An interview with Hans Zimmer
Nicole Jacob interviews Hans Zimmer about the new AJHSynth Radiophonic system
When did you first become aware of AJHSynth and start using AJHSynth modules?
It was some years ago, I don’t know exactly when it was and it doesn’t really matter when it was…… I just remember listening to them and going, Oh Wow! somebody's finally cracked it, somebody’s finally cracked the secret of how to do something that truly has a depth to the sounds that you just need. You know that, up until then I could only ever encounter this in either Minimoog or Moog modular or E-mu System.
What is it about AJHSynth that you find interesting and useful?
Really, honestly, it’s all about the sound … everybody has knobs and buttons but what not everybody has actually achieved is to go and create a brilliant and beautifully compelling sound.
Have you used the AJHSynth Minimod synth in any of your compositions?
The Minimod System has played a very active role in some of the Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan. movies. In fact I think it’s played a very active role in all of Chris' recent movies because it’s one of those systems which has a depth to it which brings you to your seat and Chris likes his music loud and one of the things that happens with a lot of the virtual instruments for instance is, when you put them up on a big screen, across a big speaker system they sort of disintegrate a little bit so you want real instruments that have a fundamental solidity to them.
I’d be really interested to hear the reasons why you commissioned the AJHSynth RadioPhonic synth
Friends of mine and I made the stupid (or maybe it’s not so stupid) decision - it just had to be done. BBC Maida Vale Studios came up for sale and of course that was the home of the original Radiophonic Workshop and I don't think any of us electronic musicians would be anywhere without the Radiophonic Workshop. It sort of went by the wayside and so one of my ambitions is to recreate the Radiophonic Workshop in its original place at BBC Maida Vale Studios. I felt it was very important that, in their day - I mean at first they started off with cutting up tapes and later they went to the EMS Putney VCS 3 synthesisers. But for me I searched for the modern day equivalent that has the depth and possibilities and it's not so much about how esoteric something can be but I’m always looking for something that just has an inherently great quality of sound. So it seemed like the perfect way to start thinking about the Radiophonic Workshop again was by commissioning a system from AJH Synth and basically that’s the start of my new venture and the Radiophonic Workshop. You know, to have a system designed and built by Allan Hall.
You were involved in the overall design of the RadioPhonic system, could you tell me how this came about?
One of the things which I think is really interesting about both Allan and myself which probably makes us fairly anti-social is a sort of no compromise attitude to what we do; which probably means not enough sleep, not enough dancing and not enough social time. But it means things that we are passionate about, we are truly, truly passionate about! And I love Allan’s passion when it comes to building new systems.
All of the modules in this system are from AJHSynth rather than a mix of different manufacturers – is there an advantage to this?
One of the advantages I found, or one of the things I think is very, very important when you put together a modular system, is that the individual components actually match and that the compatibility of the voltages and signals match. I think it makes a huge difference that everything is compatible sonically - you know you can still go and come up with really, truly esoteric things which you hang at the back of it or as modulations but as far as the signal chain is concerned, I think it’s very important that you find something that matches and that is something that Allan is very aware of when he builds these things.
The beautiful hardwood case used for the Radiophonic system has echoes of the original EMS VCS 3 wooden enclosure, was there a reason for this?
Well, my very first synth was an EMS VCS 3 and I think it cost me £300 at the time. But there came a point - you know like in every musician’s life, there comes a point where you need to pay the rent and you don’t have enough money so I sold the VCS 3. I regretted it ever since! Then, only last year my friend, Mel Wesson actually found my original EMS VCS 3 and I know it’s mine because I was so worried about it getting nicked that I engraved my name on it! And trust me, it wasn’t £300 when I bought it back - it was an absolute fortune! But there is something that is going on these days which I think is very exciting, there’s a whole new breed of English synthesiser manufacturers and developers. And, of course in one way or another, they are all following in the footsteps of Peter Zinovieff, Chris Huggett and people like that and the original EMS guys and so I’m just really happy to support this and of course there’s nostalgia that’s involved in this also.
I've heard a rumour that you have modified your large Roland System 700 that you use in your studio so that it now has some AJHSynth circuitry in the audio path – would you like to tell us a little more about this?
I think one of the most beautifully designed synths in so many ways is the Roland system 700 and for instance if you take a module out, you see the care taken in how the circuitry is encased. I happen to have 3 of them and I never quite liked the sequencer. I think that it has some problems looping correctly. So I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to take some of those beautiful modules and actually take out the circuit boards but keep the functionality and keep the aesthetic intact and get Allan to replace these with AJH circuitry so that I have the variety of different sonic possibilities and take out one of the sequencers and just fill it up with AJH modules which is probably sacrilege but then, at the end of the day, I’m more interested in having systems that work and serve the purpose of making music than the idea of the purity of a museum piece. I’m not really interested in a museum piece, I’m more interested in making a racket and a Roland 700 with an AJH module based middle section is actually a very exciting combination of form follows function.