FAQ

What’s the whole point to use a producer in the project? Any genre limits? How much does it cost? Is it only for professionals? How long are queues? Here you can find answers to the most common questions.

How does it all starts?

Just write a message, a line or two to hiili (at) hiilihiilesmaa.com. Then you will receive a couple of questions about your project. You’ll get the answer as soon as it is humanly possible.

Is it worth to have a producer in a project?

A producer costs some money. On the other hand many the projects do not come true as you wish without a producer. It is impossible to look at your own music as an outsider. You can have objective and impartial feedback about your music.

Like in sports, those teams that have professional coach are the ones that are standing in the podium. An experienced producer also brings added value what it comes to promotion. No one can guarentee commercial success, at the end of a day it is the audience that decides. On the other hand many of my clients have said that the co-operation itself has given a lot of experience and new valuable thoughts.

Do you work with ”semi-professionals” too?

Absolutely. All the bands are amateurs at the begining. One important point to remember is that interesting and inspirational music can be created by anyone. It just does not matter if you make your income from music or somewhere else.

Professional might have more resourses in use, but semi-professionals are typically more free to do just that kind of music they like.

Do you produce mostly metal albums?

I enjoy to work with many kinds of music that has a good idea. In my work there are metal albums, but also quite wide range of other kind of rock music. I think the genres have less meaning these days. Its just high quality music that matters.

My philopsophy is to make the albums sound as close to the band itself as possible. The target is to find the bands own sound and I think we have succeed couple of times pretty well. That’s why I have always worked in many different studios, not only in my own studio. I have noticed that bands appreciate this much. Instead of listening references in the studio, the attitude is to create references for the others.

Where are you located?

My Coal House Studio is located in Hämeenlinna city, one hour from Helsinki center. The studio is in an old jugend-house where it is said to have been a whorehouse. Also black market alcohol has been sold and even corpses has been cerried out.

Coal House Studio is designed to mixing, but also to vocal production and overdubs. I have selected my favourite set up from the gear I have been using in other studios during the years.

I produce many albums virtually that is the trend of today. I have had projects in about twenty countries and I have been on the spot in about ten countries. I also have good contacts to many studios, that I have been working with earlier projects. Typically the best price/ quality ratio determines the smartest way to do the recordings.

How much does it costs?

The price is easy to determine, after I know a little bit more details of the project. Some customization is always needed depending on the needs of the band.

I have developed my working process into direction that I am taking parts just there where needed instead of sitting in the recordings all day long. This way the costs can be held in a reasonble level and the scedules are more flexable.

When producing more songs at once, savings are generated per song. Many things can be done by the same template. A simple example is the drum sound. While you have worked out the right drum sound, you can use it in all of the songs.

What kind of queues do you have?

As working quite much virtually, I can produce s couple of albums simultaneously. One can be in the preproduction stage and the other one in mixing stage. Because the scedules are flexible and the sessions are running independently, I can start new projects within relatively short period of time.

Do you have contacts that could promote and release the finished album?

Yup. Concorde Music Company. I have worked with all the major labels and tens of indie labels, but today many bands must do the album 100% ready before labels are ready to talk about record deals. I have formed a record company with my partners that operates with a new kind of concept. It is a label service, where you can get promotion and distribution as service to your album. We have 4000 media contacts, all the major digital platforms and good deals with CD and vinyl factories.