Slang Musicgroup Looks to GC Pro

Vince Lawrence, founder and CEO of Slang Musicgroup, which recently benefited from software upgrades with the help of GC Pro.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, December 1, 2011 — Vince Lawrence has packed more into three decades in the music business than some achieve in a lifetime, initially as an artist, entrepreneur and innovator who helped introduce house music worldwide, then as a composer, producer and remixer who has come to effortlessly straddle the worlds of music and brand marketing. Lawrence’s Slang Musicgroup recently turned to Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, as they were upgrading the company’s production studio. Chicago-based Dan Scalpone, GC Pro Regional Manager, South Central U.S., was Lawrence’s primary contact on the project.

A studio owner for many years, Lawrence, founder and CEO of Slang Musicgroup and a Chicago resident since birth, has amassed an extensive collection of recording hardware and instruments, but with so much now being produced in the box, the facility’s main computer needed an upgrade. “We wanted to take advantage of some more horsepower in other programs that we were using outside of Pro Tools,” he says. “Since we were making the upgrade we said, what else could we do at the same time, since we were going to take some time off? So we also took the opportunity to isolate some of the noisier equipment.”

Scalpone, another longtime resident of Chicago, spearheaded the project for GC Pro. “I gave Vince all the options, and we sat down with the Avid product specialist and had some good meetings and demonstrations to narrow down what he needed. He wanted to update his Apple OS to Leopard, and naturally he had to upgrade Pro Tools, and he wanted to upgrade his computer. He bought a 12-core Mac and a bunch of hard drives with a Magma chassis. He also got some extra RAM, plus the additional cards for Pro Tools.”

The control room at Slang Musicgroup, which recently benefited from software upgrades with the help of GC Pro.

Having access to the fastest computer available and 30 GB of RAM is critical for a studio that runs so many software instruments, not to mention the various applications, such as Logic and Reason, preferred by the team’s composers, according to Lawrence. “We got Vienna Ensemble to use as a bridge so that we could load the other synths into different RAM or even different computers that are elsewhere on our network, so we could maximize our composition palette. We wanted to have as many different things running virtually as possible,” he explains.

Slang Musicgroup works on many different types of projects, including remixing; music for advertising; music licensing for commercials, web, games and other purposes; original music production; artist development; and studio rental to outside engineers and artists. Current remix projects include songs by R. Kelly and Wiz Khalifa, reports Lawrence, also noting that Canadian artist Mira Black, young four-piece Mindless Behavior, and rapper Jim Jones, working with local artist YP, have all visited recently. The Slang Music Group team also wrote the theme for TV’s “Dr. Oz” and works closely with McDonalds, a client for many years, on music-related initiatives.

In addition to the upgrade to Pro Tools 9, and shortly to Pro Tools 10, new software at the studio also includes Native Instruments Komplete & Maschine, Spectrasonics’ Omnisphere and Arturia’s collection of VST instruments. “Plus a few other interesting synth goodies that I’ll keep to myself for the moment,” laughs Lawrence. With the installation of Apple’s Leopard OS, he upgraded the studio’s Waves plug-ins (Mercury bundle) and added the Abbey Road Studios bundle. The processing plug-in collection was further expanded with iZotope’s Stutter Edit, Elysia’s mpressor and the SPL Tube Vitalizer. The upgrade included a single item of outboard processing hardware, an API 2500 stereo compressor.

With producers and musicians all working in the facility’s large control room, noise was an issue, so Lawrence also purchased a 20-unit IsoBox rack from Sound Construction. “Lowering the noise floor while keeping critical gear in the room was one of his objectives,” reports Scalpone.
Slang Music Group is also working with several artists on Atlantic Records, says Lawrence. Somehow the team has also found time to create a five-CD set of loops and one-shot samples, Chicago Fire, for Sony Creative Software’s Acid application. “It’s a good basic toolkit for anybody who wants to make good sounding house music and electro,” he says.

There is no denying that Slang Music Group is busy: “Our posted hours are 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. Not that I’m here for all of them,” Lawrence acknowledges, “but we’re willing to book a session between those hours. We really want to help out as much as we can, so there’s a pile of stuff going on around here.”

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

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

Troy Germano and Jose Carlos Reyes Look to GC Pro

Pictured L-R: Jose Carlos Reyes (owner) and Troy Germano, who are together developing RG Germano™ Studios Tampico in Tampico, Mexico, and working with GC Pro as their primary supplier.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, October 24, 2011 — RG Germano™ Studios Tampico is a new state-of-the-art recording facility set to open on March 1, 2012, in Tampico, Mexico. Over the last 14 months, owner Jose Carlos Reyes has worked closely with veteran studio operator Troy Germano to make this dream come to fruition. Germano’s resume is as impressive as his pedigree – from his early years learning from his father, the beloved Ed Germano of The Hit Factory, to his current venture, New York City’s Germano Studios, Troy Germano represents intense expertise and great studios. In the process of developing the new RG Germano Studios Tampico, Germano and Reyes have relied heavily on Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, for products, service and support.

Germano’s relationship with the GC Pro organization goes back a long way, and it’s only gotten stronger in recent years, as he has taken a role as a member of the GC Pro Affiliate program. “Working with GC Pro makes a lot of sense,” he stated. “I have a 25-year relationship with [GC Pro Vice President] Rick Plushner, from long before he was even involved with Guitar Center. And GC Pro’s breadth of product and customer service/support are second-to-none. GC Pro gets it – we’re all on the same page in so many ways. I deal primarily with Rick, Richard Ash [GC Pro Business Development Manager for the Eastern Region] and Niyi Adelekan [NY-based GC Pro Account Manager], and I trust those three individuals implicitly. I like to know that I am working with a company that watches my back, and that’s what GC Pro does. It’s more than just a gear supplier – it’s a professional and personal relationship. We know we can rely on them, and they can rely on us.”

Reyes has big plans for the studio: “This is going to be an important place for music!” he enthuses. “Not only for Mexico, but for North America, South America, the Caribbean and Europe – all around the globe, really. It’s a very accessible destination, and there are few more beautiful places than the Mexican gulf coast. From the beginning, Troy and I have been planning this with great detail – every aspect from top to bottom, to really make it a top state-of-the-art facility with everything that’s needed to be able to service all types of music clients, in addition to film audio and pretty much anything that involves audio work. And it is going to have a friendly environment that is going to make people want to work here again and again.”

Germano does not take his involvement with this new facility lightly. “It has my name on the door,” he notes, “and I think people associate the Germano name with quality studios! I know that’s why Jose sought out my involvement. He figured that I would make this project culminate in everything that I think a studio should be. I already know that Jose is going to do a great job operating this place, and after we open up, I look forward to giving him bits of guidance on the way, like my father taught me. Everything to do and everything not to do!”

