Introducing the Avid S3L System

CALL 877-687-5404 NOW FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO PLACE YOUR S3L ORDER!

Get the performance, sound quality, and features that countless live sound professionals have come to rely on in a system architecture that’s built for the future. Available now at GC Pro, the modular S3L System is comprised of a high-performance HDX-powered processing engine running AAX plug-ins, scalable remote I/O that can live on stage or in a rack, award-winning VENUE and Pro Tools® software, and a head-turning compact control surface that’s built for the road, but equally at home in the studio. A fault-tolerant Gigabit Ethernet network connects all devices and uses the open Ethernet AVB and EUCON™ standards for maximum performance and flexibility.

For unmatched Pro Tools integration, simply connect your laptop (with Pro Tools or other DAW installed) to the system’s Ethernet AVB network (using a single Cat5e cable) for up to 64 tracks of audio recording/playback. VENUE Link makes it easy to control your live mixing and recording/playback setups as one. What’s more, with EUCON functionality coming soon, you’ll be able to use the control surface to mix Pro Tools and other DAW sessions, making the system the ultimate solution for both stage and studio. Your GC Pro representative will be glad to answer any S3L questions you may have... contact us at 877-687-5404!

Feature highlights
• Experience uncompromising performance with HDX-powered processing
• Re-create the sound of the studio with integrated Pro Tools AAX plug-ins
• Configure the modular system with up to 64 mic pres
• Get reliable Ethernet AVB connectivity, without the cable bulk
• Record directly to Pro Tools (or other DAW) through your laptop’s Ethernet port
• Control Pro Tools and other DAWs using the S3 control surface as a EUCON controller (feature coming soon)
• Fit the system anywhere and transport with ease—perfect for fly gigs and bus tours
• Get the celebrated hallmarks of Avid live sound systems
• Take your VENUE show files with you on a USB key for use on any Avid live system

The S3L System Includes:

• S3 control surface:
- Compact 16-fader surface, with six bankable layers
- 32 touch-sensitive encoders and high-resolution OLEDs
- Multicolor Channel Control parameter section for fast mix adjustments
- Full complement of I/O (see Specifications)
- Dual Gigabit Ethernet AVB ports, featuring latching etherCON connectors
- EUCON-enabled for Pro Tools and other DAW control (feature coming soon)
- USB connections for a keyboard and mouse (not included)

• E3 engine
- Runs VENUE software, mission control for the entire system
- High-performance, HDX-powered processing engine (supports AAX DSP plug-ins)
- 24 aux busses, LCR, plus 8 mono matrixes and 8 VCAs
- 2-track recording/playback using standard USB Flash drives
- Local and ancillary I/O (see Specifications)
- Three Gigabit Ethernet AVB ports, featuring latching etherCON connectors
- Separate Ethernet port for remote control using a laptop or tablet

• Stage 16 remote I/O box
- 16 analog inputs (XLR) with remote mic preamp control
- 8 analog line outputs (XLR)
- 4 channels of AES3 digital output
- Ruggedized design with dual-purpose rack ears/handles for use as a stage box or rack-mounted
- Power and status LEDs, with device Identify feature
- Sliding Mute switch silences all box outputs
- Two Gigabit Ethernet AVB ports, featuring latching etherCON connectors

• VENUE software

• Pro Tools software

• Plug-in bundle

• Cables, accessories, and guides

GC Pro is your source for the new Avid S3L System! Our account managers and sales staff are fully trained in S3L technology and implementation, and can arrange for a demo at your convenience. Call us at 877-687-5404, or click here to find your local GC Pro representative!

Phenix City First Assembly of God Looks to GC Pro

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, August 12, 2013 — Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, has built a strong relationship with Jonathan “JT” Thornton, the Worship Pastor at Phenix City First Assembly of God, a “lively, upbeat, encouraging, and Spirit-led” church led by Senior Pastor Barry Danner in Phenix City, on the Alabama-Georgia state line. Thornton has been working closely with Brad Lyons, his Account Manager at the GC Pro office in Atlanta. “I need a trusting relationship with someone who can help me take my church forward, Thornton states. “I found that with GC Pro.”

Brad Lyons and his team worked closely with Thornton over the two years he’s been at the First Assembly of God church, helping him choose an entire new PA system for the main sanctuary, new projectors for the space’s video, and even two Yamaha keyboards for the church’s 10-piece praise band. GC Pro sourced a Yamaha LS9 console, an entire JBL VRX line array system, an Ashly Audio NE24.24 8 X 12 processor, Crown XTi power amplifiers and upgrades to the church’s existing Sennheiser evolution wireless microphone system, as well as BenQ SH960 6,000 lumen Projectors, Kramer VP728 Video Scaler/Switcher and Lyntec PDS-10 Power Sequencing system.

