Account Manager], and we explored a few options. After testing out some different products, the Neve Genesys was the clear solution for what I needed.”

Farber has been able to streamline his workflow with the new console: “With the Genesys, I got it pre-loaded with EQs and compressors – as a result, the audio doesn’t route around to different components as much as it used to, so there is more integrity of sound, and more headroom overall. It gives me a stronger ability to really tweak the sound, and it makes recording and capturing audio a real pleasure. Also, I really appreciate the recall ability when mix time comes around. I’m pleased with every aspect of it. And when a client steps in the room, the Genesys sends a very strong message that they are in a truly professional facility with someone who takes his work – and their music – very seriously.”

Farber expands on his affection and respect for GC Pro: “I cannot express how appreciative I am to the fact that Ziv is only one phone call away, and basically every time I needed anything, he just finds the time to basically show up and walk me through any issue! Ziv is my man, and the others at GC Pro I have dealt with are great too. Working with GC Pro continues to be a very positive experience.”

For more information, please visit www.gcpro.com.

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Guitar Center Professional is the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users. Its clientele includes recording studios, audio engineers, producers, recording and touring musicians, live sound venues, post production facilities and more. Emphasizing extraordinary individualized service via local account managers, GC Pro offers expert consultation and a comprehensive selection of the world’s finest equipment for music and audio professionals. More information on GC Pro can be found by visiting www.gcpro.com.

ESPI 10.29 Studios in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico

The main control room at ESPI 10.29 Studios, located in the Marina neighborhood of Mazatlán in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The studio was outfitted by the Malvicino Design Group with gear sourced through GC Pro. Photo courtesy of the Malvicino Design Group. © 2015.

— Equipment purchase and installation was carried out by GC Pro Affiliate Program member Malvicino Design Group —
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, August 26, 2015 — Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, recently collaborated with GC Pro Affiliate Program member Horacio Malvicino of the New York-based Malvicino Design Group, on the design, outfitting and commissioning of the private production facility for Mexican regional music star Espinoza Paz. The vast majority of the multi-room facility’s audio equipment was sourced for the Malvicino Group through Javier Willis, Account Manager at the San Diego, California GC Pro office. The facility, named ESPI 10.29 Studios, is located in the Marina neighborhood of Mazatlán in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The new three-story construction houses Paz’s private offices, a lounge and a large kitchen and dining room seating two dozen on the ground floor; two control rooms and a large tracking space with three isolation rooms on the second floor; and guest accommodations on the top floor.

The main control room is outfitted with a 48-input Solid State Logic Duality mixing console, a 48-track Avid Pro Tools|HDX3 system and a Studer A827 Gold Edition 24-track analog tape machine, Ocean Way Audio HR2 main monitors and racks of outboard processing. The second control room houses a 24-fader AMS Neve Genesys mixing console and another Pro Tools rig.

Views of the 24-fader AMS Neve Genesys mixing console and other gear in the second control room at ESPI 10.29 Studios, located in the Marina neighborhood of Mazatlán in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The studio was outfitted by the Malvicino Design Group with gear sourced through GC Pro. Photo courtesy of the Malvicino Design Group. © 2015.

“My idea was to come up with a studio on par with anything in the U.S. I think it’s some of my best work,” says Malvicino, who has more than two decades of experience providing acoustical, architectural and technical systems design to recording studios and other production facilities around the world. Malvicino says that he was given carte blanche by the artist regarding equipment choices as well as room layout and technical, acoustic and interior design.

“I’ve been in the Latin music business for many years and I’m connected with a lot of producers,” Javier Willis reports. “In 2013 one of my producer friends brought me to Espinoza’s manager, who was in the process of shopping around. We hit it off and started ordering the equipment. We then brought Horacio in for the studio design and the equipment integration and installation.”

Malvicino notes, “Banda music requires a lot of people playing live, so I wanted to build a room that allowed a lot of people to record together, with variable acoustics. The panels on the side wall swivel; they have absorption on one side and reflection on the other side. You can change the RT [reverberation time] in the room by about 25 percent.” TADI, the Mexico City-based exclusive manufacturer of acoustic treatments for Malvicino’s projects worldwide, supplied the acoustic treatment at this new facility and additionally acted as the general contractor and interior designer. “The live room ceiling is 21 feet high, so we outfitted it with condenser mics hanging in specific locations so that they can not only use close miking but also the room. And they can bring in a couple of large format P.A. speakers, feed them the mix, crank up the listen mics and use the studio as a live chamber,” he said.

