May 11, 2011 | Posted in: News

Steve has just finished working with hard-rock quartet Testing Tomorrow (website) producing their new single Deriva. The group specifically wanted to embellish their sound with the addition of real strings. Steve created an arrangement for string quartet, bringing in cellist Amanda Zidow, violist Thom Lea, and violinist Rachel Grace to overdub the parts in the StuntLab. The group played the parts in multiple passes, each time moving their chairs in the space to simulate a larger string ensemble.

Steve and the band tracked rhythm parts in Sherman Oaks at Sound Oasis Studios, where drummer Grom Meraviglia got to track on a top shelf DW kit using the vintage Tama Bell-Brass snare drum – the same drum used on Nirvana’s “Nevermind.”

Guitars and vocals were recorded here at Leavittation, where friends of the band came to have fun recording the ” group chants” over the song’s outro.

The finishing touches on the song were added by mixer extraordinaire Marc Jordan at Thud Studios. The song is being mastered by Howie Weinberg.

Link to the finished song will be put up upon official release.