Release Date: 03/24/2003

Mix Engineer Tony Maserati strengthens sessions with A/V SAN™

NEW YORK, March 24, 2003 – After spending too much time fighting with SCSI drives stricken with slow transfer rates and recurring meltdowns, mix engineer Tony Maserati decided it was time for a change. Looking for a drive that could handle 96k sample rates and intense file transfer demands, Maserati opted for the Fibre Channel-based A/V SAN™ drive system from Studio Network Solutions® (SNS). Maserati, who spends a good deal of time at The Hit Factory’s Studio 3, most recently utilized the A/V SAN for sessions with Beyonce Knowles, Christina Aguilera and Destiny’s Child.

“I transfer files either from CDs or SCSI hotswaps,” states Maserati. “Whole projects fit on one A/V SAN drive, which allows me to manage everything completely and easily. On the recent Christina Aguilera sessions, I never once had to think about the drive, which is optimal for me. No matter what stress I put on the A/V SAN, it simply never stops working.”

The A/V SAN™ system, which utilizes the fibre channel communications protocol to achieve extremely high transfer rates, is capable of eliminating almost all hard drive and I/O-related PCI bus errors. This means that engineers such as Maserati, whose work demands are intense and deadline driven, can increase their workflow and productivity by not having to stop and fix hard drive system failures.

“I have my own A/V SAN that I cart around with me from studio to studio,” continues Maserati. “I will not go into a session without it; it just works. I don’t have to do anything! I don’t ever have to initialize or defrag the drives. In fact, I’ve never defragged the drives and I’ve had it for a year and a half. It works flawlessly every single day of the week, and I work a minimum of six days a week.”

The A/V SAN can deliver 128 tracks of 24-bit/48k audio from a single drive. Featuring up to 400 MB/s of throughput and concurrent access for multi-users, the unit also allows simultaneous data back-up while using the drives.

The A/V SAN™ package includes a 1U enclosure, up to 4 Fibre Channel drives, a Studio Network Solutions PCI card, custom SNS Software and optical cables.

Studio Network Solutions, a storage technology company specializing in products and services for the audio and video production industries, was founded in 1998. Since then, SNS has forged strategic relationships with leading-edge developers and manufacturers in order to deliver the highest performance networking available to its customers. For more information, please visit www.studionetworksolutions.com.

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