Reyes continues, noting his high regard for GC Pro: “Through it all, GC Pro has been incredibly helpful. Even though GC Pro is in the United States, it is very easy for me to get my stuff across the border to get serviced if necessary, and they send it back to me very quickly and efficiently. It’s nice to be dealing with a small number of suppliers, GC Pro being the primary one. A lot of places only sell boutique gear, for instance, but GC Pro has all that plus Guitar Center’s entire product line – instruments and all – so we can go through them for pretty much everything for our control and our live room. It’s a very wide-ranging palette, and that’s what we need.”

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

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

GC Pro at the 2011 AES Show

Last weekend, New York City filled with thousands of audio professionals from around the world as the 131st AES Convention got underway. In addition to being a major sponsor of the show itself, GC Pro's booth was packed throughout the show with people eager to talk to our team of account managers and sales staff.

Allen Sides, holding the new Sterling Audio ST6050 Ocean Way Signature Series Microphone.

Two audio industry legends: producer/engineers Allen Sides and Alan Parsons at the GC Pro booth at AES.

GC Pro VP Rick Plushner and Allen Sides, near the new Ocean Way HR-3 High Resolution Reference Monitor System.

Focusrite's Phil Wagner stands next to GC Pro's Rick Plushner at the Focusrite AES booth.

GC Pro business development manager Dan Scalpone (center), flanked by famed studio owners Troy Germano (left) and Jose Carlos Reyes (right).

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

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

New Features for Neve Genesys Mixing Console

Neve Genesys.

131st AES CONVENTION, NEW YORK, NY, October 21, 2011 — Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro) (booth 839), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, is pleased to announce new features and functionality for the Neve Genesys, a custom-crafted, expandable analog recording console that incorporates digital workstation control. Exclusively distributed in the U.S. by GC Pro, the Genesys was designed to address the new realities of the modern professional audio industry for music, postproduction and gaming, while building on Neve’s 40 years of accumulated technical heritage.

New features being unveiled at AES include:

New and updated Routing Implementation (L-C-R/Stereo)
Pro Tools track arm/disarm control from the console surface
Apple Logic Pro Integration:
Control of up to 6 Banks of 8 faders each (48 Channels)
Extensive control of Pans/Sends
DAW Metering
Ability to 'Flip' Pans/Sends onto Faders
Channels Encoder in DAW simulates V-Pot
EQ/Dynamics processing can be placed in any order in the audio path using the keyboard/mouse with a graphical representation of the audio chain
EQ/Dynamics Link/Copy/Paste feature
Digital Line Enable on Channels with AES/FireWire
Ability to Lock Monitor Level
Improvements for Gangs/Trims, MTC operation, FireWire clock sync

About the Neve Genesys
With its unmistakable Neve qualities of exquisite design, peerless craftsmanship and legendary Neve sound, the Genesys is a comprehensive, cost-effective solution to the challenges of audio in the digital age. The base configuration offers 16 channels of mic/line preamps, 16-channel DAW monitoring, 32-channel analog summing at mixdown, DAW control for Pro Tools, Logic, Nuendo and more, 8 auxiliary buses, 8 group buses, 2 main outputs, 4 effects returns, comprehensive metering, 5.1 monitoring, 2 cue mixes, talkback services and an internal power supply. What sets the Genesys apart is its remarkable combination of features and affordability — an affordable Neve analog console with Neve’s legendary sound and digital control at a cost of less than $50,000 enables the widest possible range of professionals to make a genuine Neve console the heart of their studios. Furthermore, the Genesys has the ability to upgrade as studio owners’ requirements change — it can be expanded to over 60 channels in a straight or articulated frame, with options including motorized fader automation, recall, mastering-grade A/D and D/A converters, digitally controlled EQ and dynamics, remote mic amp control and much more.

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

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

Ocean Way HR-3 Reference Monitor System at AES

Ocean Way HR-3.

131st AES CONVENTION, NEW YORK, NY, October 21, 2011 — Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro) (booth 839), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, and the exclusive U.S. distributor of the famed Ocean Way Monitoring Systems, is pleased to announce the introduction of the HR-3 High Resolution Reference Monitor System. Intended as a high-definition reference point to sonically judge and discern intricate musical balances for final mixes, the Ocean Way HR-3 monitors will satisfy the most discriminating audiophile, yet still be capable of meeting the most demanding dynamic range and accuracy required by studio professionals. What separates the HR-3 from other high-end audiophile loudspeakers, apart from its use by professionals, is its capacity to provide virtually unlimited dynamic range while maintaining absolutely matched uniform frequency response between channels.

Designed by Allen Sides, the GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer, producer and mixer who founded Ocean Way Recording, the new HR-3 monitor system is the culmination of almost 40 years of his experience designing high resolution studio speaker systems for his many studios and a wide variety of commercial installations, including George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch scoring stage; Trevor Horn’s Sarm Studios in London; and Walt Disney’s Hollywood Records, as well as private installations for musical artists like Gwen Stefani, Dave Grohl and Beck.

The two sides from 1k to 20k typically fall within 1dB of each other, creating absolute symmetry in regards to stereo imaging. The HR-3’s uniform dispersion, coupled with very smooth off-axis response from its 15-inch mid bass driver, allows for a very wide listening window, helping to eliminate the narrow “sweet spot” effect. The HR-3’s twin 12-inch subwoofers also produce extended and detailed low end to 20Hz. The unit’s power handling is an impressive 800 Watts continuous for the twin sub bass woofers, 400 Watts continuous for the mid bass woofers and 100 Watts continuous (650 Hz and up) for the high frequency driver. The HR-3 is capable of producing a maximum SPL of over 110 db at six (6) feet, 20 to 20kHz.

The Ocean Way HR-3 (in addition to the HR-2) was deigned to bridge the gap between superb audiophile speakers and accurate professional studio monitors. There is nothing currently manufactured anywhere in the world at any price that looks, sounds or performs like the Allen Sides Signature Series monitors. The monitors integrate brilliant horn designs, never fully realized from the late 1950s, with exceptional wide bandwidth, low distortion drivers and a tri-amplified / equalized electronic package second to none.

Like all Ocean Way monitors, the HR-3 is specially engineered to reveal things in users’ best recordings and mixes they may have never heard and provide dynamics they may have not thought possible. Every nuance is clearly and starkly evident. From a recording engineer’s standpoint, these are invaluable assets, allowing for the best recording and mixes possible, and from the audiophile’s standpoint, their best recordings will sound simply exceptional.

