Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Noisematch Studios Turns to GC Pro

Noisematch Studios founder, musician/producer Alex Campos, in his facility’s control room, which features an SSL 24-channel Duality SE 24 console and other gear sourced through GC Pro.


— Studio owner Alex Campos applauds GC Pro’s knowledge base and dedication to service and support —


WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, March 26, 2012 — Musician/producer Alex Campos founded Noisematch Studios in Miami’s hip Wynwood Arts District in 2010. “I did a lot of research on where to locate the studio and also dug into the gear – my business started with just a small project and it grew from there,” Campos notes. And business has been booming – to the point where Campos has all the work he needs despite never having yet officially opened the studio to the public. Word-of-mouth has brought him business in almost every genre, and key clients have included Latin artists Alejandro Sanz, Luis Fonsi and Mexican recording artist Belinda. Through it all, Campos has had an ally in Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, who has provided Campos and Noisematch with the gear they need and top-notch service and support.

Campos needed a massive space, large enough to host a live room that could fit a big band or orchestra, as well as another multi-purpose room for rehearsals and special events. The studio’s current location, developed through 2011, is a building that was formerly an art storage and trading warehouse. Campos and his team emptied the space to start from scratch. GC Pro Affiliate program member Horacio Malvicino of the Malvicino Design Group provided acoustic design, and they ended up with a 2500-square-foot live room (“Noiseroom”), three isolation booths and a main control room (“Noiselab”). Campos notes, “To me, this room has the perfect balance – it’s not too dry or too tight. We can record anything in there and we are very happy with the sound. The room itself is very microphone-friendly. You don’t have to work too hard to get a great sound. If you place your mics well, it is kind of like plug-and-play.”

Over the course of developing the studio, Campos had regular contact with the team at Miami’s GC Pro location. His main contact was Dan Scalpone, GC Pro Regional Manager, South Central U.S. Campos was impressed with the GC Pro staff’s knowledge and responsiveness: “There is always great communication and goodwill, and everything gets done as it should. On the occasions when they didn’t have an answer off the top of their head, they would do some research and always come back with a solution.”

Gear-wise, Campos and crew selected an SSL 24-channel Duality SE 24 console. “SSL sets the standard, and I’ve always loved the sound of their consoles. And obviously clients love it. After really getting to know this console, I don't think I can ever work with any other setup again. That's how much I personally love the Duality,” he notes. Other gear includes an Antelope Audio Isochrone Trinity/10M combination for clocking and the Allen Sides-designed Ocean Way HR-2 Studio monitors, available exclusively through GC Pro. “The HR-2 really blew my mind,” Campos recalls. “I didn’t know those kinds of speakers ever existed for studios. They are large format, but they have so much fidelity and high definition that I am actually using them as my main monitors in the studio. I call these speakers ‘the lie detectors’ because they are so true and so natural. They reveal everything.” Outboard gear includes a Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor, an API 500 series rack for drums, a 500 series API 512 and a pair of Brent Averill 1033s, as well as a Demeter Audio DI and microphones from Neumann, AKG, Telefunken and many others.

Campos sums up why he thinks clients are so eager to work at Noisematch: “Our studio is a lot like a boutique hotel. We give our clients all the attention and gear they expect in a professional studio environment, but there is also a little flair that people will remember. I look forward to continuing to establish Noisematch and grow with the amazing Wynwood arts scene. And we will definitely have GC Pro riding with us for all of it.”

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.

Chicago’s Earhole Studios


The control desk for Studio B at Chicago’s Earhole Studios, which for years has benefited from a close relationship with GC Pro for products, service and support.


— Newly installed Avid D-Command mix console was installed over a long weekend and ready to go to work at the beginning of the week thanks to GC Pro’s logistical experience and willingness to be there when needed —

— For over 20 years this successful Chicago Loop music and audio house has worked with top commercial clients, and GC Pro has been a longtime partner —


WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, March 13, 2012 — Earhole Studios has been part of Chicago’s thriving commercial music and audio business since 1990, currently serving clients including UPS, Chrysler, Sprite, Motorola, Allstate, BP and other major international brands. One of the reasons this 10-employee facility has been so successful is that they truly partner with their clients, looking for the nuances that will make the outcomes of their collaborations truly unique. That’s also the kind of support that Earhole Studios has long experienced with Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, which has been providing Earhole Studios with sales, service and advice for years.

GC Pro has been the vendor for equipment that has gone into Earhole’s main Chicago location’s three mix rooms and their satellite locations in Los Angeles and Detroit, and even for many of the staff composers’ own personal studios. Most recently, GC Pro provided a new Avid D-Command recording and mix console that was installed in Earhole’s Studio B in Chicago, replacing an Avid Pro Controller there. But GC Pro provided more than just the products that help keep clients like Earhole Studios on the leading edge – they also offer expertise and know-how that makes major transitions like these easier and seamless.

“The new D-Command needed to go in and be up and running over what amounted to a long weekend, which was no simple task,” recalls Eric Lambert, a veteran Composer and Creative Director at Earhole Studios. “What made it happen was that the guys we’ve worked with at GC Pro for years, Dan Scalpone and Javier Briseno, not only got us the equipment we needed but also helped us pre-plan the entire transition from one console to the other. The trick to successfully pulling off a major installation like this is to plan it out in as much detail as possible in advance, in order to keep the amount of downtime for the studio to a minimum, and that’s something that Dan and Javier were incredibly adept at.”

