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Iceberg-Slim
Oct 7, 2003

no re okay
More Jari chat, here is the follow-up to his previous post where he sets the record strai

quote:

CLEARING FEW THINGS ABOUT MY LAST “REALITY UPDATE”
I feel like I need to explain the situation more clearly as some people seem to be a bit confused. So let´s get more into the details…
Let´s get one thing clear first, I don´t live in a fantasy world. You might say I´m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to album production. Fine, I´ll give you that. But I do make compromises, lots of them. TIME I was all a huge compromise. The melody guitars are all old modelling amps (not the new Axe-FXs and whatnots which sound pretty decent actually). There simply was not enough budget to record them properly in a professional studio, so they sound pretty horrible and are very hard mix and fit in with the rest of the instruments. The vocals were all recorded in various rehearsal places just with my laptop (the reason why it took so long to record them and also because of the hundreds of vocal tracks I needed to record for these albums). They are certainly not the best quality vocal recordings. Again, another compromise for not having enough budget for a 3rd party professional studio. I also wanted some time to practise my vocals while recording, which I´ve never really done before, but you can hear the improvement. Also I do some of the vocal arrangement work and experiment with different things while recording, this would be impossible in a 3rd party studio. The rhythm guitars were actually recorded in a 3rd party studio, but I didn´t have enough time to craft the sound exactly like I want it. Rhythm guitar is the thing I´m the most perfectionist and passionate about. There´s only a handful of rhythm guitar sounds I like from the millions of heavy metal records out there, so you can imagine how hard it is for me to be able to produce the guitar sound of my dreams in few days in a 3rd party studio. Impossible. And to fit it in with hundreds of orchestration & synth instruments, to not muddy the bass, to be able to scoop the mids so the whole mix doesn't sound like a kitchen radio (I don´t like mids in metal guitars plus the orchestra instruments already eat a lot of the mids space), but still keep the upper mids smooth and not harsh, to not mask the drum overheads, but still having enough modern highs and upper mids attack to have it cut through the mix. This is almost a mission impossible, but I know I could do it in my own time in my own studio... So the time ran out from the studio´s “taximeter” and I was left with unsatisfying guitar sound and very hard to fit in the mix (still had to pay the studio bill though). I was very unhappy about this, but still released the album! The orchestrations were made with just one computer which forced me to use time consuming workarounds and was very stressful. I won´t even get into the technical problems I´ve had to deal with over the years. It took 3 years of sweat and tears to make the orchestrations the way I had to do them. This was the hardest task and it nearly burned me out. Never again this way! I would need a computer farm to do the all the orchestrations in realtime without slow workarounds.

I´ve mixed the albums in my apartment and you ask why it takes so long to mix? Well, because my room is not a professional studio ment for mixing. There´s also always some noise issues inside and outside the building, I´ve had even some scary hearing problems due to this for having to raise the volume and having to mix too loud. Never again! There´s also insane amount of tracks to mix (which is very difficult), but my computer is having hard a time handling them well. Very unstable and slow. But the main thing why the mixing takes so long is because the recorded sounds are pretty crappy due to lack of resources to record them properly. So it´s very hard to "polish a turd", if not impossible. Good sounds would mix themselves! And I won´t even get into other health problems I´ve had due to stress which has slowed the mixing process too (not mental problems, although maybe I´m a bit crazy :P). So again, I simply can´t afford a 3rd party studios to mix in or to record. Not even close. Nuclear Blast gave us just enough budget for only to record the drums, bass and rhythm guitars in 3rd party studio, that´s it. Which all turn out unsatisfying due to lack of time to tweak the sounds right for massive projects like the TIME albums are. That´s why I´ve been struggling with the mixing. All the rest of the instuments, vocals, orchestrations, melody guitars etc... was left up to me to record on my own however possible and getting quality recordings in a "DIY bedroom studio scenario" is not easy. Sure they gave us few additional advances, ´cause we begged them for faster computers and better gear (and all that money has been paid back already), but still not nearly enough for a task like this. The rest have been basically financed by yours truly with touring, merchandise and just simply sacrificing my own time doing lot of workarounds and recording in rehearsal places or where ever I could due to the lack of funding, but I had to make these albums a reality no matter what! But my point is, as you can see, I do make lots of compromises. TIME I is far from perfect, but still released the album! Would a perfectionist do that?

