Los Angeles based Westlake Pro, an iconic award winning pro audio reseller and studio designer, has chosen and integrated JMR Electronics LightningTM ThunderboltTM certified rackmount workstations into the studio’s high-speed SAN implementations.
The JMR Lightning Thunderbolt (LTNG-XQ-8-RMMP) product combines the Apple Mac Pro®, three Avid Pro Tools® | HDX cards, RAID storage, a custom I/O panel, and a fiber channel HBA that networks the workstations into the studio’s high-speed SAN implementations.
The rackmount workstations are utilized in Westlake Pro’s sound stage solution for re-recording, mixing, scoring, automated dialogue replacement (ADR), and Foley for film and TV.
Westlake Pro works with post production facilities that can support over 200 Pro Tools systems running on Mac Pros. The new Mac Pros’ cylindrical design and Thunderbolt only interface create an operational challenge at many studios.
Hamid Hopkins
Hamid “Gadget” Hopkins, Westlake Pro executive vice president said, “Our clients’ workstations are designed as semi-permanent installs so they can readily be reconfigured when the need arises. When the new Mac Pro came out, while it provided the performance and capability we needed, its design required expansion boxes, unique racking, and many exposed cables ̶ making it a challenging system to maintain and reconfigure. That led us to investigate JMR and their ability to encapsulate all our needs into one system just like the older Mac Pro towers.”
The JMR Lightning Thunderbolt (LTNG-XQ) product family is designed for Apple Mac Pro users needing to connect to PCIe peripherals. The LTNG-XQ products are the only storage systems on the market featuring four full-bandwidth PCIe slots, using two independent Thunderbolt-2 20Gb/s bridge circuits: One Thunderbolt-2 bridge drives two slots, and a second internal Thunderbolt-2 bridge drives the other two slots. Connections to a host like the Mac Pro include using two of the three available Thunderbolt 2 bus connections to the Mac.
Westlake Pro Equipment Rack with JMR Lightning Rackmount Workstation
JMR Lightning Desktop and Rackmount configurations
Continued Hopkins, “Sessions and movies continue to become more complex and that requires more tracks to handle the intricacies of sound. That complexity requires a system that can handle the speed, connectivity, and reliability requirements we have to drive 3 HDX’s and local RAID along with an extra slot for fiber access. JMR’s system uniquely offers a 4th PCIe slot that allows us to do that all in one high-performance, self-contained, integrated system. Because of the rack system design, even swapping cards in the Mac Pro is easier now.”
“JMR impressed us with their absolute willingness to come out to the studio, listen to what we wanted, and helped us to custom design and configure a system that met our needs and would work well for our clients,” concluded Hopkins. “It took 12 rack spaces to store and stack all the equipment we needed for a single system prior to implementing the JMR Lightning product. Now we have one JMR workstation that fits in a 4U rack space with everything neatly inside. The system is well thought out, rock solid, and tightly integrated. Bottom line is that we are very impressed.”
More details on the JMR Thunderbolt product family can be found at www.jmr.com/thunderbolt-storage-products-external-mac-pro-storage/.
For further information on Westlake Pro, visit them at www.westlakepro.com.
His agencies’ services, for over a quarter century, have helped garner early stage and growth companies significant brand exposure, resulting in either acquisition or IPO, with a total valuation of over $2.5 Billion.
Mr. Chan is a serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, author, mentor and angel investor. He played key executive roles early on in helping to pioneer and usher in both professional digital audio and digital video technologies for the recording, broadcast, cinematic and post production industries. He also played key executive roles in helping to develop and market data storage technologies. His expansive background spans four decades in ever increasing executive roles in operations, business development, engineering and sales/marketing in the information technology, media & entertainment, storage and networking, and other related high technology industries.
He is an active mentor and senior advisor to many established and VC backed start-up companies and incubators, a market/technology analyst, and has over three decades of experience in brand development, management consulting, company turnarounds, creative advertising and public relations.
A graduate of California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo; Mr. Chan recently ended his 14th year as Vice President for the Fullerton College Foundation; 22nd year as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence and mentor for the Small Business Institute at California State University Fullerton and incubators. Additionally, he is a volunteer member of DECA (Delta Epsilon Chi and Distributive Education Clubs of America); an advisor to the College of Engineering's Global Waste Research Institute, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and a member of the President’s Green and Gold Society; and advisory council member to Pepperdine University's Most Fundable Companies program. Passionate about hospice care, he was the past Board President for the Healing Hearts Association; and is a regularly featured speaker at many MBA and Doctorate level lectures around the country. He has presented and published over 30 papers worldwide, is a book co-author, an Editorial Board Member for the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, past Senior Editor for Broadcast Beat and AV Beat Magazines, Computer Technology Review, and is a regularly featured Contributing Editor to many US and international trade publications for over 35 years.
View Cognitive Impact services at www.cognitiveimpact.com. Curtis can be reached at [email protected]; Office: (714) 620-4993
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