Sizeable upgrades, lots of new projects and time spent for a good cause at LAB 601. The LAB upgraded all of its editing systems recently, including four new editing suites, an audio suite and a new graphics suite. The studio now boasts 2 Avid | DS HD v 6.0, an Avid Symphony 4.0 Universal, an Avid Media Composer 9000x11.0, and a ProTools HD | 3 audio suite, and a new level of connectivity. All of LAB 601's suites share simultaneous access to all projects and media over Avid's Unity MediaNet, offering the group nearly 8 terabytes of storage space. To put the new equipment to use, LAB took on 4 HD projects in early 2003: three nationally broadcast commercials for Travelocity.com, for which the team partnered with Richards Group and What, What Films' Director of Photography Bob Clark; "The Joe Bob Report," edited in HD by LAB's own Senior Editor Dave Ballard; "Behind the Nine," a 90 minute motion picture for which the LAB team provided editing, sound design, finishing and color correction; and "Flatrock," a marketing piece for Phillips and GE Wind that was shot in Flatrock, MN, and edited by the LAB's Jay Hunt. Andy Martin completed sound design. The LAB's Michael Tew also edited a 14 minute Georgia landmark montage for Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue's swearing in ceremony in early 2003. LAB 601 was also commissioned to upgrade the soundtrack to Prevent Child Abuse Georgia's puppet show. Shown in most Georgia schools, the show is aimed at educating children on how to handle situations involving child abuse. Prevent Child Abuse Georgia is a non-profit organization that seeks to educate Georgians on how to identify and prevent child abuse. "Basically, the soundtrack was outdated," said Caroline Cahill, the Director and Producer on the project. " So I brought it over to LAB 601 and they helped me update it." Cahill worked with Andy Martin, the sound Designer at LAB 601 to record a new voice over track and remix the audio. With all that new equipment (and new work) itÕs only natural that the LAB needed a little room to stretch, so they added 1500 square feet of office space to the existing 9000 square feet. The new area includes a spacious new conference room and five offices available for clients and independent Producers, (of which three are currently occupied-by Kris Redding Casting, Southern Center for International Studies and Morgan Falls Productions).