The Ocean Way HR-3 specifications are impressive:
- Frequency response +/- 2dB, 20Hz – 20kHz
- Symmetry between channels +/- 0.5 dB, 1k to 20kHz
- Maximum SPL – Over 110 dB at 6 feet, 20Hz to 20kHz
- Maximum Power Handling Capacity:
- High Frequency Driver Max 100 Watts continuous, 650 Hz and up
(Note: 1 watt in at 1k measured at 3 feet produces 108 dB)
- Mid Bass Woofer max 400 Watts continuous
- Twin Sub Bass Woofers max 800 Watts continuous
- High Frequency horn with a 90-degree by 40-degree dispersion has a 500Hz cutoff
- Crossover points: 650Hz and 80Hz, 18 dB per octave

Component description:
- High Frequency driver has a 19,000 gauss magnetic structure and titanium diaphragm with aluminum voice coil, two-inch throat
- Mid Bass woofer is 15-inch and has an 11,000 gauss magnetic structure with an aluminum voice coil
- Sub Bass woofers are twin 12-inch and have 11,000 gauss magnetic structures

Weights and size:
305 lb, 28" width x 29" max depth x 46" height, each cabinet

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

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About Ocean Way Recording and Allen Sides
Allen Sides, the GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer, producer and mixer who founded Ocean Way Recording, developed these renowned speaker systems. His studios and his Ocean Way Monitoring Systems have since helped artists like The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Eminem, Janet Jackson and Radiohead, to name a few, create milestone music recordings. Through an exclusive arrangement with GC Pro, the famed Ocean Way Monitoring Systems can now be custom tailored and installed in commercial recording facilities, private studios, home theaters and a variety of other critical listening environments.

Mr. Sides designed, built and owns Ocean Way Studios Hollywood, Ocean Way Studios Nashville, Ocean Way Studio St. Barth’s at Eden Rock and Record One Studios Sherman Oaks. Together, these constitute the most award-winning and successful music studios in the world. Mr. Sides has also personally recorded over 500 albums, many of which have become audiophile classics. Albums recorded in Mr. Sides’ studios have sold in excess of 1 billion copies. Mr. Sides brings a new dimension and understanding to what is possible in high-end speaker design, and the Impact is the realization of this experience.


About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

New Sterling Audio Ocean Way Microphone

Sterling ST6050 Front.

131st AES CONVENTION, NEW YORK, NY, October 21, 2011 — Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro) (booth 839), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, is proud to preview the result of a new Sterling Audio and Ocean Way Recording partnership — a specially-designed signature edition condenser microphone that is ideal for modern artists, producers and engineers.

Voiced by legendary engineer/producer and multiple GRAMMY® recipient Allen Sides, the ST6050 was inspired by Ocean Way’s expansive collection of microphones, all with exceptional sound quality and unique sonic characteristics that span many decades and musical eras. By combining classic capsule and FET design with modern manufacturing techniques, the ST6050 yields stunning clarity with a rich, warm, open sound and a silky top end that exquisitely captures vocals and acoustic instruments.

“Sterling and Ocean Way Recording have partnered to develop a microphone with a larger-than-life sound in an affordable and repeatable way,” says Allen Sides, owner of Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, California.

The capsule on the ST6050 is one inch in diameter, eight microns thick and gold-sputtered, built with traditional machining and exceptionally tight manufacturing tolerances. Each is hand-assembled and tested. Select modernization of traditional FET design results in exceptional consistency and extremely tight component tolerances. Optimized PCB ground planes increase RFI/EMI rejection. The ST6050 has a robust transformer design with side-by-side windings that yield an even low-frequency response while maintaining openness and top-end air. The chassis consists of a chrome-plated, woven-brass grill with steel head frame, plus a heavy brass body with chrome plated closing ring. The ST6050 microphone package includes a SM-7 shock mount, attractive wood storage case and windscreen.

The Sterling ST6050 has an MSRP of $1699.99 and will be available for pre-orders through GC Pro for shipment in January. For more information, please visit www.gcpro.com.

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

Converse’s New Rubber Tracks Recording Studio

The live room at Converse’s new Brooklyn-based recording facility, Rubber Tracks, fully outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment and instruments sourced by GC Pro.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, October 5, 2011 — Converse Inc. recently opened the doors to its new Brooklyn-based recording studio and live performance venue facility, Converse Rubber Tracks. A community-based studio designed to generate interest in recording among young and aspiring artists, the facility is fully outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment and instruments sourced by Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users. GC Pro also provided their technical expertise and consulted on the studio’s wish list to make sure the studio would be equipped with the right high-end recording equipment and gear, to make Rubber Tracks a true resource and opportunity for emerging musical acts. Account Manager Billy Walker from Nashville’s GC Pro location worked alongside GC Pro Affiliate program member Horacio Malvicino and Malvicino Design Group of Forest Hills, New York, who provided acoustical design and treatment for both parts of the facility.

GC Pro sourced gear for both the recording studio and the complex’s live performance venue. For the venue side, they provided a complete QSC Line Array, including QSC KLA-12, KLA-181 and K8 Loudspeakers; an Allen & Heath W316:2DX Wizard Mixer; and a full complement of cables, mics and rigging equipment. On the studio side, GC Pro supplied a vast array of products, including an Ocean Way HR3 Tri-Amplified Monitor System (designed by multi-GRAMMY® Award-winning producer/engineer Allen Sides, and for which GC Pro is the exclusive dealer); a Digidesign Pro Tools|HD2 PCIe Accel system; a Neve 1073DPA Stereo Mic Preamp; Apple Mac® Pro 6 Core Computers; plug-ins from Waves and Universal Audio; a Lynx Aurora 16 analog/digital converter; a selection of microphones from such brands as Neumann, Sterling, Royer, AKG, Shure, EV and others; and much more. Additionally, acoustical treatments and fabric-wrapped panels from Auralex® Acoustics, Inc. were employed to help control the sound in the studio. This included 15 of their ELiTE C24 ProPanels and four CT45 ProPanels.

"GC Pro really delivered for Rubber Tracks," said Brad Worrell, Studio Manager of Rubber Tracks. "We had strong ideas about what we wanted and they were really supportive of that. It was never about ‘product placement’, just about about ensuring that the studio was optimally outfitted. On the instrument side, Guitar Center went above and beyond the basics we’d initially listed. I'll never forget the day that a truck showed up with literally a pallet of Marshall amps. Being able to work day in and day out with young artists in this atmosphere is as exciting for us as it is for them and we are extremely happy with everything in Rubber Tracks supplied by GC Pro and Guitar Center."

Horacio Malvicino, Managing Director of the Malvicino Design Group, who worked closely with GC Pro and Brad Worrell, stated, “It was very special to be part of an initiative of this kind. Rubber Tracks is a great space with an outstanding location and has an incredible staff. This has been one of the most rewarding experiences that I’ve had as a studio designer and consultant in a long time. Rubber Tracks and Converse are providing invaluable help to bands that are trying to break into the music business.”

“This relationship with Rubber Tracks is the perfect opportunity for two like-minded brands to provide musicians a chance to work alongside a team of experienced engineers and create original music,” noted Richard Ash, GC Pro Business Development Manager for the Eastern Region. “We helped them put together their gear list, advising them on the types of systems they should be acquiring and getting the right monitors – that kind of thing. They had a great sense of what they needed for the project, and they turned to us to help move it to the next level. What we all ended up with is a very cool facility – just a great space for young bands to be creative.”

