The process of mixing…
While Jason Voorhees is carefully watching over me inside The Dungeon, let me give you guys an update on the mixing process.
The first round for opening track “Dethroned” is close to be done. This is the stage where I take what Dan Swanö has sent over to me and I start to work with a million details to make it “right” to MY ears, and MY speakers and MY headphones. This process serves as the “map” for the remaining songs on the album.
It’s now that I go through shit like; “- this channel needs to be 0,4 db louder, that channel needs to be decreased by 0,2 db” and so on and so forth. And these changes apply to ALL the songs, meaning I spend quite some time getting it as close to perfect as I can, coz this process takes the longest. When the levels for track 1 are corrected… yeah, then the production’s ground work is done.
Dan has, as always, made a wonderful job with everything. To the point where the album could be released as it is when I get it from him. But since we are actually different humans beings, some aspects of the music need some tweaking becoz it’s so goddamn important to me that it’s all aligning with my vision. Most of you would never notice the small things I do, but it’s so fucken important that it feels right to… ME. I put that in capitals so you know I’m serious as shit.
When this part is done, when I have gotten these details to where I want them… well, the “real” mixing for me starts. I have already, in pre-production mode, worked thousands of hours making everything gel, balancing all the electronics and symphonic work, bla bla bla… But when Dan puts his magic into TPH, and actually makes the material sound as it should be presented on an album, some stuff needs to be adjusted so it makes sense to… once again… me.
The fact that Dan can even make sense of what I give him is extra-ordinary, coz there a fuckload of stuff to deal with. I just get to do the icing on the cake, pretty much, you know.
So, when I tell you that mixing TPH is a different beast altogether with it’s hundreds of channels in each song… I’m not kidding. This part must be allowed to take the time needed. I didn’t work with the material daily for over a year just to stress with the last, most important part so you can hear what we have created.
I hope to have everything completed towards the end of the summer, as pointed out before. Maybe it’ll be earlier, maybe it’ll be later… I have no fucken idea. It will be done when it’s done. When I feel I can do nothing more.
Unfortunately I only have a few hours a day during the weeks to work with the mix as I have a full time job, you know. Which means the weekends provide me with the time I really want to spend doing this. But let it be known that I work daily with “Undivine Dethroning”. There’s no fucking around. The King doesn’t fuck around. Fuck fucking around.
I have to say that I am so insanely satisifed with how it all sounds; the material, everyone’s contributions and the overall darkness and beauty that is pouring out of the speakers. It’s TPH to the fullest. This is what we are. This is what we always will be.
Jörgen, Ellinor, Dirk, Lasse, Dan and YOU who funded “Undivine Dethroning” made this possible. I’m so goddamn privileged to get to do this.
As you know, I will never, ever fucken take it for granted. But what I will do is give you 80 minutes of music that ultimately proves I have given this absolutely everything I have.
So, now you know what I am doing, and how it all works. I will speak again when it’s needed, but for now…
I HAVE THE DEVILS’ WORK TO ATTEND TO!
Oh, and by the way… that beautiful Jason lamp is made by the great Ajja Bertilsson at Betongfigurer. Check out his stuff.
Until next time, Haters!
