SonicScoop and Avid Present “Inside Sessions” Featuring Beirut at Stratosphere Sound
On Wednesday night, SonicScoop and Avid presented the first “Inside Sessions” event featuring Beirut recording at Stratosphere Sound right here in NYC.
Beirut bandleader Zach Condon
The band tracked a new rendition of the nostalgic group crooner “A Sunday Smile” — an expanded arrangement of the original song from Beirut’s second full-length album The Flying Club Cup — led by Zach Condon on ukulele with bandmates Kelly Pratt (horns), Nick Petree (drums), Paul Collins (bass) and Perrin Cloutier (accordion).
Griffin Rodriguez (Icy Demons, Bablicon) produced the session, and Stratosphere Chief Engineer Geoff Sanoff (Obits, Nada Surf) tracked the band entirely to Avid’s Pro Tools HD Native recording platform.
Click for video of this recording session and event.
Recording and music industry guests got a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the recording as it was in progress, huddled in the control room and looking down on the live room from the upstairs lounge. The session ran flawlessly on Pro Tools HD Native, the new generation of Pro Tools HD core system said to provide the absolute best performance possible on the host computer.
The newly recorded version of “A Sunday Smile” will be released as a free download by Avid this summer. Stay tuned for more on that…
In other Beirut news, the band will be releasing a new full-length album this summer which was was largely recorded and mixed in Brooklyn, at Seaside Lounge and Vacation Island. Rodriguez produced and mixed the record.
Now, check out some photos from the event — by Diana Wong and Anthony Gordon — here:
Live off the floor…l-r: Kelly Pratt on horns, Condon on ukulele, Paul Collins on bass and Perrin Cloutier on accordion. Photo by Diana Wong.
Condon amid guests in the control room. Photo by Diana Wong.
Getting ready to record. Photo by Diana Wong.
Geoff Sanoff at Stratosphere's Neve 8068. Photo by Diana Wong.
Condon and Collins. Photo by Diana Wong.
Beirut drummer Nick Petree. Photo by Diana Wong
Sanoff in the foreground, Griffin Rodriguez producing with Perrin Cloutier weighing in. Photo by Anthony Gordon.
Rodriguez at Stratosphere's golden Baldwin. Photo by Anthony Gordon.
Guests "sitting in" on the session. Photo by Diana Wong
Sanoff running the Pro Tools HD Native session. Photo by Anthony Gordon.
Paul Collins. Photo by Anthony Gordon.
View of the session from the upstairs lounge. Photo by Anthony Gordon.
Guests watching the session from the lounge. Photo by Diana Wong.
Kelly Pratt on trumpet. Photo by Anthony Gordon.
Guests in the session
Guests in the upstairs lounge. Photo by Diana Wong.
Fun & Games at Stratosphere. Photo by Diana Wong.
Beirut in the control room. Pratt talking to Stratosphere co-owner / guitar hero James Iha. Photo by Diana Wong.
Avid Pro Tools HD Native demos were happening upstairs in Studio Z. Photo by Diana Wong.
Guests enjoying Tiger Beer, one of the evening's sponsors. Photo by Diana Wong.
The Tiger Beer was going down easy. Photo by Diana Wong.
Jose Cuervo Platino also sponsored the event, making for some extremely tasty margaritas! Photo by Diana Wong.
Tracking Paul Collins on upright bass. Photo by Anthony Gordon.
Modern-day troubadour Zach Condon with ever-present ukulele. Photo by Anthony Gordon.
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Anc123
November 13, 2011 at 9:01 pm (12 years ago)Does anybody know what type of bass Paul Collins is using? I saw Beirut perform last week and he was incredible!
Booking
March 8, 2012 at 10:49 pm (12 years ago)It’s an Ampeg Baby Bass.