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

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

New York’s Outpost Digital

The control desk at one of the new audio post suites at New York City’s Outpost Digital, featuring gear sourced through GC Pro.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, September 14, 2011 — Outpost Digital, a leading New York City audio and video post production company whose clients include Dodge, Champion, ESPN, Cingular, IKEA and others, recently completed a significant expansion of its facilities on Manhattan’s lower West Side. Thirteen new post suites were added in newly available space on the same floor as the company’s existing facility, five of which are full-service audio post studios. This substantial expansion required careful consideration of new technologies and products that would keep Outpost on the leading edge but also integrate easily and smoothly with existing equipment that the company planned to install in the new studios. Outpost found a great resource in Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users.

The team from GC Pro’s Manhattan location was able to help Outpost make informed decisions and create a plan that brought the new rooms on line quickly and efficiently, and GC Pro helped them choose equipment including an Avid Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel system, Blue Sky MediaDesk 5.1 MKII and Prodesk 2.1 MKIII Active Monitoring systems, Studio Tech StudioComm 78/79 7.1 Surround Controllers and Bryston 3BSST2PRO power amplifiers.

Michael Yorky, Account Manager at GC Pro in New York, understood that Outpost’s expansion needed the kind of service for which GC Pro has become known. In addition to depth of inventory and great prices, Yorky arranged additional support services for Outpost, such as complimentary on-site factory calibration of the Blue Sky monitors, and in other cases arranging Skype video calls between vendors and Outpost staffers. “One of the advantages GC Pro can bring to a client is our long and deep relationships with our vendors,” says Yorky. “We go beyond being a one-stop shop – we have our clients’ backs with this kind of vendor support.”

Randy Main, Chief Engineer at Outpost Digital, offers other examples of how GC Pro was the perfect resource. He cites how Yorky spent time on site, watching and coming to understand Outpost’s workflow patterns and needs. As a result, he suggested the acquisition of the Lynx Aurora 16HD DA/AD converter with an LT-HD Expansion card. The Lynx Aurora 16 DA/AD provides full support for Pro Tools with the expansion slot as well as acting as DA/AD for other applications. “He fulfilled our needs perfectly. We were able to combine our vision for our Pro Tools applications and facility-wide applications into a comprehensive system,” Main explains. “Michael really understood what our workflow was about.”

One of the new post suites at New York City’s Outpost Digital, featuring gear sourced through GC Pro.

He also lauded the fact that GC Pro allowed Outpost to test drive demo systems on site, to see how well they would fit into their workflow. “We went through several choices of control surfaces for the Pro Tools systems, and that ability to test them before making a decision meant we always made the right decisions,” Main says. “We got great advice, great equipment and great prices. So going with GC Pro was the right decision, without a doubt.”

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

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

GC Pro Provides Advice & Equipment for House-of-Worship

The front-of-house position at the newly opened Sacred Heart Community Center facility at the Knanaya Catholic Congress of Central Florida in Valrico, Florida, featuring lighting and projection technology sourced through GC Pro.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, September 12, 2011 — Every house of worship has its own particular needs, and Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, knows how to meet those criteria better than anyone else. Recently, at the newly opened Sacred Heart Community Center facility at the Knanaya Catholic Congress of Central Florida in Valrico, Florida, and at the Grace Bible Church in Sebring, Florida, the team from GC Pro’s Tampa location designed and supervised the installation of new live sound, acoustical treatment and lighting systems. Notable products included JBL VRX-928 stereo line array PA systems with JBL PRX618XLF subwoofers, Crown XTi 2000 amplifiers, Yamaha LS9-32 digital consoles, Eco-Panel acoustical treatments and Chauvet® LED lighting fixtures. The Sacred Heart Community Center additionally received Altman conventional fresnel and ellipsoidal lighting fixtures. Beyond the deep well of technologies and products that GC Pro brings to the H.O.W. market, it also brings a level of unmatched expertise, like the fact that GC Pro’s Mick Hall, Professional Accounts Manager at the Tampa office, has himself worked in church technology ministry for over 20 years. That combination of great gear, great prices and expertise of the technology and the market make GC Pro the go-to resource for the H.O.W. sector.

“One of the things that characterizes the H.O.W. market is that they often have to work with multi-purpose spaces,” explains Hall. “They’ll need to go from a worship service to a music or theatrical performance to a community function, all in the same room, sometimes in the same day. You need to help them pick the equipment that will let them do that, do it cost-effectively, and not tax their congregation’s ability to operate the equipment. And that’s the GC Pro advantage – we can give them all of that in a turnkey, one-stop package. Because we have access to Guitar Center’s buying power and supply lines, we take the pressure off the customer and give them exactly what they need within their budget.”

The worship space at the Grace Bible Church in Sebring, Florida, featuring JBL VRX-928 stereo line arrays and a variety of other products sourced through GC Pro.

At the Knanaya Catholic Congress of Central Florida, the new Sacred Heart Community Center, which opened in June, was built to accommodate the congregation’s growth. “The new center seats about a thousand, compared to the 200 the previous center held,” says Hall. Working with A/V systems integrator Christian Sound Installation, a member of the GC Pro Certified Affiliate program, GC Pro guided the equipment choices and helped design system layouts that would let the cultural center be used for a variety of applications, including movies shown via the Panasonic PT-DW6300US projector and a 20-foot diagonal motorized DaLite projection screen that can be recessed for concerts and other live performances.

“We purposely recommended the long-throw lens for the projector so that it could be located further away from the stage and keep that area clear for other uses,” Hall explains. “We did the same with the P.A. design; we also chose an Elation Show Designer II lighting control console to give them more flexibility over lighting control.”

James Thomas, Secretary of the Association for Knanaya, was very satisfied with the outcome and GC Pro’s knowledge. “Mick gave us ideas and helped us prioritize our technology choices,” he says. “It turned out to be a great experience, and we’re already enjoying the result.”

Over at Grace Bible Church, GC Pro helped Matt Christian, the church’s Praise & Worship Minister, make similar choices. With a less complex lighting system, they were able to utilize Show Express software that lets them run the lighting from a laptop instead of a console, saving the church considerable cost while keeping control accessible.

“The challenge here, as it often is with houses of worship, was to make the most of a multi-use space,” says Hall. “The design intent was to place all the systems in such a way that they maximized their performance but didn’t have to be moved. That really took advantage of GC Pro as a one-stop solution.”

Minister Christian feels that what GC Pro delivered for the church achieved all of their goals, including great systems for use now and a pathway to upgrade for the future. “We needed up-to-date technology, an expandable strategy going forward, and reliability,” he says. “We got all of that from Mick and GC Pro, along with great pricing.” But best of all, though, Grace Bible Church found a partner. “Mick listened to what we had to say,” Christian says. “Dealing with other vendors was often frustrating – they didn’t listen to what we wanted to do and instead focused on trying to sell us the equipment each of them represented. At GC Pro, we never got that feeling. They listened to us, we got exactly what we needed, and it all turned out great.”

