Inflecting comparative adverbs (-mpa-/-mma-)

In the Studio: Moving Towards

When working in a recording studio, you often need to adjust where sounds are placed in the mix. To tell someone to move something to a comparative direction (like "lower" or "closer"), Finnish uses the weak stem -mma- or -mmä- followed by the ending -s.

For example, alas (down) becomes alemmas (lower), and lähelle (near) becomes lähemmäs (closer).

I must adjust the bass lower so that the mix sounds good.
Minun täytyy säätää basso alemmas, niin että miksaus kuulostaa hyvältä.
Move the microphone closer when we record the guitar in the studio.
Siirrä mikrofoni lähemmäs, kun me äänitämme kitaran studiossa.

Static Locations

To describe where a sound currently sits in the mix—a static position like "is closer" or "is further back"—use the strong stem -mpa- or -mpä-, followed by the ending -na or -nä.

Lähemmäs (moving closer) becomes lähempänä (being closer). Taakse (to the back) becomes taempana (further back).

The guitar is closer to the microphone than the drum.
Kitara on lähempänä mikrofonia kuin rumpu.
When we record, the volume of the treble is often higher.
Kun me äänitämme, diskantin voimakkuus on usein ylempänä.
Do you know that the mix is better when the reverb is further back?
Tiedätkö, että miksaus on parempi, kun kaiku on taempana?

Origin: Coming From

Finally, to describe where a sound or signal is coming from (like "from further away" or "from higher up"), use the strong stem -mpa- or -mpä- followed by the ending -a or .

Kaukaa (from far) becomes kauempaa (from further away), and ylhäältä (from above) becomes ylempää (from higher up).

The drum sounds better when the reverb comes from further away.
Rumpu kuulostaa paremmalta, kun kaiku tulee kauempaa.
The volume is so loud that the treble is heard from higher up.
Voimakkuus on niin kova, että diskantti kuuluu ylempää.