Hans Zimmer Sound?
- Thread starter valexnerfarious
- Start date
Jeffrey Peterson
Active Member
Your about to get a lot of unkind responses so don't listen to them, they are only mad because they can't get that sound. When ever Zimmer comes up people get weird in this forum...don't know why.
Its a life long art that engineers perfect that Zimmer gets to mix his stuff. The knowledge and talent in getting that sound is very extraordinarily high.
Its a life long art that engineers perfect that Zimmer gets to mix his stuff. The knowledge and talent in getting that sound is very extraordinarily high.
RiffWraith
Senior Member
Not sure what "that big roomy sound" means. Do you mean something specific, or his sound in general? Because not all of his stuff sounds the same - in fact, if you listen carefully, alot of the stuff sounds VERY different.
He has top engineers with decades of experience working with top-notch gear. He mixes live performances with samples. And that's how he gets his stuff to sound the way it does. Then again, the same holds true for alot of guys - not just Zimmer.
Are you asking how you can get your stuff to sound like his? If you have the years and years of experience he and his engineers do, and you have the gear he does, then you can. If you don't, then that is something to work towards.
Cheers.
He has top engineers with decades of experience working with top-notch gear. He mixes live performances with samples. And that's how he gets his stuff to sound the way it does. Then again, the same holds true for alot of guys - not just Zimmer.
Are you asking how you can get your stuff to sound like his? If you have the years and years of experience he and his engineers do, and you have the gear he does, then you can. If you don't, then that is something to work towards.
Cheers.
David Story
Senior Member
It's the room:
https://www.recordproduction.com/AIR.HTM
https://www.recordproduction.com/AIR.HTM
Hello
What I like about Hans Zimmer's stuff, to me it sounds very natural and it's a real joy to listen to. He still manages to get a huge sound, but maintaining the natural feel. Atleast that's what I'm hearing. You can really tell if something is over processed and that's a sound I'm not a fan of.
As for a big room sound. A good reverb maybe? I don't know. It would help if you were more specific.
What I like about Hans Zimmer's stuff, to me it sounds very natural and it's a real joy to listen to. He still manages to get a huge sound, but maintaining the natural feel. Atleast that's what I'm hearing. You can really tell if something is over processed and that's a sound I'm not a fan of.
As for a big room sound. A good reverb maybe? I don't know. It would help if you were more specific.
Blackster
Senior Member
I believe it's a chain of right decisions Hans makes. It's not one reverb or one EQ that makes it sound great and big, it's the interaction of all things:
- a clear idea of what the result could be
- a long time to experiment
- musicians he involves in his scores
- his own sample libraries he creates for his personal needs (and he has created his own stuff for decades so he knows exactly what he wants and what he does not like)
- highly experienced mixing engineers
- high quality equipment (soft- and hardware)
And many more things, you name it.
It's funny, I watched a few interviews (recorded in 2010 & 2011) of Hans and he always pointed out that he can't understand why people try to copy his sound and don't go out and create their own stuff. It's not that hard, it's just effort. ...
- a clear idea of what the result could be
- a long time to experiment
- musicians he involves in his scores
- his own sample libraries he creates for his personal needs (and he has created his own stuff for decades so he knows exactly what he wants and what he does not like)
- highly experienced mixing engineers
- high quality equipment (soft- and hardware)
And many more things, you name it.
It's funny, I watched a few interviews (recorded in 2010 & 2011) of Hans and he always pointed out that he can't understand why people try to copy his sound and don't go out and create their own stuff. It's not that hard, it's just effort.
...
Blackster
Senior Member
The main problem is that many people want to take a short cut where there is none! It's not only about the money, it's about experience and making a lot of mistakes while experimenting.
Many people (especially young composers) want to do the same things like the great ones (by that I don't mean Hans especially, but all successful composers) but they don't care about taking a look behind the curtain.
You can't compensate the lack of decades of experience (in writing, producing, connecting to other people, being around at events, etc. ...) with buying some expensive analogue hardware. That's not the way a business works.
Btw, I'm so glad that there are "composers" on this planet who can make a great library sound like crap (and those composers are even proud of their work but wonder why nobody gives them a job). They don't know how to use the instruments, the gear is only one aspect among many.
Nevertheless, asking "how do I sound like XXX" implies that you are open to improve your own work/sound. I guess, that's a step into the right direction.
