Returned a little over two weeks ago from Scotland, where I travelled to witness the live recording of the string parts for the album. I didn't really need to be there, as the sessions were run incredibly well by both Kobus (the orchestra's director) and Steve (the string arranger). Everyone involved in the project was top-flight... the 21-piece section itself was comprised of members of both the Scotland national symphony and BBC orchestras.
They recorded the string parts (and these were very complex arrangements) for all 11 songs in a total of 11 hours, over the course of two days. That was a remarkable accomplishment - and it sounded incredibly good live. I'm looking forward to receiving the comped and mixed tracks, so that I can forward to Matt for his incorporation in the main mixes...