Our Studio Spotlight periodically features an in depth look at an artist that’s recently released an album they’ve worked on at Q Division.
Count Zero - Live at Q Division
We were incredibly happy to host local icons Count Zero a couple of months ago for a very ambitious project. They wanted to perform their new record "thought so," AND a bunch of older songs, live with and without an audience, while we multi tracked the show AND filmed with multiple cameras.
This session would require the highest possible quality of recording (including isolation), careful lighting, and multiple cameras and angles, alongside live sound reinforcement for the audience, and in ear monitoring for the band. We spent quite a bit of time getting to know the material and plotting the set up - and working through all the possible technical pitfalls we'd run into. The band booked two days - one entire day was dedicated to set up, then to recording/performing the set once with out an audience. On the second day we ran through the set at least one more time - with costume changes, and then the audience rolled in and they performed the set a final time (two sets, to be exact). We were able to capture a full multi track of the performance, mix the show live for the in house audience, and capture as many as 7-9 cameras of the performance (oh, and we also ran a secret livestream out to close friends and family of the band:).
Chuck Hargreaves engineered the recording, Izaak Biewald assisted and mixed the live sound, Rafi Sofer oversaw the entire production and took care of lights and cameras, with additional help provided by Q interns Kieh Blevins and Lydia Hazzard-Lael.
Peter Moore and Will Ragano (of the band) mixes and edited the resulting videos - check out this one for their song SOUTH.
Bob Bradshaw - Live in Boston
A few months ago Bob Bradshaw brought his band of killer players to Studio A, alongside a very talented video crew, and proceeded to record a live album in a single day!
The band, which plays regularly with Bradshaw in haunts as near as the Lizard Lounge and as far as Tipperary, Ireland, is a finely tuned band. Featuring (the Amazing) Mike Connors on drums, Andrew Stern on guitar, John Sheeran on bass, and special guests James Rohr on piano and Andy Santospago on pedal steel and guitar, this crew pulled no punches during an incredibly long day. They recorded upward of 12 songs! The video crew, helmed by Mark Steele captured multiple cameras with fantastic lighting, and the resulting album will be released soon - the videos have been trickling out in anticipation of this release. Rafi Sofer recorded the band, and Dave Westner mixed it (not at Q:).
Check out this video of the song Albuquerque.