ESPI 10.29 Studios, located in the Marina neighborhood of Mazatlán in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The studio was outfitted by the Malvicino Design Group with gear sourced through GC Pro. Photo courtesy of the Malvicino Design Group. © 2015.

A view of the tracking room (background) and console (Solid State Logic Duality mixing console), main monitors (Ocean Way Audio HR2 main monitors) and other components in the main control room, at ESPI 10.29 Studios, located in the Marina neighborhood of Mazatlán in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The studio was outfitted by the Malvicino Design Group with gear sourced through GC Pro. Photo courtesy of the Malvicino Design Group. © 2015.

Malvicino elected to install Ocean Way Audio HR2 monitors, driven by Lab.gruppen and QSC Audio amplification, in the main control room. He consulted with Ocean Way founder Allen Sides to ensure optimum performance in the space, which is 32 feet deep with a 21-foot ceiling. “That’s the first time I’ve done soffit-mounted Ocean Way monitors,” says Malvicino. “They sound incredible—so good that the engineers are having a hard time working on the near fields.” Both control rooms feature Neumann KH 310 near field monitors with KH 810 subwoofers; ADAM and Yamaha NS10 speakers are alternatively available.

“The outboard gear is what you would expect,” he continues, including rack units from Empirical Labs, GML, TubeTech and Universal Audio. “They like a warm sound so I included a bunch of Chandler EMI compressors and mic preamps. There’s Bricasti and Lexicon reverbs, and a lot of 500 Series modules—API, Burl Audio, Grace Audio, Little Labs and SSL.”

For more information, please visit www.gcpro.com.

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Guitar Center Professional is the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users. Its clientele includes recording studios, audio engineers, producers, recording and touring musicians, live sound venues, post production facilities and more. Emphasizing extraordinary individualized service via local account managers, GC Pro offers expert consultation and a comprehensive selection of the world’s finest equipment for music and audio professionals. More information on GC Pro can be found by visiting www.gcpro.com.

Studio Profile: Vanquish Studios, Davie, Florida

Vanquish Studios’ state-of-the-art control room features an SSL Duality SE 48-input analog console; monitors by ADAM, Genelec and M-Audio; and a host of outboard gear.

-- A small private studio boasts professional-grade gear and world-class atmosphere, attracting top artists across a wide variety of genres --
Vanquish Studios sits comfortably near the top of a short list of south Florida’s most advanced private recording facilities. Known for its warm and inviting atmosphere (certainly not hurt by the sunny climate of the studio’s hometown of Davie, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale) and extensive and state-of-the-art gear setup, Vanquish has become a hotspot for recording local talent, and a destination for acts from elsewhere. “I can give you the numbers,” states the studio’s founder and CEO Joseph Salamida, who also serves as one of the primary producers and engineers at the facility. “Five years in business, well over 300 happy clients, more than 84,000 GB of data and over 12,500 hours recorded. We have been busy!” Shortly after opening in 2009, Vanquish was selected as one of the “Year’s Coolest New Studios” in MIX Magazine’s year-in-review. And in the years since, the studio has been lucky to work on GRAMMY-nominated projects by such artists as William McDowell and Israel Houghton.

After graduating as one of the top students in his class at SAE Miami, Salamida tried to find a studio to intern with in the area, but none felt right to him, as he didn’t feel they were going to offer him a balance with his work at church on Sundays – a lifelong priority. “I had a mentor at the time who saw my potential and that I had something special to offer. Through him, I became friendly with some industry heavy-hitters including Horacio Malvicino at the Malvicino Design Group. All of these people encouraged me to go all the way. For instance, it became clear to me that it makes less sense to invest in a great console and set it up in a cement garage than it does to go the extra mile and develop a world-class facility to house that console. So that became my goal. Somehow we made it work, and here we are today.” Joining Salamida in the studio’s day-to-day operations are several trusty associates: Franklin Rodriguez, Franklin Soccoro, Chris Hardy, Tony Morales, Paul Salveson, Danny Duncan, new addition Kevin “Gomie” Gomez, Mario Caroscio, and others.

Vanquish Studios’ extensive patch bay, along with Apogee AD16X 192K A/D converters, Apogee DA16X 192K D/A converters, Empirical Labs EL8X/S Stereo Pair Distressor, and more.

The studio was designed by the Blank Design Group with systems integration by the Malvicino Design Group and gear sourced through Guitar Center Pro. GC Pro has been a key advocate since day one. As Salamida notes, “I have worked with three different Account Managers at GC Pro, and each of them has been world-class. When I call frantically with an emergency, they help us solve it in a calm and professional way. They’ve got our back.”