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

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

Mixer/Producer John O’Mahony

GRAMMY®-nominated mixer and producer John O’Mahony, with his 16-channel AMS Neve Genesys, sourced through GC Pro.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, September 8, 2011 — Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, has supplied GRAMMY®-nominated mixer and producer John O’Mahony with a 16-channel AMS Neve Genesys mixing console outfitted with Encore fader automation. O’Mahony, who works out of his own room at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in New York, is known for his work with artists such as Coldplay, Metric, Alberta Cross, Kashmir and The Cribs. GC Pro is the exclusive U.S. sales channel for the innovative Genesys, a custom-crafted, expandable analog recording console that incorporates digital workstation control.

“When I set about building a smaller setup for myself and owning my own console, I looked around and thought, what’s close to what I love, and what has all the functions that I need?” says O’Mahony. The Genesys proved to be the perfect companion to Pro Tools and the ideal candidate for his new studio. “It’s so forward-thinking in terms of its setup, with DAW control. It’s all there in one package. And it has Encore moving faders, an option that I had installed. I had spent quite a bit of time working on the Neve 88R, which is the big brother of the Genesys. With Genesys I’m able to automate the analog side of things the way that I was accustomed to on the 88R and on Flying Faders, which was the automation system I grew up on.”

As he elaborates, his console purchase was a response both to the recession and to changes in the record industry. “I work with bands from all over the world. Five or ten years ago bands would have flown to town or would have flown me to their town. Now that happens probably for 20 percent of those artists; the rest work via email. So I had to put together a system where I could work on mixes, send them out to clients, get notes back, and get back to working on them quickly.” With Genesys, he says, “I have all of my automation and full-board recall, because the EQs and compressors can be recalled with one button, even though they’re analog. That means that I can come back to a mix with just five minutes of work.”

O’Mahony initially contacted Account Manager Niyi Adelekan, based at GC Pro’s West 14th Street office in Manhattan, for a demo of the Genesys. “I took a song I mixed on a different console, and I did a quick mix of it on the Genesys at GC Pro. I felt, apart from the time-consuming details, I had sonically beaten the other mix in almost a matter of minutes. The Genesys had what I was really hoping for, which is the stereo bus of the 88R – from an audio standpoint it sounds the same to me. It sounded so much better than the console I’d originally mixed that song on.”

He relates that although his new room, which is located on the second floor with a window overlooking Eighth Street, took longer than planned before it was ready, “Niyi was never pushy. Unlike a lot of other dealers, where you feel like you have to avoid their calls after a while, Niyi was always polite and comfortable to talk to. I have to say the guy is fantastic. I never felt any pressure from him; he would just want to make sure I was happy. That’s pretty rare in the industry.”

O’Mahony relocated to New York from his native Ireland in 1998, initially taking a staff position at Chung King Studios before going independent in 2001, and previously operated out of Studio C at Electric Lady. “It has a decent-sized live room and a big lounge and all this space that I wasn’t using – but I was paying for it,” he says, so he decided to scale back. A project with The Submarines in Los Angeles last year also proved to be a revelation, he recounts: “I mixed on a 36-input console and I loved how it came out. I realized I didn’t need all those faders anymore.”

Another huge selling point for the Genesys is its expandability, he continues. “The first day I sat down with Niyi he mapped out how much it would cost in all the different configurations. You can take it up to 64 channels. I don’t see myself going that far, but my intention is to expand to 32 channels.”

But while his days of working on an 80-input console are over, O’Mahony says, working in the box was never an option. “I’ve tried mixing in the box and I felt it wasn’t getting me to where I wanted to be. I need a console just to put electricity into the music, and to sit behind it so I can feel like I’m in a studio.” Plus, he adds, “I started in Ireland when I was 17 and I got my first tape op job. When you’re a kid – I’m in my 30’s now – wanting to do this for a living, the picture you have in your head is sitting behind a big old console with lots of big knobs on it. I’m just not mature enough to give up on that!”

For more information, please visit www.gcpro.com.
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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

Guitar Center Professional Appoints Kurtis Ewing

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, August 9, 2011 — Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, announces the appointment of Kurtis Ewing to the position of Account Manager, based in the company’s Sherman Oaks, California location, effective immediately. In his new position, Ewing will draw on his extensive experience in sound production to help GC Pro expand its presence in the studio, live, post-production and house-of-worship market sectors. The announcement was made by GC Pro Vice President Rick Plushner and further underscores GC Pro’s ongoing commitment to the continuing growth of GC Pro as a turnkey supplier for professional end users.

Ewing brings a wealth of experience in the music production, television and house-of-worship market sectors to the GC Pro team. As a third-generation TV soundman, he knows the unique needs of the Southern California audio industry. With a high level of expertise, Kurtis is passionate about servicing GC Pro’s diverse client base in Los Angeles, including the post-production and composer communities. Ewing has a talent for producing music, and aside from his work in TV sound, he has written music for such hip-hop stars as The Game, Ne-Yo and many more.

“Kurtis, or ‘XL,’ as he’s called, comes to us as a solid veteran of sound production,” stated GC Pro Vice President Rick Plushner. “His ongoing work as a television sound engineer, something that he was exposed to at an early age by his family, places him in a unique position to reach out to the television and film industries to supply equipment and services for their audio needs. And his work as a producer and composer has given him the real-world experience to give musicians and composers the solutions they are looking for. Kurtis is the total package, and we are exited to have him as part of the GC Pro team.”

“Whether you need a specific solution to solve a problem, or want to create a complete world-class studio built from the ground up, GC Pro and I can provide the best options that your budget will allow,” stated Ewing. “I look forward to serving the television and video; and house-of-worship; and music production communities in my position as GC Pro’s latest Account Manager. I am proud to be on board.”

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

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

Chicago’s Uptown Recording

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, July 28, 2011 — Uptown Recording, named for the boom town that blossomed into the entertainment and cultural center of Chicago at the beginning of the 20th century, has been steadily growing since first establishing its roots in the still-thriving neighborhood over 15 years ago. Outgrowing its original basement location, established in 1995, and moving into a state-of-the-art multi-room facility in 2001, Uptown Recording has long considered Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, its go-to source for pro audio equipment as the studio has grown.

“I call on GC Pro because they've always had the ability to get anything I wanted. If they didn't have it, they found it through their network – and at prices that were cheaper than anywhere else,” says Rob Ruccia, Uptown Recording’s chief engineer. GC Pro always has the studio’s best interest in mind, he adds: “Rather than just sell us stuff, they tell us what our options are and lead us towards the most cost efficient way to keep up. We like to stay on top of things, and so does GC Pro – they are always up on the latest offerings.”

