Album Recording - Part IX - Petrax Studio, March 2011, part 3

Tuomas, April 9, 2011


    Time to add the final touches for Imaginarium while waiting for Anette to get well. This means the celtic magic of Mr. Troy Donockley with his pipes & bodhran, the smoking fingers of Mr. Pekka Kuusisto with his violin and some additional percussion & tribal drums.

     I picked up Troy at the airport on Saturday night while Jukka and Kai (Hahto) were generating some new percussive ideas and boozing at Petrax. When we returned they had already nailed all tambourines, shaman drums etc. Satisfied with the day`s work we celebrated the Cumbrian - Carelian Dead Poets` reunion by entering the realm of the ultimate alchemic magic potion called Salmari. Jari (Sinkkonen of "Kotiteollisuus") also joined us during the night to do a new tattoo for Jukka.

     It took one and a half days for Troy to record his pipes and bodhran. He even ended up doing some singing in one of the songs, which was a killer of a last-minute-idea. This particular tune has grown up to be one of the highlights of the whole album. Saturday evening was filled with the much anticipated Troy`s magic show, sauna & a youtube medley consisting some of our all-time faves like the ultimate tenor fail, cat vs. printer w / translation, Sony releasing a stupid piece of shit that doesn`t f...ing work, etc.

     Pekka`s violin virtuosity stunned us once again when he joined us on Monday night to play a couple of leads. His hand-written notes make medical doctors` prescriptions look like Rembrandt`s art. A true genius of a musician with a big heart.

     A huge thanks and eternal gratitude to all of you fellow imagineers contributing to this album! A special appreciation goes to Tiina & Petri, our studio hosts, caretakers and dear friends at Petrax.

     At the moment we are recording Anette`s vocals, 7 songs done so far. She hasn`t quite cured from her broken ribs yet but fortunately it doesn`t affect her singing at all. She`s never sounded better. Time to enter the lair of Mr. Karmila now and start devouring song # 8.

    Greetings from the rainiest & grayest Helsinki,


     Tuomas

Imaginarium - Update II

     If you were to witness an unprecedented magic trick that could not be explained rationally, would you want to know how it is done?


     A child experiences something new and unique each day. Something that is often impossible for the child to put into words without the guidance or explanation of an adult. Often the explanation has disappointed us. Sometimes it’s better not to know the truth.


     If you had the chance to return to your childhood -- just for a split second -- when witnessing a magic trick, would you forfeit that chance and seek for a rational explanation?


     Imaginarium is all about such questions. They have been answered by many people who have worked with the album and the movie already in the planning stages. As the final storyboard is being created, the producers, the director, the band, the production designer, the concept artists, and the casting director all work together to perfect their various arts for the movie. Contradictorily, they often have to ask the question: “How can we weave that kind of magic?”


     The script has seen many improvements, more than ever before. The truth about movie production is that the script is often polished right until the first day of shooting, sometimes even during the shooting. At the moment, a lot of loose ends are being tied together, and a lot of characters are changed substantively to act as either a negative or a positive force in the story.


     The SFX and prop design is underway, as well as the casting for the main roles. Storyboard drawing is interrupted momentarily, as concept art is needed to outline the characters and the environments.


     We’ve experimented with arranging the background score with the actual songs off the album, and the best indicator of success is the amount of goose bumps the combination has raised.

These are exciting times, because the decisions being made now largely shape the finished movie. We can only say that we’re already immensely proud of it.


     We’ve travelled a long road, but not until the next crossroads can we distinguish a sign “Imaginarium, X miles”.

Album Recording - Part VIII - Petrax Studio, March 2011, part 2

Marco, March 24, 2011


     Hello dear people and fans!


     I've been here at the studio for a couple of days trying to sing. Amateur that I am seems to get nothing done right. I've been crying and laughing. I've been jumping down from the roof into the snowpiles. The guys have been whipping me on but the only thing left to show the world are the scars on my butt. Mikko shot a very nice picture of them.


     To be honest I'm actually almost done. I've been spewing out words and notes like a radiostation. Just one song left, an overall check if I need to fill in some places, and my work is over for now. The mummy's curse Tuomas mentioned seems to have lifted a bit. I sailed under it to Thailand and back and got better. Stand back please, I'm spitting over my shoulder! Trying to hit the undead curselaying old fart of course.


