UK-based modular synthesiser company AJHSynth has been commissioned by Hans Zimmer to custom build The RadioPhonic, a one-of-a-kind supersynth that will take centre stage at a new sound studio being created on the original site of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop at London’s Maida Vale Studios.

The studio is part of a multi-million-pound refurbishment following the sale of the complex to a partnership that includes Zimmer – who has now given the green light to AJHSynth to produce a limited number of further RadioPhonics, the first of which is being launched at Superbooth24 in Berlin,

Dedicating his working life to creating music and soundscapes by combining synthesisers and orchestral sounds, the so-called godfather of orchestral sampling has more than 150 big-screen credits to his name, as well as sell-out arena tours on the grandest of scales. Clients do not come much bigger than Zimmer…

Few have a better understanding of what sounds pleasing and how best to use it, which explains how he has come to amass one of the largest synthesiser collections in the world, with modular systems covering the walls of his studio set-ups.

‘When Hans Zimmer says that a particular synth sounds more engaging and fuller than others, then he is speaking from a position of experience and authority, ‘says AJHSynth Design Director Allan J Hall, who having built a guitar fuzzbox at age 12 and subsequently developed an interest in synthesisers and electronic music ‘fuelled by an unhealthy overexposure to early Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd, Vangelis and Kitaro’.

The respect is evidently mutual, as Zimmer began using AJHSynth analogue Eurorack modules some years ago. ‘I just remember listening to them and going, “wow, somebody’s finally cracked the secret of how to do something that truly has a depth to the sounds that you just need”. Up until then, I had only ever experienced this with either the Minimoog or Moog modular and E-mu systems. Subsequently, MiniMod modules have played a very active role in Christopher Nolan’s recent movies, because it’s one of those systems with a depth to it that pins you to your seat.’

It is unsurprising, then, that Zimmer choose to work exclusively with AJHSynth on The RadioPhonic.

‘BBC Maida Vale Studios came up for sale, and friends of mine and myself made the maybe not-so-stupid decision to buy it,’ Zimmer recalls. ‘It was, of course, home to the original Radiophonic Workshop, and I don’t think any of us electronic musicians would be anywhere without that, which I felt was very important. It sort of went by the wayside, so one of my ambitions is to recreate the Radiophonic Workshop in its original place in Maida Vale Studios.

‘Though they started off with cutting up tapes, they later moved on to EMS VCS 3 Putney synthesisers. I searched for the modern-day equivalent with depth and possibilities, always looking for something with 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 AJHSynth because one of the things that I think is really interesting about Allan [J Hall] and myself is a sort of no-compromise attitude to what we do, and I love his passion when it comes to building new systems.’

The sixties-vintage EMS VCS 3 holds a special place in Zimmer’s heart, having been the first synthesiser that he owned – something reflected in the American walnut and cherry wood case of The RadioPhonic – and the influence of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s EMS Synthi 100 Delaware system that was central to part in the history of electronic music.

Modules fitted to The RadioPhonic are arranged in two 3U racks in the top section and a further two 3U racks in the lower section. The top and bottom sections are separated with an ebonised hardwood strip, with the enclosure also using a very low noise power supply and noise filtering distribution boards with auto voltage selection allowing it to be used with mains voltages between 100V to 240V AC, 50Hz or 60Hz.

‘One of the things I think is 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, which is something that Allan is very aware of when he builds these things, Zimmer says.

More: https://ajhsynth.com