The live room sports a mix of wood, stone and acoustical treatments – customizable for each project to the clients’ needs. A luxurious lounge allows much-needed R&R. The control room’s centerpiece is an SSL Duality SE 48-input analog console from Solid State Logic. GC Pro-sourced gear includes Pro Tools and a full software complement; microphones from Audio-Technica, AKG, Neumann, Sennheiser, Sony and several other manufacturers; monitors from ADAM, Genelec, Yamaha and others; and outboard gear from such iconic brands as Focusrite, Lexicon, Universal Audio, Apogee and more.

The acoustically-engineered tracking room features a mix of hard wood, stone and acoustical treatment, customizable to suit the needs of each project.

Vanquish Studios worked closely with GC Pro affiliate Malvicino Design Group to help make Joseph Salamida’s dream a reality.

The studio has produced successful projects with artists on every genre, but Salamida’s heart lies with his Christian ministry: “It might sound old-fashioned to some, but I see this studio as an extension of my ministry, whether or not I’m working on Christian music at the moment. And for Christian artists, we are expanding what we offer – we now are unveiling our production company and record label to get these projects fully produced, all in-house, offering a turnkey solution to save these artists money on their tight budgets.”

Salamida is rightly proud of his crew and what they’ve accomplished: “We're a close team of musicians and engineers,” he notes “We are passionate about what we do, and we take pride in delivering only the best, and hopefully it shows on the faces of our clients when they hear the mixes or hold their album in their hand.”

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Founded in 2001, Guitar Center Professional is the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users. Its clientele includes recording studios, audio engineers, producers, recording and touring musicians, live sound venues, post production facilities and more. Emphasizing extraordinary individualized service via local account managers, GC Pro offers expert consultation and a comprehensive selection of the world’s finest equipment for music and audio professionals. More information on GC Pro can be found by visiting www.gcpro.com.

Mark Isham Turns to GC Pro to Outfit His Studio

Composer Mark Isham, pictured in his home workspace, outfitted with the help of GC Pro.

— As he creates scores for programs like ABC’s Once Upon a Time, Isham looks to
GC Pro for products, service and support —

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, July 12, 2012 — Award-winning composer Mark Isham has an impressive list of credits: scores for such films as Crash, A River Runs Through It, The Black Dahlia, Blade and dozens more, as well as TV shows such as Chicago Hope; a number of GRAMMY®-winning solo albums; and a number of other highly regarded collaborative projects. Recently, his focus has been on composing the music for the hit ABC television series Once Upon a Time, a unique recasting of fairy tale conventions in a semi-modern setting. As he composes at his home studio for this project and others, he again and again turns to Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, to source gear and provide ongoing service and support.

“I have had a long relationship with GC Pro,” Isham says. “A lot of my equipment has come through there. The GC Pro branch in Hollywood has been our go-to shop for years. I love working with them, because if I want to try something out, they just get it to us. They have a great department there.”

The home workspace of composer Mark Isham, outfitted with the help of GC Pro.

For each episode of Once Upon a Time, Isham composes in Apple Logic, adapting his established character themes and creating new ones when necessary, and records in Avid Pro Tools. A demo then gets sent to his producer and the show’s creators, who send their comments. Once the material has been approved, the show goes into production, and an orchestrator generates the full scores from Isham’s themes.

As one might expect, the layout and components of Isham’s main writing room have been fine-tuned over the years to be perfectly conducive to creativity and productivity. A Logic/Pro Tools setup faces one wall, and a mixing console faces the opposite wall. He has multiple sets of monitors for a TV-type setup as well as a fuller theater setting. The mixing room features an Avid-Euphonix console, accompanied by a 10-way speaker system with Class A amps. He uses M-Audio digital audio and MIDI solutions, plug-ins from Universal Audio and Tannoy monitors, among other gear.

Southern California-based GC Pro Account Manager Bill Learned has been one of Isham’s main contacts. He states, “Mark is a pleasure to work with. As an artist, musician and composer he stands apart from the herd. He continues to push himself to explore new territory musically and in doing so stays on the cusp of what modern day recording has to offer. We are proud that he chooses to rely on GC Pro for his various needs.”

For more information, please visit www.gcpro.com.

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Founded in 2001, Guitar Center Professional is the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users. Its clientele includes recording studios, audio engineers, producers, recording and touring musicians, live sound venues, post production facilities and more. Emphasizing extraordinary individualized service via local account managers, GC Pro offers expert consultation and a comprehensive selection of the world’s finest equipment for music and audio professionals. More information on GC Pro can be found by visiting www.gcpro.com.