I certainly can make music renting a 3rd party studio for one month and release an album, as I have already proven that many times in the past. But I won´t do that again, that is my decision. I´ve never been happy with those albums and the results I get from 3rd party studios. Waste of money. There simply isn´t enough time (with our budgets) to craft the sounds the way I want them in unfamiliar space with unfamiliar gear, monitors and under the stress of the “studio taximeter" running. It´s usually just, let´s throw a mic there and wish for the best! “We´ll fix it in the mix... maybe!”. Making music makes me happy. The feeling you get when you first get a new idea, a riff, a melody, a vision of the song is a great feeling and you just want to make that vision come out from the speakers exactly like you hear it in your head. Releasing music that doesn't represent that vision and is compromised makes me unhappy. Why continue to do something that makes you unhappy? Those past albums were like demos to me and nothing like the TIME albums or the future material are in their complexity. I just want to get the production right for these albums! I know some people don't care about the production quality that much, but I do. I wouldn´t be able to ever do these albums in 30, 60 or 90 days in a 3rd party studio “like all the other bands do it”. Sorry, but I´m just not that skilled of a human being! I would need to rent a 3rd party studio for a year or two or even three years depending on the project and live there 24/7. But obviously who can afford that? You could invest and build your own studio with that money and make many albums until you die. The main thing that people need to understand is that the TIME albums and my future material are so much more complex to make than my previous albums were and I just can´t continue to do them like I´ve been forced to do them for the past 10 years. I think we´ve all established by now that this isn´t working. You have to also remember, I do these albums basically alone. Produce, record, engineer, sing, play, mix, master, write all the music & lyrics... Who else does that? Anyone in Finland? Anyone in the world? Well maybe Devin Townsend, but he´s loving Devin Townsend! I´m just nobody from Konala, Helsinki.

During these years I´ve been already acquiring studio gear and started doing most of the stuff myself and I love it! I´ve gotta pretty good DAW and monitor setup, so basically I got most of the studio gear already. But there´s still one major thing that is missing and that is the studio space. A place to work without interruptions, where I can crank up guitar amps 24/7, 365 days a year without the neighbors calling the cops, to record and practise my singing everyday, to record drums and so on… Having everything always set up ready to record and to mix night or day in a good mixing room would speed up the whole process immensely. It would be also great for the whole band, ´cause we´d have our own rehearsal room for the first time, sort of “Wintersun headquarters”. This would really free us to make albums much faster with better quality and able us to tour more often, which then would open the possibilities financially to other things like upgrading our live shows, doing ten minute music videos for our long songs, a live DVD maybe even with a real orchestra...

It is a fact that without Nuclear Blast I couldn´t have gotten where I am today and I'm certainly grateful of that, but they have really made the most money of Wintersun. What have I made? Well I´ve gotten some better equipments to do my job which is nice, but I´m still struggling and I´m missing the main pieze of the puzzle, the actual "work place”, which is a huge roadblock to continue forwards. I´m in a dead end. All my money has always gone straight to the album productions. I don´t go on vacations, I don´t have a car or anything fancy, which I´m totally fine with! I work and do these albums basically for free and that would be actually fine with me, if I could do my work at least in good conditions. I´ve been struggling and I´ve sacrificed everything for over 10 years and gotten pretty much nothing out of it, except the love and support of the fans, which I appreciate very much!
But to continue to make more albums, I need my own studio. I´ve had enough making albums in rehearsal places and in a bedroom studios, it just doesn´t work. Enough is enough. I´ve reached the breaking point. I don´t owe Nuclear Blast or anyone anything. I don´t have to make or release albums. I don´t have to release TIME II, if I´m not happy with it. I can make music (demos) just for myself for fun and just show them to my closest friends. Or I can do something else, for example teaching like Kai and Teemu... doing anything else I would actually earn some money. I will continue to always make music like I did before any record deals, but whether I will release the music depends totally whether I can record and mix it properly. I´ve made piece with myself that if I won´t be able to ever release another album again and I have to take my songs to the grave, that is ok with me, but I do not wish it. Nuclear Blast and everyone around me has made profits of Wintersun and all my debts are paid. So no harm done. Where to go from here? The future is unknow.

