Immolation Studio Report November 16, 2009 (Final)
Posted November 16 by Chris D.
By Bob Vigna (Immolation)
Recording Process/Writing :
Decibel has been kind enough to have us in their blog over the past couple of weeks, which we really appreciate. So when they asked us to give them a little more detailed insight into the over-all process, how could I say no!? So here it goes as best as I can…
Pre-Production/Writing:
This is the first time we’ve ever really had any pre-production. The last record, as well as many others before, was created by recording riffs into an old TASCAM tape cassette 4-track (and those were our more advanced years!). Normally, you could barely make out what the riff sounded like, and it hardly ever included any drums. I have a drum machine that I would get ideas down on, but for our last record, Shadows in the Light, I didn’t have the time. I just had a good idea of the feeling and we just all got it together with Steve at rehearsals and figured it out. I mainly used the drum machine to program the click tracks needed for the studio. So the old way was just memorizing the songs as they were written. As for overlay guitar melodies, rhythms and leads, those were all done on the spot in the studio…somehow possible, but not preferred! Now that I have been writing everything on the computer for the first time, I can’t ever imagine doing it any other way.
I started recording riffs into Ableton Live back in December. With the computer I was really able to do a number of things that was impossible in the past. Unlimited multi-tracking, writing complete drum lines, arranging, overlaying the counter melody rhythms, leads… It was amazing for me to finally be in the 21st century!
Now when I created a song I could just email it to the guys. They would get what sounded like a fully produced track of all the music (Except for vocals, of course. A man must know his limitations!), enabling them to get a good idea of what each song would sound like. It also sped up the process tremendously. Steve lives out in Ohio, so group rehearsals are hard to come by. This time around there was no wasting time. I sent Steve the tracks and by the time we would drive out to Ohio to rehearse, Steve would already have the songs down on the drums. We would just go there and work out the kinks, Steve would add his feel and ideas to the parts, and that was it. It was an extremely easy process.
However, although I started writing riffs/parts in December, I really didn’t begin piecing it all together until this past August /September. I had about 80 different parts, as I would just keep writing riff after riff. Between work and the touring /fests we did in the summer, it was hard to make the time to start arranging it all. But once I did get started there was no stopping until it was finished!
In writing the parts I would just come up with stuff and build on it. Over half the riffs I came up with had accompanying layers to them. Not that they were all used like that, but that’s just how I would write, to try and have as many options for each part as possible. A lot of them would almost become small songs in and of themselves. (I was really digging the technology and possibilities, so I ran with it!) Lately, I have been writing a lot more militant ‘feeling’ parts as well as the normal heavy doom and gloom. It’s just the misery that is me I guess! I like the music to have feeling. That to me is the most important part. To me music is not about tempos, speed or how many notes I can fit into a second. It’s about feeling. Sometimes it’s fast, sometimes it’s slow, there’s heavy, there’s aggressive but everything to me needs to have a purpose in the song. Even the lyrics I like to have accent the music. If there is a heavy bombastic part, you can’t just throw any words over it, they have to be extreme and strong and fit the music. This goes for parts that are more laid back, too. (Not that there are many of those!)
The hardest part was getting started. Once you get past the first song, you get more confident with each passing completed track. Little by little you gain momentum and before you know it you have a full album. The more songs I create the more I see what is needed to make the overall record complete. If you asked me two months ago though if I thought I’d have an album done at this point I would have told you, “No way”. But every time it always seems to come together.
I wrote right up until the studio. Each song took some time to get right, others however I was able to arrange in a day. There were a couple of points when Ross and I would be going through what I was working on and we would both realize it wasn’t happening, but for the most part things moved right along. It definitely helps to have that second opinion though. Just to be sure things are moving in the right direction. One thing about the writing process, it is a strange one. There is no rhyme or reason, you just know when something is right. Whether it takes a year or a day to achieve. Luckily once I got to Steve’s house for the last rehearsals everything was done. Or at least I thought! Steve actually had some changes he suggested for the last track. At the last minute. (He did have the large arsenal of riffs that I had been sending him). So although a little apprehensive, I knew if he felt that strongly about making a change I had to hear him out. I edited the song down a bit losing a couple of key riffs I really liked a lot, as well as looking through a few of some other newer riffs I had on deck that Steve didn’t get to hear yet. After going through it with Steve for a few hours I must say in the end it truly made the track 100 percent better. So, I have to give Steve credit for really stepping up and coming up with some good helpful ideas both musically and lyrically when possible. It’s usually those little changes and additions that really make all the difference.
