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PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Clyne Media, Inc.
Tel: (615) 662-1616
Fax: (615) 662-1636FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GUITAR CENTER PROFESSIONAL PROVIDES CHICAGO’S WBEZ WITH
SOLID STATE LOGIC AWS 900+ CONSOLE— Guitar Center Professional and SSL provide a turnkey solution
for influential Public Radio station —WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, July 23, 2008 — WBEZ Chicago Public Radio has upgraded the performance and recording studio space at its facility on the city’s famed Navy Pier. The 35' W x 42' D x 18' H performance space boasts a 9-foot Steinway grand piano and has hosted artists as diverse as jazz great Ramsey Lewis, singer-songwriter duo The Swell Season (recent OSCAR® winners Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova), R&B songstress Alicia Keys, rapper Lupe Fiasco and more, recording tracks for syndicated radio show Sound Opinions as well as client demos. The recent upgrade involved the purchase of a new Solid State Logic (SSL) AWS 900+ analog console and a Digidesign HD3 Pro Tools system, all acquired through Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users.
WBEZ Chicago Public Radio is a community-supported, public service broadcasting institution that offers programs that are a reflection of the distinctive and diverse Chicago area and specializes in engaging, thoughtful, and entertaining programs of depth, breadth, diversity and substance. To support that mission, all new studio gear must be highly flexible yet cost-effective to meet the budgets of public broadcasting, and GC Pro and SSL provided WBEZ with a turnkey recording console solution.
WBEZ Audio Supervisor Mary Gaffney had been working on an all-digital console there for the last eight years, but when she learned from GC Pro that the SSL AWS 900+ offered digital control features such as recall, combined with the warmth of analog sound – all within her price range – she knew that was what she wanted. “SSL offers the sound we were looking for, and the company’s history in the recording market puts performers at ease when they show up for the session. It’s just like seeing the Steinway we have. It fills both the performers and us with confidence, and then delivers. Plus, the AWS offers all these features and functionality in a reasonably sized footprint.”
GC Pro, the exclusive U.S. retailer of the AWS 900+, worked closely with Gaffney as part of the studio’s upgrade. “GC Pro was extremely helpful, very welcoming -- I just found them wonderful,” says Gaffney. “Dan Scalpone [GC Pro Senior Account Manager] took me on a tour of the SSL and also set me up with the Digidesign rep. I have worked with GC Pro in the past, and will continue to, because they allow you to be hands-on with the equipment. The experience is always wonderful.” GC Pro delivered the console and the hard-disk recording system at WBEZ and continues to support the client post-sale.
And, GC Pro had the answers when it came to helping the station finance its purchases. “We were hoping that there was a payment plan and the salesperson directed us to the group that is setting up the financing,” she says. “Everything just fell into place so quickly and easily.”Photo File: GCPro_WBEZ_AWS900.JPG
Photo Caption: WBEZ Chicago Public Radio’s new AWS 900+ console, provided by Guitar Center Professional, shown in the station’s newly reconfigured recoding studio space.
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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.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
All Rights Reserved.