I must point out that our manager is a really good guy. Always has our best interest at heart, he actually gave me a big personal loan to finish TIME I. I couldn´t have done it without him! He actually renegotiated a better Nuclear Blast deal for me after the TIME I release. I´m actually ok with the new deal. Except for the fact that I can´t make albums, because they won´t fund them enough for me to actually be able to make them and at the same time they are denying me doing a Wintersun crowd funding which probably would finance the studio. So they are really holding us hostage. Our manager actually renounced himself from the crowd funding and won´t have any part in it unless I want his help. He wants to see Wintersun succeed. The problem is still the same though, without enough funding there won´t be Wintersun albums. And I´m pretty sure I would not be able to gather enough finances on my own with just “Jari Mäenpää´s studio crowd funding” without any meaningful perk like TIME II high quality album download for example. It would have to be a big Wintersun campaign with a team of people helping me to realise this dream. But I will try to figure something out, I´m not giving up!
TIME II is now in a good place mixwise. I´m pretty happy with the drums, bass & the orchestrations. The whole thing is sounding so much more powerful and clear than TIME I. Really proud of what I´ve been able to achieve with these “not so perfect" recordings and with the intense orchestra layers. It´s so difficult to mix stuff like this, especially with my mixing conditions. But I won´t ruin the hard work I´ve done so far by throwing a crappy guitar sound on top ruining the whole mix. That´s one compromise I won´t make anymore. And I won´t be spending anymore money for 3rd party studios either. I will save and invest every penny for my own studio. Actually for those who complained not hearing the guitars enough on TIME I, the guitars were left purposely little bit back in the mix, because they were so crappy. Or those who critized the production otherwise, now you know the reason why it wasn´t top notch quality. No money = demo quality. And for those who doubted me having written already 5 albums worth of new material, I´ve written actually more. That was just a conservative estimate.

Bottom line, if people want me to make music and release Wintersun albums, I need enough funding for my personal studio where I can craft my music, record and produce my sounds in piece. It is as simple as that. I can´t make this complex music any other way anymore. I am just one man with limited resources and limited skills. I can´t magically pull albums from thin air. Maybe other bands can do their albums “the usual way” renting a 3rd party studio for one month and are happy with the results, I certainly respect that! I´ve been there, done that. I know that many metal bands have all got their own hardships and I am not certainly underrating anyone´s situation. But every situation is unique and mine certainly is. I´ve seen some comments saying that “You don´t deserve your own studio, because other bands don´t get to have their own studio either and you should just do your music like everyone else does it!”. Would it be somehow bad for the other bands if I would build my own studio? Would it somehow hurt the other bands, if I could make more Wintersun albums in my own way? Or are these comments just based on jealousy or something? “What makes you so special to get your own studio?” Nothing and maybe I don´t deserve it, but that is for the fans & financiers to decide and I know there´s lots of dedicated fans that want to support us! It really isn´t about who deserves what. I´m just saying what I can and can´t do. I have my own way of doing things. Sorry, if my previous update sounded like whining or somehow entitled for some of you, it wasn’t ment to be. I am just trying to illustrate the difficult situation I´m in. I definitely understand the realities of life. The crowd funding was actually suggested and brought to my attention by the fans. In fact people have been wanting donate to us since the debut album, but we don't feel very good about it. We always would like to give something back. That's why we make merchandise for example. I admit that I´m a little bit frustrated with the situation, but I´m fine with whatever outcome. But if someone finds it offensive that I´m looking for funding for my studio project and for the Wintersun albums, then they got some personal problems. Most of the comments have been really encouraging, supportive and positive though and I appreciate that!

Currently I´m negotiating with Nuclear Blast and our manager how we could make this work for all parties… We´ll see if we can work this out.

I certainly hope that we´ll find a solution, so we can release more Wintersun albums and share them with the world. It is my dream and passion to make music and it makes me happy to see that so many people care about Wintersun. I´m very grateful!!! All your supportive posts have given me lot of hope and I´m certainly not quitting the fight!

