home


Photo Files
(Click for high-res
JPG images)


GC Pro Account Manager Dan Scalpone (left) and GRAMMY®-nominated producer Johnny K (right), at Chicago’s Groovemaster Studios, Johnny’s personal recording space. Johnny K looks to GC Pro for everything from pro audio gear to software and musical instruments.

GRAMMY®-nominated producer Johnny K (left) and GC Pro Account Manager Dan Scalpone (right), at Chicago’s Groovemaster Studios, Johnny’s personal recording space. Johnny K looks to GC Pro for everything from pro audio gear to software and musical instruments.



PR AGENCY CONTACT:
Robert Clyne
Clyne Media, Inc.
Tel: 615.662.1616
www.clynemedia.com

COMPANY PRESS CONTACT:
Rick Plushner
Guitar Center Professional
Tel: (818) 735-8800 x2238
www.gcpro.com

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRODUCER JOHNNY K LOOKS TO GUITAR CENTER PROFESSIONAL TO OUTFIT HIS GROOVEMASTER STUDIOS IN CHICAGO

— 2009 GRAMMY® nominee for Producer of the Year knows he can turn to GC Pro for everything from pro audio gear to software and musical instruments —

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, April 16, 2009 — Producer/engineer Johnny K’s work with artists such as Disturbed, Staind, Machine Head, Kill Hannah, Soil, Black Tide and other successful acts recently garnered the Chicagoan his first GRAMMY® nomination for Producer of the Year. The place where much of Johnny’s work has been done for the past 14 years is Groovemaster Studios, his personal recording space, now in its fourth incarnation in a six-story, 40,000-square-foot loft, a former brewery near Chicago’s famously musical South Side. The building currently houses four studios, each with its own distinctive character. Helping to keep it at the cutting edge of recording technology is Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users.

The relationship between Johnny K and Guitar Center Pro has been long and close, and GC Pro has helped Johnny K keep his studio at the forefront of technology through several of its iterations. Most recently, GC Pro provided Groovemaster with new ADAM Audio A7 monitors, the EastWest Symphonic Orchestra Platinum Strings plug-in, several Native Instruments Komplete software bundles, various pieces of drum hardware and a classic Music Man StingRay bass guitar. GC Pro’s ability to cover such a wide range of products and systems is one of the things that makes it the ultimate resource for industry pros like Johnny K, who is known not only for his genius as a producer but also for his chops as an engineer and a musician.

Groovermaster Studios’ current home is the perfect setting for a recording studio: its thick brick walls are insulated with six inches of cork, installed originally with the intention of keeping the brewery’s beer cold, and its floors support a massive 400 pounds of weight per square inch. The sturdy structure also features a panoramic view of the skyline of Chicago, providing plenty of the natural light that Johnny K feels is important to the creative process.

Groovemaster Studios’ design and equipment reflect Johnny K’s wide-ranging capabilities. The studio’s 3rd floor houses the Neve Room, whose control room is built around a pristine 48-channel Neve 8128 console, complemented with a bountiful rack of vintage outboard gear, a large open tracking room and over eighty guitars and dozens of amplifiers. The 5th floor mixing room is focused around an SSL 4080 G+ Console and a massive six-bay custom rack of outboard gear – not to mention a jaw-dropping vista of Chicago’s skyline.

In the lobby area is a perfectly restored 1937 Cadillac, outfitted with reference speakers for listening to mixes. There’s also an ornately decorated private bar, which evokes a classic Chicago speakeasy vibe, where clients can relax after a long day of work. Should artists need further relaxation, the third floor lounge is complete with a large Jacuzzi, kitchen, workout area, entertainment center and a large foosball table.

“Groovemaster Studios is a reflection of Johnny’s own musical diversity,” says Dan Scalpone, GC Pro Account Manager for the Chicago area. “He’s open to trying anything, in terms of music and technology, and GC Pro is the only store of its kind that has the breadth and depth of inventory that can accommodate those kind of requirements. We’re very pleased Johnny continues to choose GC Pro to keep his studio filled with whatever he needs, whenever he needs it.”

Photo File 1: GCPro_JohnnyK_1.JPG
Photo Caption 1: GC Pro Account Manager Dan Scalpone (left) and GRAMMY®-nominated producer Johnny K (right), at Chicago’s Groovemaster Studios, Johnny’s personal recording space. Johnny K looks to GC Pro for everything from pro audio gear to software and musical instruments.

Photo File 2: GCPro_JohnnyK_2.JPG
Photo Caption 2: GRAMMY®-nominated producer Johnny K (left) and GC Pro Account Manager Dan Scalpone (right), at Chicago’s Groovemaster Studios, Johnny’s personal recording space. Johnny K looks to GC Pro for everything from pro audio gear to software and musical instruments.

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.

Guitar Center is the leading United States retailer of guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment. Our retail store subsidiary presently operates more than 200 Guitar Center stores across the U.S. In addition, our Music & Arts division operates more than 100 stores specializing in band instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students. We are also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments in the United States through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician’s Friend, Inc., and its catalog and Web site, www.musiciansfriend.com. More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company's Web site at www.guitarcenter.com.

The Guitar Center logo is a registered trademark of Guitar Center, Inc. Other brand or product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

MEDIA CONTACT: Robert Clyne, Clyne Media, Inc. at (615) 662-1616

 


Copyright ©2009, Clyne Media, Inc.,
All Rights Reserved.