GC Pro’s experienced sales representatives made sure they were available for Earhole’s staffers throughout the weekend of the installation, ready with any last-minute extras. Then there’s what Lambert calls the “last five percent” – the items that almost no amount of planning can allow for until the job is nearly finished. “GC Pro was there for that, too,” he says. “Whatever we needed, whenever we needed it, it was there for us.”

Looking over the studio, Lambert estimates that at least half of the equipment there was procured through GC Pro, including every piece of Avid gear in all of the facilities. Calling on his years of experience in advertising, Lambert offhandedly composes what could be the GC Pro mantra: “Always available, always knowledgeable, always helpful, always there,” he says. “What else could you ask for?”

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.

Guitar Center Professional Makes Moves

The entrance to the GC Pro offices at the Guitar Center store in West Los Angeles.


— After a strong 10th-anniversary year in 2011, GC Pro is poised for further expansion and enhanced customer services in the coming year —


WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, February 14, 2012 — Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, is proud to have capped off a strong 2011, its banner 10th-anniversary year, with a number of initiatives that position GC Pro for further growth in 2012.

“GC Pro had a fabulous 2011,” stated GC Pro Vice President Rick Plushner. “We performed above expectations with greater than 30% growth over 2010 – the biggest one-year jump we’ve had in our history. We’re proud of our success and our growing reputation in the industry. In 2012, we are focusing on reinforcing our infrastructure in an effort to provide the best possible customer service, as well as increasing our sales force.”

A number of recent hires reflect this emphasis on customer service and sales. The following sales personnel have been added to their respective GC Pro locations:

Jason Block (Atlanta, Georgia)
Adam Muraski (Brookfield, Wisconsin)
Chris Hodkins (Denver, Colorado)
Ricardo Jimenez (Hallandale, Florida)
David Touloumian (Hollywood, California)
Michael Merrill (Houston, Texas)
Eric Kreuzer (Nashville, Tennessee)
Javier Willis (San Diego/La Mesa, California)
Nic De La Riva (San Francisco, California)
Maryam Haddad (Seattle, Washington)

Aside from that, these logistics coordinators have been appointed, to help GC Pro fulfill orders, optimize efficiency and expedite delivery to ensure customer satisfaction.

Dwayne Wright (Dallas, Texas)
Martina Mehta (Hallandale, Florida)
Nick Zamora (Houston, Texas)
John Maxson (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Karla Kennedy (Manhattan, New York)

“Several offices now have three-person teams improving our ability to spend more time consulting and fulfilling customer orders,” noted Plushner. “The Logistics Coordinators are a significant addition. Once a sales engineer develops specifications and provides consultations for a client, the Logistics Coordinator plays an integral role in ordering the products – whether from a surrounding Guitar Center store, our distribution center or a special order from vendors – and then tracks the order and coordinates delivery. Getting orders right and delivering on time, every time, is what our clients have come to expect from GC Pro, and the Logistics Coordinators serve to strengthen customer service and satisfaction.”

The Dallas location hosts one of the teams benefiting from a recently appointed Logistics Coordinator. Jeff McDaniel, Senior Account Manager based out of Dallas, notes, “Dwayne [Wright, Logistics Coordinator] joined us starting January 1, and it has made a huge impact in the way we do business. We already had a great workflow and relationship with our clients, but with a Logistics Coordinator, we are able to keep things running just that much more smoothly, fully serving our clients to an even greater extent. And Dwayne is a great fit – he is super-nice, well-connected and great with customers.” Wright notes, “This is a great office with a really cool vibe, and I’m proud to join the team. I am looking forward to a big year for me and for GC Pro. I think the new team infrastructure puts us in a position to maximize all of our tools and help customers get to the next level. Already we can see and feel things going the right way. It’s all positive.” Rounding out the Dallas team is Account Manager Kevin Deal, a recent transplant from the Plano location. He states, “It is a pleasure to be working with such an outstanding team here in Dallas. 2012 is going to be an excellent year for our office, and I’m proud to be a significant part of moving us forward for years to come.”

GC Pro is also expanding its Technical Services operation. In 2011, GC Pro opened a Technical Services office in the Hollywood location, and in April 2012 a new office in Nashville will open, with a dedicated GC Pro Technician, providing services direct from the Nashville GC Pro location, building up custom CTO Mac systems for turnkey recording purposes in installation in the Nashville area.

Additionally, GC Pro is establishing a national headquarters based out of the Hollywood location, including offices for GC Pro executive staff, technical services and sales. This location will also be equipped to host vendor and customer meetings, as well as an upgraded pro audio demonstration facility. Plushner stated, “We already have an excellent demo facility, but we’re going to be improving upon that and making it truly a world-class working recording studio where people can come and see the gear that we recommend. We’re very excited about seeing that in action, and we hope our customers are too. With our expanding staff and enhanced services, we are refining what we do well, and that is customer relations, and that will lead to another strong year for GC Pro and our customers, both new and returning.”

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.