|
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