Thank you and thanks for listening!

Jari

p.s. Everyone enjoying their popcorn?

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henpod
Mar 7, 2008

Sir, we have located the Bioweapon.
College Slice
He could have recorded a riff in the time he spent writing that out.

Vulture Culture
Jul 14, 2003

I was never enjoying it. I only eat it for the nutrients.
He definitely sounds bipolar.

tote up a bags
Jun 8, 2006

die stoats die

Yeah those lyrics sound solid now write the music for them Jari

Spanish Manlove
Aug 31, 2008

HAILGAYSATAN

Misogynist posted:

He definitely sounds bipolar.

I'm getting strong ulillillia vibes off his writings and work ethic.

Hulk Krogan
Mar 25, 2005



I think everybody who's ever been in a band is sympathetic to not having the resources to do things exactly the way you want them but uh...that's just part of the gig. I really don't get some of his complaints seeing as how a) you can get usable guitar tones out of loving iPads now and b) practice space isn't so prohibitively expensive that he couldn't get some kind of side gig - even if it's just giving guitar lessons over skype or whatever - so that he can practice in peace.

Millions of bands have been negotiating these same dilemmas for decades without the benefit of modern amp and recording technology. It's kind of weird to hear somebody in 2014 citing not being able to crank their amps loud enough as a major obstacle

xzzy
Mar 5, 2009

Obviously he won't be happy until someone gives him a submarine and he can record his album in the deepest trench of the ocean.

funeral fag
Jun 23, 2004

Iceberg-Slim posted:

More Jari chat, here is the follow-up to his previous post where he sets the record strai

He's somehow a bigger fuckup than Blake Judd

Nordick
Sep 3, 2011

Yes.
Maybe I'm just a weirdo as well, but that post sounds pretty reasonable to me, albeit long-winded. :shrug:
But, self-inflicted or not, I hope he gets over these difficulties soon and gets to finish his album in a satisfactory way.


Anyways, here's some new Midnight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb-DUlSz8g4

Fiendish Dr. Wu
Nov 11, 2010

You done fucked up now!
There comes a point when you have to say "good enough" and actually produce something within the confines you're working in. Otherwise nothing would ever be produced in a never ending quest for perfection.

I know he's doing that, basically. Honestly Time I sounded just fine to me. I just want more.

henpod
Mar 7, 2008

Sir, we have located the Bioweapon.
College Slice

Spanish Manlove posted:

I'm getting strong ulillillia vibes off his writings and work ethic.

Haha, I think you nailed it. The Ulillillia of metal, and TimeII is his Platform Masters. Ulillillia will spend decades rendering tree designs and billions of layers of background effects, whilst Jari will combine 40,000 Orchestras and seek to discover guitar tones that satisfy impossible and intangible criteria.

I still love Wintersun's first album and have a lot of respect for Jari's musicmanship. I know nothing about making albums, and I feel bad that he is broke despite his music cred and hard work.

Vulture Culture
Jul 14, 2003

I was never enjoying it. I only eat it for the nutrients.
Just tour and play the new material live and sell merch to your fans and you'll have all the loving money you need. Doesn't the guy tour like once every three years? I don't want to hear poo poo about how hard he works from his bedroom.

sleepingbuddha
Nov 4, 2010

It's supposed to look like a smashed cinnamon roll

Misogynist posted:

I don't want to hear poo poo about how hard he works from his bedroom.

I tried to tell my boss this, and he said, "gently caress you, you work at the office."

DeusExMachinima
Sep 2, 2012

:siren:This poster loves police brutality, but only when its against minorities!:siren:

Put this loser on ignore immediately!

Iceberg-Slim posted:

More Jari chat, here is the follow-up to his previous post where he sets the record strai

wow way to steal Toumas' lyrics notebook Jari what a jerk

Hulk Krogan
Mar 25, 2005



I also loled pretty hard at:

Jari posted:

I don´t like mids in metal guitars

Hey, I think I figured out why the guitar tracks sounded like rear end. Next he's going to complain that they're not good enough because Nuclear Blast won't buy him a Metal Zone.

