Dante: So how did you get into distribution of the SonicCore products?

GaryB: I love the Scope products and use them every day running a small home studio. I began selling them because I just happened to run into the one shop that really knew about computers and music and I saw that this was the only product that allowed me to function like a real studio, as much in or out of the box as I chose. It was, and is, the only real-time system available other than ProTools, and for my purposes Scope was more useful.  Nobody in my area had even seen such a product, and since I worked in a music store, I wanted to help spread the word.  Helping the company that made my favorite audio product only made sense. 

Dante: So what are some of the challenges selling a product as unique as Scope?

GaryB: Sometimes people can be short-sighted in their purchases. Often they will spend a lot more on a bunch of little things that sort of fill an actual need and then buy a bunch more little things, rather than just spending the proper amount on something that can be more cost-effective in the long run and always fills the need.  Some would rather have toys than tools.

Dante: So have you known any big names that can endorse the Scope brand?

GaryB: Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard used Scope in the soundtrack to 'Gladiator' as nominated for 'best sound' at the Grammy awards. In fact, Hans put it in a nutshell in Sound On Sound magazine when he described Scope as 'his secret weapon which nobody seemed to know about'.

Dante: That sounds appropriate.  Do you know of any other high profile users?

GaryB: Lucas Films, Annie Lennox, Justin Timerlake's team, Jimmy Vogts (of 'Head East') and the Alman's 'Mamas Pride'.  And of course the 1/4 of a million dollar Fairlight Constellation used the 6 and 15 DSP Scope cards for its EQ and effects.  ProTools H|D will set you back $40,000 without even trying and the XITE-1 is more powerful and flexible for less than a tenth of that, even after adding a couple of control surfaces such as the BCR2000 and BCF2000.

Dante:  Do these accreditations help people understand the potential of Scope? 

GaryB:  People have a hard time understanding the value if they haven't used it, or if they are unfamiliar with hardware and the difference in audio quality compared to software, or if audio is not a primary concern.  The product is hard to describe, and many people don't realize what cool things they can do with it, even those who own it.  SonicCore are not as big as other players but they really do make a first class product which you should be able to use a very long time.  It's not about the computer. If you build a system with the current technology, you will have everything you need to make Grammy quality music, to manipulate audio at a quality sufficient for any professional purpose until the parts burn up, assuming that you are willing to develop your production skills.

GaryB August 2010

Scope Plugs: Prodyssey, Pro12, Celmos Goofy, STM2448, DAS 660

"One Life Complete" - GaryB