The 5,000-square-foot Uptown facility, which is in a former electronics repair shop, features two studios outfitted with similar equipment, such as Digidesign Control|24 control surfaces and Pro Tools|HD3 Accel DAW rigs with Apogee converters, to allow projects to move easily from one room to the other. Addressing the needs of local and national acts, which account for about 60 percent of the facility’s business, Studio East boasts the larger of the two control rooms, and additionally has an analog focus, featuring a two-inch, 16-track Sony/MCI JH16 tape machine formerly owned by Merle Haggard. The large tracking space encompasses two isolation rooms, and there is also a lounge. To help grow Uptown’s production, voiceover and sound design work for film and television, Studio West is outfitted with a 5.1-surround Genelec monitoring system and plasma screens for video playback.

The control room at Uptown Recording’s Studio West, outfitted with an assortment of gear via GC Pro. Top photo: Uptown's Studio East.

The complement of outboard equipment, a mix of new and vintage signal processors, is also similar in each studio, and includes Empirical Labs, SSL and Universal Audio compressors, for example. Studio East, with its focus on music production, additionally relies on API preamps, EQs and compressors, rather than a large mixing console. Ruccia explains, “Everything in our mindset is ‘the big board is dead.’ Having a giant 80-channel console in our studio is pointless. Instead, we have four channels of classic API, a couple channels of John Hardy, some Avalon equipment, some Universal Audio. We’ve got different flavors for whatever purpose we'll need.” Drawmer, Focusrite and Presonus preamps are also available at the facility.

According to Ruccia, “The John Hardys are a workhorse, and you can use them on just about anything. Also, he is from nearby, so we see him all the time. If anything ever goes wrong, he will come out and fix our gear – he is like a local hero.”

As for microphones, Electro-Voice RE 22, Neumann U87 and TLM 127, Royer phantom powered active ribbon and Sennheiser evolution 900 series models are heavily favored. “The Sennheiser 900 series are amazing on drums. Also, since they are on clips, they save setup time and clutter and are less intrusive to drummers,” Ruccia comments. Available backline gear includes a large variety of vintage amplifiers and drums, a grand piano and a 1950s Hammond organ.

The vibe at the facility, which enjoyed a major makeover in 2006, is still reminiscent of that original basement studio, comments Ruccia, who worked at the studio with his band in late 2001 and never left. “The décor is somewhat ‘basement-like’ – and we do this on purpose. We are going for a less corporate vibe in here because we’re all musicians – we all play in bands in and around the city.”

In addition to the staff’s credentials, Uptown Recording’s location close to historic venues such as The Aragon Ballroom, Riviera Theater, Uptown Theatre and Green Mill Jazz Club – one of the country’s oldest jazz clubs – has also been good for business, Ruccia relates, attracting such nationally acclaimed artists as James Iha, guitarist with the classic lineup of Smashing Pumpkins, and New York-based indie-pop singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson. “She had been playing a gig at the Riviera Theatre, and her label called and said she needed to track a couple of things,” Ruccia recalls. “Being close to those national venues is fantastic and has brought us some great opportunities.”

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

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

Geoff Pillar’s New Electric Thunder

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, July 25, 2011 — After years of carting his collection of outboard gear from one studio to the next, Nashville-based freelance mixer Geoff Pillar opened his first recording studio earlier this year with assistance from Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users. Electric Thunder, which opened in January 2011, features a fully automated 16-channel Neve Genesys analog recording console, which Pillar purchased from GC Pro, the exclusive U.S. sales channel for the custom-crafted, innovative desk.

“Chad Evans is my rep, and he’s great. I can go to him for just about anything I need. Not only does he know the product, but I know he’s worked in studios before, so I trust a lot of his recommendations,” says Pillar. He reports that GC Pro also recommended wiring specialists and other contractors to help complete the studio in addition to supplying equipment.

The Neve Genesys, which is fitted with eight channels of dynamics and EQ, is the focal point of the Electric Thunder control room, which measures 30 feet by 15 feet and is served by three mid-size isolation rooms plus two vocal booths for tracking and overdub sessions. Pillar comments, “The Neve Genesys is great. It’s got tons of gain and good headroom and you can really push it like a large format console. The Genesys really seems to shine on everything, especially on piano and electric guitars.”

The main control desk at Geoff Pillar’s new Electric Thunder studio in Nashville, featuring a Neve Genesys console outfitted via GC Pro.

An Avid Pro Tools|HD2 system handles recording and playback and is paired with two Lynx Aurora 16 AD/DA converters. A Universal Audio 2192 master audio interface provides clocking for the Lynx units. Reference monitor choices include a pair of ProAc Studio 100s, Event Opals or classic Yamaha NS10s.

Pillar, who has been accumulating outboard equipment for over a decade, offers Electric Thunder clients a broad palette of signal processing options. Notable pieces include a pair of original Neve 1073 modules, LA-3As, Calrec PQ 15s, Focusrite ISAs and Universal Audio 1176s. A Gates Sta-Level compressor takes pride of place: “These are the original classics, and they get used a lot here,” he points out. A vintage British-made Chilton QM1 discrete, germanium transistor-based analog recording console is available to provide additional tonal variations.

The mic locker at Electric Thunder includes Audio-Technica 4047s, Sennheiser 421s and MKH 40s and Shure SM 57s. But more likely than not Pillar will reach for his Japanese-made Sanken CU 41 mics first. “They get used on just about anything from vocals, to piano, to drum overheads,” he reports.

Pillar comments, “It took me about six months to get everything exactly the way I wanted, solid to the point where I wanted to bring clients in. I wanted to be able to offer a facility that is comfortable and affordable and that has great gear and great ears. It is very inviting and relaxing here, and people know what to expect when they leave. Clients can be sure that their work will translate very well if they take it somewhere else.”

Of his original business plan, he says, “My basic goal was to cater to up-and-coming artists and be able to mold what I have to offer to people with different budgets and price ranges. I wanted to be able to work on good music and get a good product out for bands that don't have a lot of money as well as acts that have label backing.”

Having previously concentrated on independent mix projects, Pillar is enjoying the diversity of the work coming through the door of his new business venture: “As a studio owner, I am able to take part in a lot of projects that I might not have had exposure to had I still been an independent freelancer. I get to meet all sorts of bands and artists I wouldn't have otherwise had a chance to meet.”

There has certainly been no shortage of work since the doors opened, including a session with noted Nashville producer Rogers Masson, he reports. “All of my clients have come through word of mouth and projects just keep coming through the door.”

That said, Pillar looks forward to attracting more long-term projects: “I want to get more instruments and bands in here and cut full albums. I’d like people to camp out for a month and do a record and make Electric Thunder their own. If I can keep the momentum going that I’ve got now, it will be great!”

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

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

Sterling Microphone Sweepstakes

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, July 20, 2011 — Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, has launched its latest online sweepstakes at www.gcpro.com. The new contest, featuring a Sterling ST69 Multi-Pattern Tube Condenser Microphone, is now live and will run through September 30, 2011, shortly after which a brand new contest will begin.

