Studio Diary: Part 2 - The Chapter of Misfortune

Published 28.08.09 by Webmaster

Well, would it be a studio diary without some ridiculous yarn about all the hardship and misfortune in the studio. I was supposed to record guitars yesterday, but a couple of days later my guitar amp went silent. So, I ordered a quartet of preamp tubes for my amp. Anyway, the same thing was about a year ago when we were recording songs like Trollfolk, Ravished, Kirvesmies and Deathknot. Then my amp did the exact same thing before I could record the guitars. I actually used my friends amp and cabinet for those songs. The amp used was Engl Powerball.

So, it seems that there's something strange going on... almost every time you're about to record something very seriously, something goes terribly wrong. I've heard this is regular to many other bands as well. Everything doesn't go according to the plan. The good thing is that we have our own studio, so any extra time used costs us nothing. (well, actually it does because I have to order stuff and try to repair stuff, if it's not working, but oh well) Also, in the first part of this journal I did mention about the equipment changes. Well the most changes have been in the guitar area of equipment. If you're a guitarist, read on, otherwise you might be bored to death. So, in the songs Trollfolk, Ravished, Kirvesmies and Deathknot I used Engl Powerball (as mentioned), Marshall 1960 Lead cabinet and Ibanez Universe guitar. The song Hiidenkurkihirsipuu was recorded with my own Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier and Framus Cabinet and my main guitar at the time was Jackson RR24. The sonic difference between these setups was HUGE and it still is. However, the changes don't end up here. Right now my main guitars are both Gibson USA Gothic series (Flying V and Les Paul models) and I've been using a rack setup while my Mesa Boogie has been "out of order". The rack is simpy consisted of ADA MP-1 preamp and Peavey Classic 50/50 poweramp. The rack setup was used on We Share the Trails and Seven Drunken Nights. I'm now trying to get my Mesa working, because I really want that sound to the new songs. I'm not very hopeful, but I might surprise. It has done this to me before. There you have it, like it or not. There have also been changes in the studio. We are able to produce stuff with the quality we need. Though I as a studio engineer ain't a fan of over-produced sound in todays music, so I'm not going to make that everyone-is-happy-with-it sound that you can hear on most records today. Good enough is good enough. Oh, and something positive, too! About the new songs: Mossy Path The theme of the EP is, indeed, death and end of the world. Mossy Path is a glance into the depths of different signs about the final destruction of the world. It will surely fulfill the thirst of those who are tired of meaningless lyrical content. The song itself has some familiar folk metal content. It will also contain Kantele, the Finnish traditional instrument. Frozen Sweet Gale This is a fast, aggressive and yet positive sounding kick in the ass. The song is very intense and full of raging fury. The lyrics for this song are in the making.

That's all for now. (Whoa, that's a lot) Remember to check for updates now and then. Maybe there's something interesting to tell next time. Until then... PS. I was partly inspired to write this diary because of the Finntroll studio diary. Check that one out too, if you're interested.

I was also recording some stuff to the band called Retaliation Syndicate, in which I play guitar too. Check that if you like thrash or death metal.

« Back