GC Pro Extends Tech Support Group to Nashville

— GC Pro continues to expand this acclaimed service with the addition of technical support personnel in Nashville, which joins GC Pro’s location in Hollywood to offer access to complex systems design, installation and integration services —

— The initiative will also be fully integrated with GC Pro’s acclaimed Affiliate Services Program to create a truly comprehensive turnkey system solution —
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, October 22, 2012 — As part of its continuing effort to add useful and valuable services and products to its client offerings, Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, today announced the extension of its successful new Technical Support Group initiative to the Nashville professional audio market. The program, which provides a number of technical support services, including customized Macintosh®-based audio systems solutions for clients in all of the market sectors it serves (recording studios, post production facilities and installed A/V), will now benefit Nashville’s music recording and production community. The Technical Support Group was initially launched in May 2011 at GC Pro’s Hollywood, California location. Additional personnel for the Technical Support Group are planned for other GC Pro locations in the U.S. in the future.

In the newly opened Nashville location, GC Pro Technical Services Technician Frantz Verna says that key services have already been provided for a range of professional clients there, such as loading and authorizing customers’ plug-in packages and integrating key applications including AVID’s Pro Tools® HD systems and others, and designing and building Mac-based audio systems equipped to the customers’ specifications for hard drives, video cards, RAM and other parameters. Such clients include producer/drummer Mike Marsh of the band Dashboard Confessional, legendary vocalist/composer/actress Bonnie Bramlett and Sound Emporium Recording Studios.

Verna says that many of these tasks, such as loading and authorizing software, are time- and labor-intensive, and pull music professionals away from their real work. “Musicians in Nashville definitely have better things to do with their time,” he says. “The advantage we bring to them, that they cannot get at a computer store, is that GC Pro understands how to optimize and maximize computer hardware, software and peripherals for music applications and integrate computers with their outboard equipment. We know how a computer best fits into a professional audio system. We’re able to give our clients a computer that’s ready to plug and play, which is exactly what they want and what no computer store could ever offer.” And all systems from the Technical Support Group will also be available for integration by members of GC Pro’s acclaimed Affiliate Services Program, which offers the services of certified studio designers, acousticians, systems integrators and other technical services to all GC Pro customers. No other professional audio retailer can offer such a comprehensive package of high-end products and programs.

“We are proud to expand our Technical Support Group endeavors to the rich market of Nashville,” stated Rick Plushner, GC Pro Vice President. “Nashville’s music community is growing larger and larger every day, and with such a large concentration of artists, players, composers, producers, engineers and post-production professionals, it is the type of market that can clearly benefit from the services of our Technical Support Group.”

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.

GC Pro Lends a Hand to Stonehand Studio

Engineer/producer Chris Jones at his Florence, Kentucky-based Stonehand Studio, pictured with some of the gear he has acquired through GC Pro.

— New music facility in northern Kentucky aims for an organic sound with carefully chosen technology, sourced and installed by GC Pro —
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, September 12, 2012 — When Chris Jones does something, he doesn’t do it halfway. The engineer/producer is about to open his own music studio in Florence, Kentucky, near Cincinnati, and he spent considerable time and effort researching how to achieve what he wanted in the way of sound. Jones’ wish list was long and detailed, but it was just what Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, loves to do: help audio professionals bring their visions to life.

Stonehand Studio, which will open in the fall of 2012, is conceived by Jones as a natural-sounding space where acoustics and technology combine to create a wholly organic ambient environment for music recording. “I want it to be a place where people will enjoy taking their time, choosing microphones and picking mic placements to get exactly the sounds they’re looking for,” he explains. Stonehand’s equipment list was put together to help achieve what the studio’s acoustics will bring about naturally, and Jones has a clear rationale behind each piece. For instance, he says he selected the Vintech 473 4-channel mic preamplifier because it approximates the sound of vintage Neve pre amps, and the API 3124+ 4-channel mic pre for what it brings to drums, guitar amps and vocals. Jones researched these and other specific pieces of gear, looking for the combinations that would give him the kind of sonic sensibilities he wanted, but he also consulted with the GC Pro office in Cincinnati, where Account Manager Jim Kinney helped Jones narrow his choices, sourced products and helped him get competitive prices.

And when the time came, they also helped commission the studio, too. Marcin Nowak with GC Pro Technical Services handled the Pro Tools 10 software and Universal Audio Nevana software installations, PCIE card installation, Apogee Symphony installation, RAM upgrades and Apple Mac Pro computer set-up and registrations. GC Pro’s Pres Maxson was invaluable behind the scenes, making sure all the pieces were ordered correctly and arrived on time.

“GC Pro has an awesome team mentality, and it really shows when we get to work on a project,” says Kinney. “Chris was willing to do whatever he could to get the highest performance for his budget from every aspect of the gear. He had clear goals for himself and wanted expert help getting there. We spent a lot of time discussing many options and he seemed to value my input and considered my advice in his equipment decisions.” Jones agrees. “When I started researching, I talked to a number of retailers, including GC Pro,” he says. “But as it went along and the project grew, I found myself talking more and more to Jim at GC Pro. He was always on the job, always there when we had a question, and he always had an answer – they were very, very knowledgeable. GC Pro understood what I was going for, what I was trying to achieve, where I wanted to go with the studio. Those guys have been there themselves, so they know how to help me get where I want to go.”

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.