The only way I can answer this (because I don't know better) is: experiment, experiment, experiment ...
Many people (especially young composers) want to do the same things like the great ones (by that I don't mean Hans especially, but all successful composers) but they don't care about taking a look behind the curtain.
You can't compensate the lack of decades of experience (in writing, producing, connecting to other people, being around at events, etc. ...) with buying some expensive analogue hardware. That's not the way a business works.
Btw, I'm so glad that there are "composers" on this planet who can make a great library sound like crap (and those composers are even proud of their work but wonder why nobody gives them a job). They don't know how to use the instruments, the gear is only one aspect among many.
Nevertheless, asking "how do I sound like XXX" implies that you are open to improve your own work/sound. I guess, that's a step into the right direction.
The only way I can answer this (because I don't know better) is: experiment, experiment, experiment ...
Andrew Christie
Member
It's funny, I watched a few interviews (recorded in 2010 & 2011) of Hans and he always pointed out that he can't understand why people try to copy his sound and don't go out and create their own stuff. It's not that hard, it's just effort.
So true. He is one of my heroes, and you would without doubt hear his influence in my music, amongst other artists of course, all of which at this stage is probably a conglomeration of my bad imitations haha! But the real joy of composing is the journey of finding your 'sonic trademark' or 'signature sound'. But I understand and empathise with the curiosity of the OP. There's nothing wrong wanting to know other artists' approach as it's great education and food for thought, as long as you don't think it's gonna be a one way ticket to awesomeness :wink:
The main problem is that many people want to take a short cut where there is none! It's not only about the money, it's about experience and making a lot of mistakes while experimenting.
Many people (especially young composers) want to do the same things like the great ones (by that I don't mean Hans especially, but all successful composers) but they don't care about taking a look behind the curtain.
You can't compensate the lack of decades of experience (in writing, producing, connecting to other people, being around at events, etc. ...) with buying some expensive analogue hardware. That's not the way a business works.
Btw, I'm so glad that there are "composers" on this planet who can make a great library sound like crap (and those composers are even proud of their work but wonder why nobody gives them a job). They don't know how to use the instruments, the gear is only one aspect among many.
Nevertheless, asking "how do I sound like XXX" implies that you are open to improve your own work/sound. I guess, that's a step into the right direction.
The only way I can answer this (because I don't know better) is: experiment, experiment, experiment ...
Again, I agree
For one, I think approaching it at the mixing and mastering stage is way too late! As others have said, it's so much more than just adding EQ, compression, reverb and calling it a day. I think it's much more about orchestration choices, including "orchestrating" synth parts.
Unless, of course, you really are just asking about how to get a specific reverb sound. I suspect it's a bit more than that, though?
Unless, of course, you really are just asking about how to get a specific reverb sound. I suspect it's a bit more than that, though?
Peter Roos
Senior Member
Do some good Googling for interviews and clips with Alan Meyerson - he is Hans' main mixer and they tend to use the same plugins in the mockup phase and the mixing phase.
EastWest Lurker
Senior Member
Part of it is that Hans layers the real with lots of samples and lots of processing. It is a great sound but "natural' is not a descriptor I would use, personally.
EastWest Lurker
Senior Member
With the right amount of money in my pocket. Then I think I would manage to get that sound to
People think that way until they actually have to do it and find out how damn hard it really is.
money will buy you a great room with a great engineer and great players but it will not buy you knowledge and experience, both of which Hans has a lot of.
Then there is also the talent thing
OP
OP
valexnerfarious
Active Member
The big sound i was referring to was like the dark knight score..the strings were big and lush sounding
Peter Roos
Senior Member
OP
OP
valexnerfarious
Active Member
the sound that i was going for was that inception/dark knight sound......i wish i was a composer...im really into the european metal and we want to take like a scoring approach to it rather than bands like dimmu borgir
With the right amount of money in my pocket. Then I think I would manage to get that sound to
People think that way until they actually have to do it and find out how damn hard it really is.
money will buy you a great room with a great engineer and great players but it will not buy you knowledge and experience, both of which Hans has a lot of.
Then there is also the talent thing
Yep.
germancomponist
Senior Member
People think that way until they actually have to do it and find out how damn hard it really is.
money will buy you a great room with a great engineer and great players but it will not buy you knowledge and experience, both of which Hans has a lot of.
Then there is also the talent thing
+1 o-[][]-o
