Hans Zimmer on synth shopping etiquette

Soundtrack composer and Music Thing reader Hans Zimmer (Black Hawk Down/Pirates of the Carribean/Gladiator/MI2) was presenting an award to a young film composer in Santa Monica a few weeks ago. From the podium, he offered some advice to people getting started in the industry: "Never let your wife prevent you from buying equipment. A house will not buy a synthesizer, but a synthesizer can buy a house."

Posted by Tom Whitwell.

Comments:

Hmm, well Hans is a dude and unmistakenly a rare talent but my house bought me a synth - it appreciated in value so by the time I has sold it I could buy a ton of stuff :D

# posted by

Anonymous : 6:35 pm

Agreed - my house appreciates at the rate of about $1000/month (that's much more than my monthly mortgage). Hans' little quip was cute and was probably meant to please the crowd, but he was dead wrong.

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:10 pm

Well, when I was 15 years old, instead of lusting after cars like the rest of the kids at my high-school, I was drolling over modular synths.

Hans should have said:

A car won't buy you a synth, but a synth can buy you a car.

Incidentally, everytime I get a large chunk of cash from a music project I reinvest it in more music gear, which means I'm 37 years old and I still don't drive a car.

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:25 pm

drolling=drooling

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:26 pm

"I'm 37 years old and still don't drive a car"

heh, sounds familiar. I spent the money that was meant for me to buy a car - on a semi modular!

# posted by

Anonymous : 8:42 pm

now i dont feel like such a loser...

yay for internet

# posted by

Awakened Yeti : 8:58 pm

Hah, I just sold my house and was debating whether to spend some of the money on a modular, or to be, you know, grown up and responsible.

Thanks for setting me straight :-)

# posted by

Todd Fletcher : 9:05 pm

too bad I can't live in a synthesizer...

# posted by

Anonymous : 10:12 pm

Shit, my synths have not been a very lucrative 'investment', though they better be one day soon!

Sometimes women can just read the 'gearlust' look in a man's eyes. Sometimes a man will tell himself anything to satisfy the gearlust.

All of my synths are objects of lust (oops love) and i am not afraid to admit it.

# posted by

Anonymous : 10:49 pm

Group hug for Ortho.
My name is Tom, and I buy gear because I like gear.
(I'm just relieved that this thread has moved away from property prices...)

# posted by

Tom Whitwell : 10:56 pm

The Packrat comic is dedicated to everyone who has commented on this article.

# posted by

Dave : 12:07 am

My house is not appreciating fast enough. I am getting ready for a big garage sale, and I have over 50k of gear in it.

What for to spend the garage sale windfall? Why, on a modular analog of course. Oh, and a Tesla Coil. muhahahahaha!

My goal is to record the Tesla Coil in new, better, more scientific ways.

# posted by

Anonymous : 5:07 am

If you're gonna get a Tesla Coil, won't you need to save a wad for the elec bill? Might want to take out some life insurance while you're at it. Oh god, and keep the cats away from that thing.

# posted by

Anonymous : 9:30 pm

the first commenters obviously commented on this before the housing market crashed.

# posted by

Anonymous : 2:00 am