Thornton says there are two key principles that guide him: the need to find the equipment that best fits the church’s needs and that also best fits its budgets. “You need to have the quality that stands up over time and that keeps the church’s AV systems current for as long as possible, but I also have to be a steward of the church’s resources, to allow the technology to best further its evangelical goals in the community,” he explains. “To do that, I need a relationship with someone whom I trust who also knows what our goals are, knows the rooms we have to work in and understands our budget concerns.”

The collaboration with GC Pro has been a good one so far, and Thornton says some additional upgrades are under consideration, including possibly adding in-ear monitoring for the sanctuary stage. And through it all, he will turn to GC Pro: “I do have to do my due diligence and check out different options for equipment,” says Thornton. “You can call around and get quotes all day, but ultimately there are certain people you trust, and for me that someone has been Brad.”

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.

Post Pro Looks to GC Pro for Neve Genesys

The control room at Raleigh, North Carolina-based facility Post Pro, featuring a Neve Genesys console sourced through GC Pro.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, August 5, 2013 — Matt Horton’s Raleigh, North Carolina-based facility Post Pro is a primer on what it takes to keep a commercial studio facility afloat and successful in an uncertain economy and in a secondary market. The most recent location opened last December, but Horton has done business in two other locations over the last two decades. Horton chose early on to diversify his services; he’s hosted recording, mixing and mastering sessions for a range of well-known artists including Matchbox Twenty, Big Daddy Kane, Evanescence, Swizz Beatz and Julio Iglesias, as well as audio post work for corporate clients like Winnow Creative and Brazilian filmmakers. Horton has also been overseeing a transfer of original two-track masters from legendary art rockers Devo. Horton notes, “The way we’ve made it work is to be able to do it all, a bit of everything that the client could need,” from basic tracks to mixing, mastering and video post, to CD and DVD duplication and even audio restoration and forensics services. With the opening of the new complex, Horton sourced a Neve Genesys console through Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users.

The tracking room at Raleigh, North Carolina-based facility Post Pro. The facility features various gear, including a Neve Genesys console, sourced through GC Pro.

The new studio facility consisting of the following spaces: Studio A’s large tracking room and spacious control room, the latter centered around a 24-channel Genesys console with Neve 1073 microphone preamps and Neve 1084 equalizers on each channel and Avid Pro Tools HD and Studer and Tascam analog multitrack recorders; a smaller preproduction studio loaded with over 30 vintage and new hardware synths and drum machines; and the Video Post Suite featuring a Euphonix MC Pro control surface and Blackmagic Design hardware.

Horton notes, “That [Genesys] console is amazing, and having the 1073 microphone preamps on it just takes it to another level,” he says. “You’d actually have to work to make it sound bad. It just sounds great naturally, as soon as you turn it on.”

There’s lots of other gear, esoteric and otherwise, much of it sourced through GC Pro. Horton says they were the only place in the country that could get him the Neve Genesys, which he says he bought before he ever actually heard it. “I’ve worked on a Neve many times and I know what a 1073 sounds like, and it just makes me gush inside,” he notes. “Getting that Neve console was a very happy moment – I was blown away by it. It just sounded like heaven.” Horton says that GC Pro has been a resource for him for most of the years he’s owned Post Pro, and he’ll be back there in the near future to add more Neve 1084 preamp/EQ modules for channels 17-24 on the Genesys.

GC Pro isn’t just a resource when he’s at the studio, though. Horton fondly recalls them being able to deliver a Roland Fantom-G6 workstation keyboard to him while he was on the road with Guns N’ Roses. “I was programming keyboards for them and I called and asked if they could get the workstation to me ASAP,” he recalls. “And it was waiting for me when I got to the hotel. They take care of me in the studio and on the road.”

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.

Slate RAVEN MTX: FAQ

The Slate RAVEN MTX is a revolutionary product for professional audio, so it's only natural that everyone has a lot of questions about what it is, how it integrates into a studio, and what advantages it presents. Slate Audio has provided this FAQ that will answer everything you ever wanted to know about RAVEN, and more. To get a demo of the RAVEN, contact your GC Pro representative here.

Q: What is The RAVEN?
A: The RAVEN is a state of the art Multitouch Production Console and DAW controller, compatible with all major DAWs. RAVEN ships with Pro Tools 10 & 11 compatibility and will soon offer other DAWs, such as Logic and Cubase/Nuendo, Live etc.