The lyrics are the only other thing to elaborate on. Ross came up with some really good concepts. We went in the studio with nothing and came out with 10 songs of great strong lyrics. Both myself and Ross had written down some stuff over the past few months here and there, but nothing was put together until we stepped foot into the studio. It was like an assembly line. Ross would have an idea and write up an almost complete song. Then it would go to me. The editing department. I would take a look at each song and make changes, going back and forth with Ross until we were both happy with them. We are all really adamant about the lyrics being strong, as they carry the music and vice/versa. We like to really go over that to make sure it’s right. Steve had some revelations one of the last nights he was at the studio too and wrote out a full page of lyrics with title included! With a bit of fine tuning and Ross and I adding a few lines here and there that one was done, and with that for the most part we had finished the album.
So, with the writing process we are all pretty much on the same page. I think that is really important. It makes the music come out stronger as everyone adds their ideas. The songs on this record are so straight forward and to the point, yet so epic and dark at the same time. It’s really going to be a very unique album, and I know our fans are really going to dig it. A lot!!!
The Studio Process:
We spent the last weekend before the studio at Steve’s rehearsing then packed up all our vehicles and drove for eight hours to Millbrook, NY. We arrived at Millbrook Sound Studios at about 3 a.m. and let ourselves into the band house to be greeted the next morning by the studio owner, and good friend, Paul Orofino. The band house is connected to the studio, so every morning Paul unlocks the sliding glass door at about 10 a.m. where coffee and treats are waiting! That’s when it all begins!
Once we were in the studio we usually have a set formula of tracking in the following order: Drums, guitar rhythms, bass, guitar overlays/leads & vocals. The first day is spent setting up the drums, tuning the drums, and setting up the drum mics. Once that is set we go on to record our parts as we pretty much went over in the last few blogs. The key is to get some good sounds and track everything as tightly as possible. We do the best we can and make more punches than Mike Tyson! Cut, paste and fly like an eagle! The bottom line is that everything must sound strong on the recording as that’s what people will be listening to time and time again (hopefully!). So you want to make it as best possible. We do whatever technology and budget allows, to a reasonable point of course. The bottom line is when we hit the stage, we play those songs like nobody’s business, and that’s where it counts!
So that’s the main idea of our process. I’m not too much of a technical guy, so I couldn’t tell you which mics Paul used, or what wood he built the isolation booths with. But if you want to look into Paul’s equipment list and what he has and uses you can go to www.MillbrookSoundStudios.com and see it all for yourself! It’s a great place to make records. Awesome atmosphere, great studio design, high quality gear, quiet country-like community to get away from it all. And, yes, as you know from the earlier blogs the in-studio bar. But most importantly above all that is Paul Orofino. His experience, personality and genuine concern are phenomenal. He makes everything extremely comfortable and is very easy to work with. And after working with him for over 10 years, at this point he is like an uncle to us. He has a golden ear for music and is a true musician himself. Paul makes the whole recording experience a special one and we look forward to making more albums with him for the years to come!
Thanks again to the guys at Decibel for allowing us to share some of our process with you. We appreciate their support! Thanks also to all at Nuclear Blast! We really look forward to all of you hearing the new record and definitely can’t wait to see you on the road in January! It’s going to be one of the heaviest tours of 2010 for sure! See you then! All the best!
** Immolation studio report, Part I.
** Immolation studio report, Part II.
** Immolation studio report, Part III.
** Immolation studio report, Part IV.
** Immolation studio report, Part V.
** Immolation studio report, Part VI.
** Immolation is on tour with labelmates Nile in 2010. Check out the dates below:
01/15/10 Sonar – Baltimore, MD
01/16/10 The Palladium – Worcester, MA
01/17/10 The Trocadero – Philadelphia, PA
01/18/10 The Blender Theater at Gramercy – New York, NY
01/20/10 Peabody’s – Cleveland, OH
01/21/10 Metro / Smart Bar – Chicago, IL
01/22/10 Rave – Milwaukee, WI
01/23/10 Station 4 – St. Paul, MN
01/24/10 The Beaumont Club – Kansas City, MO
01/25/10 Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
01/27/10 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
01/28/10 Hawthorne Theater – Portland, OR
01/29/10 The Boardwalk – Orangevale, CA
01/30/10 Slim’s – San Francisco, CA
01/31/10 House of Blues – San Diego, CA
02/02/10 House of Blues – Hollywood, CA
02/03/10 House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV
02/04/10 U.B.’s Bar – Mesa, AZ
02/05/10 The Rock – Tucson, AZ
02/06/10 Gator’s – Farmington, NM
02/08/10 House of Rock – Corpus Christi, TX
02/09/10 Scout Bar – San Antonio, TX
02/10/10 Scout Bar – Houston, TX
02/11/10 Trees – Dallas, TX
02/12/10 Marquee – Tulsa, OK
02/13/10 Headliner’s Music Hall – Louisville, KY
02/14/10 Jaxx – W. Springfield, VA
02/16/10 Gil’s Bar & Grill – Virginia Beach, VA
02/17/10 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
02/18/10 Amos Southend – Charlotte, NC
02/19/10 Volume 11 – Raleigh, NC
02/20/10 Music Farm – Charleston, SC