     At the moment my responsibilities are writing this report and getting the sauna warm for the evening. So... Is there something else I should tell you about before we get all naked and sweaty? Ah-ha! No more questions! Hold that image!


     Cheers!
     Marco.

Let us join our hands

Phantom Of The Soap Opera

Them flat keys
with 6 b`s again..

7-2 off-suit, all in,
poker genius at play

Mr. TeeCee on
his virtual horse

    

Happy idiots

Take us to
your leader!

What the ##J#€%&%&#
is this scale? I wrote it
but can`t seem to play it

Starlog 40666, Cap`n
Mikko at helm

Tastes like chicken

All work, no play

The Three Stooges

Looking down on you

Virtual virtuocity

TeeCee makes a statement

Organ delivery

I...

Love...

You...

Saaaataaannn !

The studio hound Rolle & a radio
controlled airplane that is about to
be stuck on top of a 20 - meter
tree due to Tuomas` frozen fingers.

mtv3 mascot?

Shaken, not stirred.

Pingo pango pongo,
aina rakas ompi Kongo.

Just a few beats away
from a perfect trance.

"Jari, tell me where you hid my
Salmari or I`ll turn you
into a pink octopus".

"We really DO think you,
oh enlightened messiah,
should also have a drink."

One happy piper.

A drummer
portrait, vintage 2011.

The master of
Uilleann pipes...

... whistles...

... and bodhran.

Hollola Ink.

Oh yes, we do
take music seriously.

During The Middle Ages this
guy would not have
been around for very long.

That`s a wrap!

Pekka shreds.

Marco`s butt

Album Recording - Part VII - Petrax Studio, March 2011

Tuomas Holopainen, March 19, 2011


     A week or so ago I felt the Curse of the Mummy was cast upon us. The vocal recordings were set to begin on Monday March 7th but Anette fell at her home just a few days before that and broke her rib. Thinking positive, luckily just that, from the sound of it it could`ve been much worse. So now she just needs to rest and heal well before we continue, the new vocal recording date set to the beginning of April. We`ll take our time and do nothing half-way at this point.


     So we called Marco to enter the studio for a couple of days before he left for winter holidays with his family. We figured we need to make the best of the booked studio time anyway. The first thing he told me on Tuesday was that he`d slipped on his front porch and hurt his rib, not sure if he`ll be able to sing. At the same time Mikko (Karmila, the recording engineer) was lying in bed, sick to the core. 


     On Wednesday Marco was still hurting, Anette hadn`t improved at all, Mikko was still sick in bed and Tero (Kinnunen, the other recording engineer) was run over by a horse and a cart (!)


     There was 3 more weeks of studio time left and I was alone sipping some Shiraz by the studio`s mixing console trying to come up with a counter - spell to put the poor mummy`s soul to rest. 


     Now, a week later things are looking much brighter. Marco was actually able to sing a couple of tracks thanks to Mr. Burana, Tero hurt his pride worse than his body, Mikko is back from the dead, and I just heard Anette was able to go outside for the first time in two weeks. Wonderful news! I also got all my keyboard, piano & hammond - parts recorded, we got majority of the soundscapes a`la Mr. Jussi Tegelman put in place and Mikko already started the editing process. So no studio time wasted after all.
Now it`s all about waiting for Anette to get well, getting Marco to record the rest of his vocals, and flying Troy over to record his pipes and show us some of his legendary magic. 


     In the meanwhile, a beautiful springtime to everyone. I`ll write more soon.


     Tuomas  

Imaginarium - Update I

     After about five hundred post-it notes, two hundred written pages, hundreds of reference pictures, five hundred storyboard pictures, millions of bloody tears, mixed feelings of joy, extensive courting, happy coincidences, and more than two and a half year’s of planning, it’s time to report about the progress of the Imaginarium movie.


     The pre-production of Imaginarium is already in full swing. Pretty much everything revolves around the script, which is currently being finalized. This is the phase when the dialogue is honed to perfection and dramaturges offer critical feedback of the plot.


