The Abbey Road Studios - Kimmo 03.05.2007

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Day 1
21.2.2007
Wake-up at 5:45 a.m.

It was –29 degrees outside. Oh, darn it. I wondered if the old LT would start up, because it didn’t have an engine block heater. …Or actually it did, but typically it was taken for maintenance mere three weeks ago, just in time for freezing weathers to start – when it was known already in last springtime that the current piece of machinery was malfunctioning. Luckily it started up, so after a drive to the station and a train to Helsinki, I was in Seutula waiting for the plane to take off. The “stars” were on a different flight than I was, but that was my entire fault because I booked the trip way too late. The others flew straight to London, but I was going via Oslo. The departure was approximately at the same time, at 2PM, but the boys arrived two hours earlier. Only now have I actually had time to think about what’s to be expected: possibly the most legendary studio in the world?! Wait, scratch that last one. In these few days I’d have to siphon all the know-how possible. It could very well be that I become a public nuisance there.

6 p.m. Finally in London

…Yes, finally. The flights were late and Heathrow was packed. The plane from Oslo was late 45 minutes to start with, and more was to follow: we circled above London for 30 more minutes waiting to be landed, and there was still more. When we finally touched down we had to sit on our asses for 45 minutes waiting for a place for the plane to open up in the terminal.

Thanks to the excellent networking of the London tubes, the rest of the journey from the airport to the hotel was easy. Only a couple of switches and I was 300 meters from my hotel. The time was already past eight in the evening, so I decided to skip the visit to the studio. There would have been only the transferring of materials tonight, so it really didn’t matter. Tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. the proper sessions would start and I’d be watching and learning.

Day 2
22.2.2007
Wake-up at 7:30a.m.

It’s freezing! Not outside, inside. The window, which was 2 meters high, was letting in lots of cold air. Oh dear, some good Finnish carpentering would be needed in this four star hotel! (I guess the Britons have their own standards of classification for their hotels, because in Finland this would barely be considered a hostel.) After a quick breakfast a trip to the store to buy a new map of London, as the one bought yesterday only showed central London, and Abbey Road was not in it. After a quick check-up I managed to find the way to the studio. But then I called Ewo who invited me for a cup of coffee to his hotel. I took a 30 minute ride in the tube to the boys’ hotel Danubis, and from there-on a ten minute walk to Abbey Road. As we approached the legendary crosswalk I started to look around: where was the studio? All the buildings around us looked pretty much the same. As my gaze wandered a bit I did manage to find the place we’re headed. From the outside the building looked tiny, but once we got in I noticed how very wrong I was. There are two stories above ground level and one below. This was also where Studio1 was located, which had a large space to play in, and where the recordings would take place tonight and tomorrow.

As we arrived most of the preparations have already been done: the microphones were in place and a massive earphone-thingy had been built for the orchestra (there are 66 musicians and every one had their own headsets, and still there were as many left over on the shelves). A monster-sized Neve88RS mixer was dominating the control room and the listening was a product of B&W: three frontal speakers + a subwoofer and five speakers in the back!

Present in the studio:
Arranger Pip Williams
Conductor James Shearman
Recording engineer Haydn Bendall
ProTools operator Richard
Two assistants (I wish we could afford these in Finland as well)
Mikko Karmila, Jukka, Tuomas, Ewo, Toni

The schedule for today’s sessions is as follows:
The orchestra from 10a.m. to 2 p.m.: 66 musicians
From 3 p.m. to 6p.m.: 51 musicians

The skill in all areas here was sooo damn impressive that it was actually frightening. >From the first takes on the musicianship was astounding. Somehow it was hard to realise that the orchestra actually just had received their notations, and have not had a chance to rehearse at all. On the other hand, when I heard what these people have been up to previously I wondered no more. The conductor of the orchestra has directed the London Symphony Orchestra in, say, the Harry Potter films. Haydn has been working on the sounds in the movies of James Cameron. I thought it might be better that a boy from the countryside did not try to tell people what to do. The only minor nuisance was that the listening in the control room, although superb, was pretty damn LOUD! Pip told us that the B&W speakers are excellent for classical music, although treble elements are constantly being replaced. No wonder why.

After the orchestrations some “traditional” singular instruments were due, like kettledrums, a railroad track, and a piece from a block of flats. The two latter instruments were used to convey a dazzling doomsday sound, which Tuomas commented as the best he had ever heard. After the kettledrummer had finished his parts he entered meekly into the recording room to ask for a copy of the notation. He mentioned being also a music teacher and added that this was the most difficult session ever. He told that his students will get some Nightwish notes in front of them, if they start to think too highly of themselves. That’ll wipe the smirk off their faces. In the midst of the listening sessions I drank at least two potfuls of coffee, which the assistants keep carrying in, and emptied a whole bowl of grapes.

The choir from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.: 33 singers

When the choir was in the beginning of the first song, I was amazed to hear that they have neither rehearsed this song – nor even heard it before. It’s not one of the easiest songs for the singers, but still it was done in just over half an hour. Actually the recordings are becoming slightly boring because nothing “unusual” is happening. These people are “Pro”!

Day 3
23.2. Abbey Road Studio
I arrived at 11 a.m. in time to hear the last take of the orchestrations. Another showcase of professionalism, as over two hours of the time reserved was not spent. So we waited, because the choir was coming back to carry on their work only at 2 p.m. Nothing could be done to hurry things up. At last the singers arrived, and to quote a legendary sportscaster: “It is done!” I could do nothing but admire that level of skill.

At 7 p.m. a slightly different instrument was introduced: a harpsichord from Hungary. The thing reminded of a grand piano with the lid and keyboards removed, and it was played by hitting the strings directly with two “sticks”. In whole of London there is only this one guy who knows who to play this instrument. This doesn’t mean that the guy sucked or anything, very much on the contrary! So no point in starting up a career in London playing this thing as long as this guy is still around.
So, that was it for the singing and playing this time around. The hard drive was backed-up and the studio cleared of microphones – by the assistants – and then it was onward to the hotel.

Finishing notes:
Unfortunately I had to leave for Finland early on Saturday morning, so I missed the gospel choir being recorded in Studio2. In the very same studio some band called The Beatles also recorded their things! Later on I heard that there were lots of things to see and hear. I hope the guys took a lot of pictures.

Before these sessions I questioned the whole point of this endeavour: to go to England to record the orchestra and the choirs. I really don’t question that anymore: the quality was, and is superb and everything was fast, and we could really focus on the main thing in making music – the content. Also that the sound in Studio1 was major factor in the end result. In Finland this would have required an operahouse or the like to be rented, and that would have been way too difficult. I’m eagerly awaiting for the album to be finished!

Added by Kimmo on May 3, 2007