Q:  Does The RAVEN need a computer to run?
A:  Yes, your computer.  The RAVEN runs on the same computer as your DAW and is used as the main display.  You can use additional displays if your computer supports them.

Q: How does The RAVEN work?
A: The RAVEN is cutting edge hardware and the world’s only multitouch DAW controller on a Mac allowing you to touch the DAW itself, not an external device.  RAVEN integrates with your DAW, allows for instantaneous control of all of the user’s DAW parameters, and adds many workflow enhancing features through its user-customizable controls.

Q:  How do I hook up The RAVEN?
A:  RAVEN is plug-n-play.  Just like a computer display and a USB device.  All you need is one standard DVI cable and one USB 2.0 connection from your computer.  Industry standard DB25 audio cables and breakouts connect to your audio interface, speakers, and/or patchbay. For more information, watch the “Raven QuickStart” video available on SlateDigitalTV via YouTube.

Q:  Will my arms get tired?
A:  Our arms are feeling great!  The Slate team found the ideal ergonomic relationships that make up the RAVEN MTX console.  Moving your arms, hands and fingers around the multitouch screen is fast, fun, intuitive and promotes good health.

Q: How is the RAVEN Mixer different from the mixer in my DAW?
A: The RAVEN turns your DAW mixer a multitouch controller.

Q: How does the RAVEN Software connect to my DAW?
A:  RAVEN programming team created the RAVEN Protocol which connects to your DAW via the industry standard NeyFi protocol.  No ethernet or MIDI required.

Q: Am I able to use more than one finger to touch the RAVEN?
A: RAVEN enables the user to have multitouch access to one’s essential mixing tools with up to twelve simultaneous touch points.  Editing is done with direct single touch.

Q: Are Plugins touch capable as well?
A: Yes! Reach out and touch your plugins.  Manufacturers are developing multitouch plugins for RAVEN.  In the case of really small plugin GUI controls, a mouse or trackball works great.

Q:  What do RAVEN’s analog components do?
A:  RAVEN provides high-resolution analog monitoring in stereo and 7.1 surround for the ultimate clear monitoring experience.

Q: Is the RAVEN a computer audio interface?
A: No, the RAVEN does provide pristine analog monitoring for multiple sources, headphones and speakers.  You will continue to use your converters and preamps as normal.

Q:  What does The RAVEN sound like?
A:  The RAVEN Mixer software does not process audio, rather it provides multitouch control of your DAW which is ideally running the industry’s best plugins from Slate Digital and Steven Slate Drums.

Q:  Why does The RAVEN also include a keyboard and trackball area?
A:  Our multitouch mixer, customizable toolbar and Direct DAW Touch promote fast, intuitive workflows.  Sometimes it’s easier to type on the keyboard, especially if you’re emailing and some operations work great using a traditional trackball.  We recommend a hybrid approach.

Q:  How will the large display affect the sound of my speakers?
A:  RAVEN’s acoustic characteristics are an improvement upon traditional consoles and work surfaces.  Here’s what world renown studio architect and master acoustician Wes Lachot had to say:  “The good news about your console design – the 40° angle precludes the comb filtering effect of a typical console.  That’s something you can advertise – that’s a cool thing.”

Q:  What’s the effect of working close to a large display?
A:  The RAVEN display is LED backlit, which means it consumes very little power and emits less EMI.  The image is clear and the brightness controls make it easy to set up to your liking.  Our Samsung display will last 5-7 years running 24 hours a day.

Q: What is the resolution of the screen?
A: HD resolution.  1920×1080 pixels.

Q: Can I attach an additional display?
A: Yes, if your computer can.  On a Mac, additional displays can be configured in the System Preferences of your computer.   Note: Additional displays will not be touch capable, unless it is a RAVEN.

Q: What do I do if something happens to my screen, or it goes out?
A: The Raven is designed to be easily serviceable. In the case of screen damage, we can ship a new screen and have it installed into the unit. The serviceability and cost of most components are substantially below that of replacing a single hardware fader of an analog console.

Q: How hot does The RAVEN get?
A: The Raven consumes very little power and therefore produces little heat.  It’s difficult to detect any temperature increase on the display surface itself.

Additional Answers:
Raven will first ship with Mac compatibility, but will also be Windows compatible.  Users also provide the audio interface of their choice.  Raven’s analog audio electronics connect simply and seamlessly to to DB25-equipped audio interfaces.  No patching is required to quickly switch between stereo and surround mixing and monitoring modes.