— From commissioning workstation platforms like Pro Tools HD, to acoustical treatments and monitoring, GC Pro has been Travis Powers’ trusted partner as he works on classic shows like The Simpsons,
King of the Hill, The PJs, Dilbert and other major animated hits —
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA — Arguably, the toughest balancing act in audio isn’t in the final mix — it’s in achieving equilibrium between the creative power and the technical complexity of pro audio technology. That’s an equation that Travis Powers has always encountered, first as a musician programming samplers and processing gear, and then later applying the same digital techniques as Sound Designer, Supervising Sound Effects Editor and/or Composer for hit animated television series including The Simpsons, Futurama, Dilbert, The PJs, The Critic, The Tracey Ullman Show and King of the Hill. Powers’ sound effects work has received multiple awards, including a Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing, for The Simpsons’ episode “Treehouse of Horror VIII.” For years now, he has turned to Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the business-to-business (B2B) division of Guitar Center providing highly customized service for professional accounts, for gear and technical expertise. “I don’t want to spend a lot of time thinking about the technical side of the equipment in my studio, ”You want to deliver really well-prepared material to the final mix, because on the stage it is about merging the dialogue, music and effects, not spending time cleaning up, balancing or modulating the tracks. The high track count, powerful design plugins and sonic clarity of the system Ziv put together for me gives me the confidence that what I’m hearing in my studio translates to what will be heard on the screen. That’s why I’ve been happy for years to leave the technical side to GC Pro.”
GC Pro’s West L.A. location has been Powers’ go-to resource for a long time. There, dedicated personnel such as Ziv Gross (Account Manager) and Derek Snyder (Manager, Strategic Development) have been helping clients pick the right gear for their needs and getting them up and running on it as quickly and transparently as possible. “Travis has been working with Derek and I for quite a while now; we try to anticipate his needs and get him comfortable with new equipment as easily as possible,” explains Account Manager Ziv Gross, who set Powers up with his new Avid Pro Tools HD system and Genelec 8330 SAM® Monitoring System in 2.1. And GC Pro will be part of expanding that system to full 5.1 in the very near future.
Gross recalls, “When we handled the new Pro Tools HD system for him, we also transferred all of his plugins and sound libraries from the old computer, so that he was up and running without having to wait for the process. It was plug and play within just a few hours. My rep from Genelec and I came over to his studio to set up the new system and tune the monitors to the room. No other retailer does all that.”
Powers agrees: “These guys are always on top of it,” he says. “Recommendations for new equipment, new acoustical treatments, letting me know about upgrades — they always keep me up to date. My work never stops, and neither do they.”
Powers’ close relationship with GC Pro, and the gear and setup they’ve assembled together over the years, has helped with the blossoming of an entirely new career – that of Travis’ daughter Veronica Powers, an up-and-coming performer in her own right. As a singer-songwriter and actress in her teens, Veronica has recently broken out with high-profile live performances and her brand new single and video “You’ve Got Something.” Travis notes, “I’ve never put any pressure on her at all to enter show business; it was all organic and natural for her, but growing up in a household with a recording studio certainly an influence, I believe! Getting started years ago, we were able to produce music and videos for Veronica in-house, thanks to the gear setup I’ve been lucky to put together – not to mention the guitar we got her from Guitar Center. Now the opportunities are stacking up, with several producers interested in her moving forward – she co-wrote ‘You’ve Got Something’ with Francci Richard (songwriter for Fergie, Keyshia Cole, Patti LaBelle, JoJo). She is currently writing a song with pop star Pixie Lott, produced Barry Blue, and is managed by vocal coach and talent consultant CeCe Sammy (Pop Idol, S Club Search, The X Factor). I am beyond proud. I guess it’s like a veteran quarterback getting to see their kid grow up into a great football player all their own.”
For more information, please visit http://www.guitarcenter.com/GC-Pro/.
