GC Pro Helps Source Gear for Las Vegas Clark County Library District “Learn to DJ” Program

A view of three different DJ stations in use for the Las Vegas Clark County Library District’s “Learn to DJ” program, with gear sourced through GC Pro. Photo courtesy of Salvador Avila. © 2015.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, February 24, 2015 — The Las Vegas Clark County Library District’s “Learn to DJ” program (a part of their broader TechArt Studio initiative and part of the federally-funded STEM program scholarships) has been going strong since 2013. The program was recently brought to a higher level with gear upgrades sourced through Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users. GC Pro Account Manager John Stevens worked closely with Enterprise Branch Manager Salvador Avila, who runs the class, to assemble a full complement of all new DJ gear, lighting and headphones to serve this free, twice-weekly class, for students age 13-17.

This interactive, hands-on experience introduces and exposes young people to DJ skills, including scratching, mixing and lighting. After mastering the many functions of the controller and software, students are able to create their own mix, burn it to a disc and share it with family, friends and fellow DJs. More generally, the program helps kids develop skills in computer use, music composition, public speaking and event/equipment management. There is also a separate class for adults, meeting twice monthly. The classes are held at the Enterprise Library branch at 25 E. Shelbourne Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89123.

Avila runs the class, where he is known as “Coach.” He states, “Libraries all over the country are having a hard time attracting teens, and they are approaching the problem in unique ways. Here, in one of the entertainment capitals of the world, it made sense to start a DJ program for young people. We started with one controller, one set of speakers, a set of lights and a laptop, and our program members quickly outgrew this setup. I recommended to the Public Services Administration that makes library decisions that we convert one of the conference rooms into a full-time DJ studio with five stations, and they agreed to it! It was a risk, but it paid off.”

Avila and Stevens decided on an extensive equipment list, and the program ended up purchasing Numark NS72, Pioneer DDJ-SX and Numark NS6 controllers, with Pioneer DDJ-SX2 controllers soon to join the arsenal; Chauvet Obey™ 70 lighting controller; Alto and Mackie speakers; a selection of microphones and more.

Avila notes, “I have a curriculum in place, but it’s based on the students’ own comfort level, their own competency. If you’re new, first you have to learn how to do cues and loops, and master those two things. Once I feel that you have mastered those two functions, we move on to looping and scratching techniques. Once you’ve mastered that, we introduce effects. It’s a journey. I have kids that have been attending since day one. They can attend as long as they like.”

He adds, “I got involved with Guitar Center and GC Pro because I like loud music, and they have the professional-grade loudspeakers that I like. When I went there to build my own home DJ setup, John Stevens was so knowledgeable that I developed a relationship there. Once the program was getting off the ground, I went back to John and he walked me through the process of what would be the right equipment and accessories, for the age group that I was dealing with. That’s how I became a GC Pro customer, mainly because of the great Account Managers and the right advice.”

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

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

Best of AES 2014: Mackie DL32R

GC Pro has returned from a tremendously successful 2014 Audio Engineering Society (AES) show, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center not very far from our headquarters in Westlake Village, CA. We'll be taking a closer look at a number of products that we found especially interesting, useful, or just plain cool. Here's a new product that encompasses all three qualities: the Mackie DL32R 32-channel wireless digital mixer with iPad control.

Everything from Anywhere
We live in amazing times, especially if you work in pro audio and live sound. Take the Mackie DL32R... a 32-channel digital mixer that you control via your iPad. But wait; it's also a direct-to-drive multitrack recorder/playback tool. But wait; it's also jam-packed with digital signal processing. But wait; the whole thing is contained in a 3U rackmount enclosure. So while we were a bit skeptical toward Mackie's "Control everything from anywhere" claim with the DL32R, we have to admit: that's pretty much exactly what it does, and now your live sound venue, house of worship, or studio can do it too.

32-channel wireless digital mixer
The DL32R starts with 32 Onyx+ recallable mic pres with wireless control. It's got the professional interfacing you need, including 14 fully-assignable XLR outputs and a stereo AES digital output. All settings on the DL32R can be recalled for future use. Its 3U rackmount design is perfect for both touring or a permanent installation, and it has an expansion card slot.

Wireless Mixing: the FOH mix position is now wherever you are
You can ditch that cable snake, because you're not going to be tied down to anything with the DL32R. The reason? It operates wirelessly, giving you complete control from your iPad. Need to walk around the room and check null points and dead spots? Carry your iPad and adjust your mix while you move through the room. Need to set up a personal monitor mix? You can use multiple iPads, iPhones, or iPod touches (up to 10 separate iOS devices at once), and let the performers tweak their own IEM or stage wedge mix. Now your only question is where to put that mixer (answer: wherever you want).

Multi-track recording & playback
The DL32R offers 32x32 USB 2.0 audio interfaces for Mac or PC, as well as 24x24 recording/playback direct to USB 2.0 hard drive. Do you get wireless control over all direct-to-disk recording/playback functions via the iPad? Of course you do. And how can you use this capability? How about recording your live shows for later mixdown? Or perhaps playing back intermission music and backing tracks? Or doing virtual sound checks to tune the venue before the band has even arrived? This capability might allow the DL32R to be the centerpiece of your studio. You can even use Mac or PC audio plug-ins in a live environment.

DSP? Yeah baby!
The DL32R is packed with digital signal processing and flexible routing that you'll need for live sound, including 36 input channels with 4-band PEQ + HPF, gate and compression. You also get 32 stereo-linkable input channels, 28 output busses with 4-band PEQ + HPF/LPF, 31-band GEQ, comp/limiter and alignment delay, and much more.

Master Fader control app
Your main way of connecting your ears and your brain to the DL32R is via the Master Fader app, an intuitive and easy-to-master app for your iPad. You get fast navigation with view groups and overview, and a quick setup with tons of factory and user-definable presets. You can limit access as needed to prevent any unwanted adjustments (like, by the guy who wants to use your iPad to update Twitter). And like any app, Mackie can quickly offer updates via the Apple App Store.

About the only thing you need to provide to take advantage of the DL32R is an iPad and a Wi-Fi router. Along with those, you really can control everything from anywhere. Well, reasonably speaking. Don't try and mix a show in Cleveland from Chicago. That's just bad form.

GC Pro Knows Live Sound!
From bars and nightclubs to restaurants and houses of worship, GC Pro's representatives are experts on helping you put together the ultimate live sound system within your budget. The Mackie DL32R seems like an excellent addition to just about any live sound environment, so contact us now and get more information, or pre-order it today!