— Five new high-end audio post studios are a key part of the facility’s expansion, and GC Pro sourced most of the new hardware and software and provided consulting and guidance to integrate the new equipment seamlessly with Outpost’s existing gear —
Outpost Digital, a leading New York City audio and video post production company whose clients include Dodge, Champion, ESPN, Cingular, IKEA and others, recently completed a significant expansion of its facilities on Manhattan’s lower West Side. Thirteen new post suites were added in newly available space on the same floor as the company’s existing facility, five of which are full-service audio post studios. This substantial expansion required careful consideration of new technologies and products that would keep Outpost on the leading edge but also integrate easily and smoothly with existing equipment that the company planned to install in the new studios. Outpost found a great resource in Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users.
The team from GC Pro’s Manhattan location was able to help Outpost make informed decisions and create a plan that brought the new rooms on line quickly and efficiently, and GC Pro helped them choose equipment including an Avid Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel system, Blue Sky MediaDesk 5.1 MKII and Prodesk 2.1 MKIII Active Monitoring systems, Studio Tech StudioComm 78/79 7.1 Surround Controllers and Bryston 3BSST2PRO power amplifiers.
Michael Yorky, Account Manager at GC Pro in New York, understood that Outpost’s expansion needed the kind of service for which GC Pro has become known. In addition to depth of inventory and great prices, Yorky arranged additional support services for Outpost, such as complimentary on-site factory calibration of the Blue Sky monitors, and in other cases arranging Skype video calls between vendors and Outpost staffers. “One of the advantages GC Pro can bring to a client is our long and deep relationships with our vendors,” says Yorky. “We go beyond being a one-stop shop – we have our clients’ backs with this kind of vendor support.”
Randy Main, Chief Engineer at Outpost Digital, offers other examples of how GC Pro was the perfect resource. He cites how Yorky spent time on site, watching and coming to understand Outpost’s workflow patterns and needs. As a result, he suggested the acquisition of the Lynx Aurora 16HD DA/AD converter with an LT-HD Expansion card. The Lynx Aurora 16 DA/AD provides full support for Pro Tools with the expansion slot as well as acting as DA/AD for other applications. “He fulfilled our needs perfectly. We were able to combine our vision for our Pro Tools applications and facility-wide applications into a comprehensive system,” Main explains. “Michael really understood what our workflow was about.”
He also lauded the fact that GC Pro allowed Outpost to test drive demo systems on site, to see how well they would fit into their workflow. “We went through several choices of control surfaces for the Pro Tools systems, and that ability to test them before making a decision meant we always made the right decisions,” Main says. “We got great advice, great equipment and great prices. So going with GC Pro was the right decision, without a doubt.”
For more information, please visit www.gcpro.com.