     Pre-production is also the stage when various artists, led by the director, commence work on the sets, props, costumes, and make-up. Concept art is drawn, and both the director and the director of photography discuss the cinematography and the mode of story-telling with the help of the storyboard. 


     Unfortunately, pre-production is also a time of rejection, when many original visions have to give way for harsh reality. This is not bad as it seems, however. The story usually crystallizes at this point, and many ideas that originally felt so great reveal themselves to be essentially superfluous. And that’s a good thing.


     Pre-production usually lasts several weeks, and coordinating the shooting schedule and especially building the sets, sewing the costumes and preparing the SFX can take months. So writing this a week from now would still be topical.


     Each time we’ve listened to the Imaginarium demo, it has not failed to cause satisfied laughter, emotion-filled tears, or strong shivers in us. We hope that when the time comes, you’ll share those same feelings when watching Imaginarium on the silver screen or from the comfort of your sofa.


     We bid you welcome to follow these waypoints on the road to Imaginarium. 
Enter 2012.

Album Recording - Part VI - Angel Studios, London

 Tuomas Holopainen, February 20, 2011


     We arrived at Angel Studios in Islington, London in the evening of Valentine´s Day and had a most friendly welcome from studio engineers Steve Price and Mat Bartram. They`d already set up everything for next day`s recordings, which would include 3 three-hour sessions with a 53-piece orchestra, most of the players being familiar faces from the "Once" and "Dark Passion Play" - sessions. Pip (Williams, the orchestral arranger) joined us at the hotel and we were all excited and ready for a week of long days and for witnessing some superb musicianship.


     A heartwarming feeling of reunion and nostalgia filled the air when we met the session musicians on Tuesday morning. We started off with "Goat`s Liver" (working title...probably), followed by a couple of more epic pieces and all the rest that required a large orchestra. The musicianship of these people never ceases to amaze me. They`ve never heard the songs before, they haven`t had any rehearsals, and still they nail all the songs, even those in the hardest imaginable key, after just one or two run-throughs. Their prima vista - playing is something out of a science fiction story... Respect.


     Mr. Thomas Bowes did a fantastic job as our orchestra leader, Mr. James Shearman was a most superb conductor, and once again, Pip topped himself with the arrangements. We had put much more effort and thought into them than on the previous two albums, too.
On Wednesday we continued with the orchestral recordings, last of the day`s sessions being with a 20-piece string / harp - section. Some new working titles were also born, such as "The Birdie Song", "Teriyaki" and "Haunted Mansion Ride".


     Thursday was the day for percussion and ethnic drums. This time we decided to record all the rhythmic instruments separately from the orchestra to make it easier for the mixing process. Because some of the sounds the percussionists came up with would literally blow your eardrums off.


     The highlight of the day was when we let loose Mr. Paul Clarvis & Mr. Stephen Henderson with their ethnic percussion arsenal. Paul`s 350-year-old taiko-drum really did the trick for me, as did the 5-foot hammer and a dustbin. We put all this into a one 3-minute instrumental, and the result is breathtaking and madly passionate.


     Friday was booked for choirs. Again that sensation of nostalgia when The Metro Voices entered the building. We had 13 titles to sing and they did it in less than seven hours, prima vista. Utterly gorgeous stuff!


     A childrens` choir is something we haven`t tried on a Nightwish album before and its turn was on Saturday morning. The Young Musicians London, led by the wonderful Mary Poppins - like Lynda Richardson were simply heartbreaking. These kids have immense talent, they are future superstar musicians and we are proud to have them on our album. Their sound was beautiful, innocent and in parts very, very scary. And that`s exactly what we were after.


     During the evening we had two more guest musicians, Mr. Dermot Crehan (of The Lord Of The Rings - fame) with his hardanger fiddle and Mr. Dirk Campbell with his zurna. Both performances were stunning and added a nice little ancient touch to two of the songs.


     Our most humble thanks to all the session musicians, the Angel Studios staff, Pip, James, Thomas, Lynda, Dick the music copyist and Jenny the choir mistress. It was a huge honor to work with you all and to have such talent and spirit captured on "Imaginarium"!


     We miss you all dearly already and try to be faster with the next album.


     Tuomas, Hilton Islington 20.2.2011