Several times a year, GC Pro management selects one particular product from a high-end gear manufacturer to feature on the website and give away as that sweepstakes prize. This latest contest features a Sterling ST69 microphone, a $1199.00 value. The ST69 is an excellent choice for recording engineers and musicians looking for a superior studio microphone. A combination of new and traditional technology, blended with Sterling’s Disk Resonator™ system, yields wide frequency response and quick transient response without sacrificing warmth and tone. It is ideal for capturing the full, detailed sound of vocals, acoustic and electric instruments, and drums. And its precision-machined, brushed stainless-steel finish complements the ST69's technical brilliance.

Greg Riggs, Sterling Product Manager, stated, “Sterling proudly sponsors GC Pro’s sweepstakes contest with an ST69 Tube Condenser microphone package. The ST69 studio microphone is equally suitable for a variety of projects from major label work to serious home recording.”

To enter the contest, users simply go to gcpro.com and click on the “Sweepstakes” tab. There, entrants will complete and submit a short entry form. The winner will then be selected at random and contacted after September 30, 2011. Complete rules can be found at gcpro.com. Past sweepstakes have featured products from such manufacturers as Blue, Apogee, Focusrite, JBL, Mackie and SSL.

For more information and complete rules, please visit www.gcpro.com.

About GC Pro Sweepstakes
ELIGIBILITY: This Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the contiguous 48 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, except and excluding Rhode Island, who are eighteen (18) years of age or older as of the day before the start of the Sweepstakes and who had Internet access on or before the day before the start of the Sweepstakes. Void in Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories and possessions and wherever prohibited or restricted by law. Subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws. Employees and agents of Guitar Center Stores, Inc. and each of its respective parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions, and advertising and promotional agencies and their respective officers, directors and agents (collectively, the “Sweepstakes Entities”) and the immediate family members and persons living in the same household of each are not eligible.

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

Rick Plushner Appointed VP

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, July 18, 2011 — Coinciding with its 10th anniversary and a record-breaking sales year reflecting ongoing growth and expansion, Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, announces the appointment of Rick Plushner to the position of Vice President, effective immediately.

Plushner joined the Guitar Center organization in September 2005 as General Manager of GC Pro. At that time, the GC Pro division employed 18 staff members. His directive was to grow GC Pro’s sales force and develop the infrastructure to enable GC Pro to work in tandem with Guitar Center stores. Rick was promoted to Director of Sales in 2006 and then Director of the division in 2008. Over the past six years, GC Pro has grown into a profitable division with four times the sales that it had in 2005, as well as a team of 75 employees.

Prior to joining GC Pro, Rick held executive positions with several elite pro audio manufacturers, including Solid State Logic (President), where he diversified the company’s operations and set up a dealer channel; Euphonix (VP of Sales), where he facilitated sales growth to support a successful NASDAQ IPO; AMS/Neve (General Manager), where he released a wide range of recording and broadcast consoles; and Sony Digital Audio division (National Sales Manager), where he launched a line of equipment to make professional compact disc recordings. He has worked closely with a wide range of artists and producers, including Bruce Springsteen, Frank Zappa, The Bee Gees and Stevie Wonder.

Gene Joly, Guitar Center Executive VP, Stores, stated, “Rick brings an enormous amount of experience with him that will greatly benefit GC Pro and its clients.”

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

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

GC Pro Can Cover All The Bases For A Single Client

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, July 5, 2011 — Kevin Reed is a busy man. In addition to his supervisory work at the Wilks Masonry Corporation in Cisco, Texas, he has also become the go-to person when it comes to audio technology for owner Farris Wilks’ other endeavors. Reed serves as Music Director at the Assembly of Yahweh Seventh Day church in Cisco, where Wilks succeeded his father as pastor over a decade ago, and which required a completely new sound system last year. Reed is also overseeing the masonry work and the world-class recording studio that Wilks is having installed at his newly constructed family home. There was only one place where Reed could turn that could comprehensively address every facet of both a sophisticated state-of-the-art recording studio and a highly articulate P.A. system that was tuned perfectly for speech intelligibility and musical performances: Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users. Reed is a regular at the North Dallas Guitar Center location, where he keeps the church’s musicians supplied with everything from guitar amps to drum sticks. And when the church needed a new P.A. system and the Wilks family wanted to build a recording studio that would be available for use by their Assembly and other churches in the area, Reed found that GC Pro was right there with all of the answers he needed.

In early 2010, Reed and GC Pro Account Manager Jeffery McDaniel conferred on how best to upgrade the church’s sound system. McDaniel recommended a JBL Array Series system paired with an Avid VENUE SC48 digital live sound console and an Avid Pro Tools LE system, as well as a new complement of microphones, a new Aviom in-ear monitor system for the church band, and other related equipment.

The control room at Farris Wilks’ new studio, featuring a 32-input Neve Genesys analogue console paired with a 8-Fader Avid D-Command digital console, both feeding an Avid Pro Tools HD 4 system, all sourced by GC Pro.

“The sound in the church is now fantastic,” says Reed, who then felt encouraged to discuss the new recording studio with McDaniel, as well. GC Pro was able to bring the same comprehensive array of choices for the studio as it did for the church P.A. system – including a 32-channel Neve Genesys digitally controlled analog console, an Avid D-Command, a Pro Tools HD system and an Ocean Way HR2 monitoring system.

Reed and the Wilks benefited from other services only GC Pro can offer. After doing basic measurements for the studio himself, McDaniel reached out to GC Pro Regional Manager Derek Snyder, who in turn recommended that McDaniel get in touch with Horacio Malvicino, Managing Director of the Malvicino Design Group, a Forest Hills, New York-based GC Pro Affiliate Services Program member. McDaniel scanned his studio drawings and sent them to Malvicino, who put together a plan for the studio and presented it to the team at last year’s AES convention. “He helped me put together a design for the whole system, and then all of us met up with the client and engineer Dewey Wilson at the AES show in November of last year in San Francisco, where Horacio presented his final designs for the rooms. The customer loved it; he was really happy,” McDaniel recalls.

The studio is in the attic of a 20,000-plus-square-foot home. Malvicino has outfitted the control room with a 32-input Neve Genesys analogue console paired with a 8-Fader Avid D-Command digital console, both feeding an Avid Pro Tools HD 4 system. Outboard gear includes GML, Neve, API and Manley Processing; Chandler, Millennia, Universal Audio and API microphone pre-amps; and a pair of “massive” Allen Sides Ocean Way HR-2 monitors with a pair of White EQs managed by a custom crossover and powered using a three-way amplifier system designed by Allen Sides. And, says Malvicino, who was limited to an attic space, it was decided to isolate both rooms using a “Box within a Box” approach and variable acoustics in the live room and drum booth. Variable acoustic panels allow for an RT-60 between 0.4 seconds to 0.8 at 1 Khz.