Vintersorg
Mar 3, 2004

President of
the Brendan Fraser
Fan Club



So "Death" and Obituary are touring soon. Who is singing for Death? I hope they get someone who can hit the notes Chuck did.

Optimum Gulps
Oct 6, 2003

You wanna save this place, right? And I want to destroy it. Brick by hypocritical brick.

Vintersorg posted:

So "Death" and Obituary are touring soon. Who is singing for Death? I hope they get someone who can hit the notes Chuck did.

According to the Facebook page, the lineup will be Steve Di Giorgio, Bobby Koelble, Sean Reinert, & Max Phelps (so, Max Phelps will be singing). Not bad.

Optimum Gulps fucked around with this message at 00:08 on Aug 8, 2014

Kvlt!
May 19, 2012



Anybody have more epic power/metal opera type stuff? Along the lines of Avantasia or The Doomstar Requiem

Fiendish Dr. Wu
Nov 11, 2010

You done fucked up now!

Kvlt! posted:

Anybody have more epic power/metal opera type stuff? Along the lines of Avantasia or The Doomstar Requiem

Blind Guardian all day every day. Also Sabaton. Demons and Wizards too.

On the heavier side, Fleshgod Apocalypse is theatrical, over the top, and throws in some opera here and there.

H13
Nov 30, 2005

Fun Shoe

Hulk Krogan posted:

I also loled pretty hard at:


Hey, I think I figured out why the guitar tracks sounded like rear end. Next he's going to complain that they're not good enough because Nuclear Blast won't buy him a Metal Zone.

Yup.

Maybe his guitar tones suck because he's poo poo at picking a good guitar tone?

whatshesaid
May 6, 2007
:spooky:
Hey, is there anyone in KY/IN/OH interested in meeting up with me at the Louisville Deathfest tomorrow? I'm heading up by myself from Bowling Green.

Also have an extra bed at the hotel.

e: pleaaaassseee someone give me company. I don't really want to spend the weekend alone! PM me or whatever.

whatshesaid fucked around with this message at 19:42 on Aug 8, 2014

Gamma Nerd
May 14, 2012

Kvlt! posted:

Anybody have more epic power/metal opera type stuff? Along the lines of Avantasia or The Doomstar Requiem

I tend to not like the operatic side of power metal much at all. Ancient Bards are pretty cash though, and their bassist is amazing.

My power metal "core" bands these days are Galneryus (who I view as a combination of Stratovarius, Dragonforce, anime OPs, and not being poo poo), Angra, Lost Horizon, Blind Guardian and Keldian. Also been enjoying Manigance recently - they're the only French-language power metal band I know of (unless Sortilege count as PM?)

Oh, and Theocracy. Their lyrics are preachy as hell, but I Am is, like, top 10 power metal songs of all time material.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3TsVaFR870

Seriously, just impossibly awesome stuff. The rest of the album is OK but doesn't quite reach that level of awesomeness unfortunately :(

Gamma Nerd fucked around with this message at 01:26 on Aug 9, 2014

Less Claypool
Apr 16, 2009

More Primus For Fucks Sake.
I am a sucker for Myrath's Tales of the Sands, and I am not one for power metal.

Monstaland
Sep 23, 2003

The new Midnight album is fantastic :pervert:

Gumbel2Gumbel
Apr 28, 2010

It's not power metal, but I figured someone would at least accidentally post Orphaned Land at some point in this thread:

http://youtu.be/Lf7i6UB5vGw

Featuring lyrics that make you worry that they're a religious band until you look them up and realize they're about religious violence so you can just enjoy Slash's Israeli cousin on guitar.

ORPHANED LAND - Norra El Norra (OFFICIAL VIDEO): http://youtu.be/lZUcWngEtcM

Henchman of Santa
Aug 21, 2010
Orphaned Land are religious though. They just think that the three Abrahamic religions should be at peace because they're all essentially the same.

A TURGID FATSO
Jan 27, 2004

Here's to ya, JACKASS

Klaaz posted:

The new Midnight album is fantastic :pervert:

I'm going to a free show at the Hell's Headbanger's compound today that will feature Midnight, Nunslaughter, Acid Witch, and Shitfucker. It's going to be pretty rad.