The main tracking room at Farris Wilks’ new studio, outfitted by GC Pro.

The entire process, from the installed sound system in the church to the studio in the home, was far simpler than it might have been, thanks to the comprehensiveness of GC Pro. “We have been able to use them across the board, from live sound to studio sound, and we didn’t have to shop around the state or the country looking for different expertise in live and studio sound technology,” he states. “Instead, we had a one-stop solution and one salesperson who knew what we needed to or knew who to ask. The church sounds great and the studio is in the final stages of completion, and it’s been a dream come true for all of us.”

For more information, please visit www.gcpro.com. GC Pro is the U.S. distributor for Neve Genesys and Ocean Way Monitoring.

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

Backstage “Hay Bale Studio” at Bonnaroo 2011

The Hay Bale Studio backstage at Bonnaroo, outfitted by GC Pro.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, June 30, 2011 — For the tenth year in a row, well over 60,000 excited music fans descended upon Manchester, Tennessee, for the Bonnaroo Music and Arts festival, held June 9-12, 2011. Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, Bonnaroo 2011 was filled with memorable moments from its dozens of performing acts, including Eminem, Arcade Fire, My Morning Jacket, The Black Keys, Widespread Panic and many more. Backstage, many of the festival’s acts were asked to lay down tracks in a purpose-built recording studio, outfitted with the help of Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users. The recorded tracks were mixed and mastered immediately and transferred to the radio tent next door for broadcast on radio stations nationwide.

The studio, appropriately dubbed “Hay Bale Studio” after the dozens of hay bales positioned on the exterior for sound rejection, was again operated by Nashville’s The Toy Box Studio, and Toy Box’s producer/recording engineer Lij was at the helm for the sessions. The whole backstage studio/radio area was overseen by Asheville, North Carolina-based Music Allies. In the weeks leading up to the festival, the studio’s gear equipment list was compiled by Lij, his assistant engineers, and GC Pro’s Nashville-based Account Manager Chad Evans, who was also on site along with other GC Pro personnel.



Among the gear supplied by GC Pro were a Solid State Logic AWS 948 Superanalogue Console (courtesy of Fadi Hayek and SSL); a Pro Tools HD3 system with Apogee Symphony Converters; a full complement of microphones from Shure, Mojave and Royer Labs; monitors from ADAM; Switchcraft Patch Bays; a full cue system; and a backline of instruments and amps from Fender, Gibson and Nord.

All in all, over 35 of the festival’s artists recorded tracks in the studio, including Ray LaMontagne, Amos Lee, Iron and Wine, Mumford and Sons, The Decemberists and many more. The schedule for each session was fast-paced, leaving room for a quick setup and soundcheck leading up to first-take recordings of three songs, before each act was guided to the interview booth, also in the “Hay Bale Studio” trailer, to make room for the next act in the tracking room. Within an hour, the performances had been mixed down to two tracks and prepped for broadcast from the radio tent next door. Approximately 45 radio stations nationwide featured these “Bonnaroo sessions” over the weekend. The multi-tracked sessions were also preserved and archived, as in past years.

“This is our third year helping sponsor the studio at Bonnaroo,” noted Evans. “This year’s festival was another amazing experience. We have developed a great partnership with Lij and crew, and we’re proud to contribute. We look forward to continuing to contribute next year and beyond, because Bonnaroo is such an important place for the music industry and up-and-coming artists.”

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

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.

Trend Def Studios

Trend Def Studios owner and head engineer Mike Gonsolin (seated) and production partner Vision (standing), in their Hollywood, California facility. Trend Def Studios has acquired a majority of their gear from the Sherman Oaks location of GC Pro.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, June 29, 2011 — Production duo Mike Gonsolin and Vision at Trend Def Studios in Hollywood, California, have come to appreciate the prompt response of their go-to audio equipment dealer, Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users. Working with Paris Hilton one day and scoring for a television show the next, it’s not unusual for Gonsolin and Vision to have an urgent need for a piece of hardware or software, and the Account Managers at GC Pro's Sherman Oaks location are invariably ready to respond immediately.

“It’s such a fast-paced industry, especially because I’m the head engineer here and the sole owner, so everything falls in my lap,” explains Gonsolin. “A lot of times clients come in and there’s a certain plug-in that we don’t have or they want a particular piece of gear, and we need to get it right away. GC Pro is just a machine; they get back to me that day.”

Trend Def Studios, located just off of hip Melrose Avenue, is a one-stop shop capable of handling writing, production, tracking, editing, mixing and mastering. The centerpiece of the very well equipped facility is an Avid Pro Tools|HD5 rig with a laundry list of plug-ins, soft synths and sample libraries, racks of new and vintage analog and digital outboard processing, and a live room fully stocked with instruments, amplifiers and stompboxes.

“I probably have gotten 70 to 80 percent of my studio through GC Pro,“ reports Gonsolin, who has been shopping with the retailer for over a decade. Aside from Pro Tools, the room also features ADAM Audio S3A monitors and a Sub10 subwoofer controlled by a Crane Song Avocet and, in addition to outboard processing, stacks of sound modules from companies such as E-MU, Korg, Moog, Novation, Oberheim, Roland and Waldorf. “We have maybe 40 different analog sound modules. We run the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor, we have a Dangerous 2-BUS analog summing mixer and a ton of compressors. Although we don’t mix into a board we’re known for having extremely analog sounding, in-the-box mixes here,” he says.

One recent purchase is the Antelope Audio Atomic Clock. By eliminating jitter and clocking errors, Gonsolin explains, “It gives you a wider, truer stereo field and much clearer lows with no mud. I was blown away by the performance of it, plus GC Pro let me demo the unit at my studio. Another big thing they just sold us was a Furman balanced power conditioner for the whole studio. It has completely eliminated any noise; we now have the cleanest power I’ve ever heard in my life. GC Pro even recommended the guy that did all our acoustical soundproofing here as well, Steven Klein, who did an amazing job.”

But GC Pro has helped with more than just new gear, he continues. They have also helped him source discontinued equipment: “We’ve got a live room here just filled with amps and stuff like that, and a lot of times GC Pro has helped me track down particular amps, some of which aren’t being made anymore. He’s always been good about running through GC Pro’s used inventory and finding me one that meets the specs that I need.”

Trend Def Studios music clients include Cisco and Shwayze, Megan McCauley (Gonsolin and Vision are working on her sophomore album), Paris Hilton, The Veronicas, Sam Adams and numerous others. Several record labels are currently bidding to sign Gonsolin’s solo project, Trend Def, from which he has already placed a song in a major motion picture, and a music video has been produced for Trend Def’s song “Perdition.” Gonsolin is also currently scoring for Nickelodeon’s “Supah Ninjas” show.

For more information, please visit http://www.trenddefstudios.com/ and www.gcpro.com/.

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About Guitar Center Professional/Guitar Center
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, 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.