Monstaland
Sep 23, 2003

Turk February posted:

I'm going to a free show at the Hell's Headbanger's compound today that will feature Midnight, Nunslaughter, Acid Witch, and Shitfucker. It's going to be pretty rad.

I saw them last year at a very small venue, it was great. One of the best gigs I've been to in 2013.

Baron Von Ghoulosh
Dec 16, 2005

There was a time when I fed from golden chalices,
but now...

Now, I feed as
an old man pees.
So, last night Carcass posted an announcement on their Facebook page...

“Finally gonna announce a US tour tomorrow of the “C Markets”. ;) Some killer bands are joining us…stay tuned…”

What constitutes as a "C Market"?

Henchman of Santa
Aug 21, 2010
Probably smaller towns and less populous states that don't get hit up too much.

sleepingbuddha
Nov 4, 2010

It's supposed to look like a smashed cinnamon roll
I'm guessing smaller clubs in suburban cities. Hope this means they're coming to Mojoe's in Joliet, IL!

Baron Von Ghoulosh
Dec 16, 2005

There was a time when I fed from golden chalices,
but now...

Now, I feed as
an old man pees.
Looks like that cat is out of the bag...

Carcass, Obituary (select dates,) Macabre (select dates,) Exhumed and Noisem have a fall North American tour booked. Those outfits will join forces on the ‘Inked In Steel Tour‘



Edit: for tour poster image

Baron Von Ghoulosh fucked around with this message at 13:28 on Aug 12, 2014

Henchman of Santa
Aug 21, 2010
Oh poo poo, they're playing at the Crofoot? If I'm still in this region by November I'll be looking strongly at that (although I already got Carcass and Noisem once this year). Exhumed seem like they would be a lot of fun. I've never listened to Macabre.

Calling Pontiac a "C Market" is silly though. It's still metro-Detroit.

Spanish Manlove
Aug 31, 2008

HAILGAYSATAN

Henchman of Santa posted:

Calling Pontiac a "C Market" is silly though. It's still metro-Detroit.

I agree, It'd be a C-Market if it was in actual Detroit.

Henchman of Santa
Aug 21, 2010
Hilarious and original.

Count Thrashula
Jun 1, 2003

Death is nothing compared to vindication.
Buglord

Baron Von Ghoulosh posted:

Looks like that cat is out of the bag...

Carcass, Obituary (select dates,) Macabre (select dates,) Exhumed and Noisem have a fall North American tour booked. Those outfits will join forces on the ‘Inked In Steel Tour‘
11/04 Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre

:neckbeard:

I wish it were with Macabre, but man what a lineup

LISTEN TO KYUSS
Nov 22, 2011

Baron Von Ghoulosh posted:

11/09 Cincinnati, OH – The Madison Theater

The Madison Theater is in Covington, KY. Not Cincinnati.

Fiendish Dr. Wu
Nov 11, 2010

You done fucked up now!

Baron Von Ghoulosh posted:

11/07 Nashville, TN – Exit/In

Hell yeah Nashgoons who's going

I was just looking at Exit/In earlier today (aka the only place around) for something decent

whatshesaid
May 6, 2007
:spooky:

Baron Von Ghoulosh posted:

Looks like that cat is out of the bag...

Carcass, Obituary (select dates,) Macabre (select dates,) Exhumed and Noisem have a fall North American tour booked. Those outfits will join forces on the ‘Inked In Steel Tour‘
11/07 Nashville, TN – Exit/In
11/08 Louisville, KY – Diamond Pub & Billiards

Oh my god. :neckbeard:

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Demon Of The Fall
May 1, 2004

Nap Ghost

Baron Von Ghoulosh posted:

Looks like that cat is out of the bag...

Carcass, Obituary (select dates,) Macabre (select dates,) Exhumed and Noisem have a fall North American tour booked. Those outfits will join forces on the ‘Inked In Steel Tour‘

With Obituary:

11/07 Nashville, TN – Exit/In

YESSSSSSSSSS :rock: :rock:

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