Multi-Award-Winning Film Score Composer Hans Zimmer on Cubase | Steinberg Spotlights

Hans Zimmer is the multi-award winning head of the film music division at DreamWorks studios and one of the world’s best known film composers. In this Steinberg Spotlight video, he describes his custom-built studio and his long Cubase history, working on music for movies and embracing the best music software. Composers scoring for film are some of the last now supporting the creation of new orchestral music, so Hans invites you to celebrate Cubase and the way it helps the composer in the orchestral cinema score.
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[@mikadebruijn9890]

Imagine an internship at Hanz Zimmer's studio...

[@fretbuzz59]

"Get me coffee and a danish."

[@m1ke1981]

fretbuzz59 Basically what Ramin Djawadi was doing before Hans Zimmer saw his potential.

[@Nofarsh]

I wish!

[@lucaslemonholm5492]

Many orchestrators and copyists work in Hanz Zimmer's studio, but the pay is bad and they have to sign non-disclosure forms so that they cannot claim that they ever worked on those movies or scores. A very small percentage of those work their way up into doing scores themselves, but most get stuck there. At least that is the perspective of a film composer i talked to who worked her way into the business the other way: do smaller projects for free for 5-10 years.

[@drangedpsyched283]

@@lucaslemonholm5492 I wouldn't mind making coffee . The knowledge I can get from these guys and apply it to my composition is all I need. I don't really if I don't get credits for ghostwriting a little piece.

[@linepulse]

Multi million pound film score icon. Literally has a data centre in his room. Owns a 2003 Microsoft white optical mouse. Legend. !!!

[@philcuore]

i think the tail of the mouse is LED in Red right ?

[@linepulse]

Lol yeah something like this. www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-Wheel-Mouse-Optical-optical/dp/B00006B7HB

[@CaptJackAubreyOfTheRoyalNavy]

The Microsoft Intellimouse! It's a legend!

[@TheTick1234]

Best mouse to this day

[@sthego3970]

That's the intellimouse, I think is from 1999 actually. But I'm not sure.

[@jimsanger]

What I like about Hans (other than his music) is how he always refers to We rather than I and always gives credit to his collaborators

[@afaydilek]

I dont even use Cubase but when i see Hans Zimmer, i click. Simple as that.

[@sole3688]

You can tell Zimmer is clearly not a salesman and it actually makes for a great video. Respect to Cubase for letting him talk honestly. The fact he loves and uses Cubase speaks for itself and the best DAW for you is the one you're willing to learn. ...Or bribe a mate to teach you

[@MrEMann]

'You don't need a lot of things, you just need to know the things you use very, very, well.' Perfectly spoken

[@itsaashish]

Hans is a gift for all of us.

[@Uninfluenceable]

at 5:27 you can see that he still uses an IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 (from the late 90's), what an absolute legend!

[@arisparrein7476]

It doesn’t matter what audio program you use. All of them are great in their own way. The only thing that matters is you, what goes on in your head and all the ideas you have

[@rodterrell304]

Aris Parrein thank you so much for that comment, much needed here. Happy new year.

[@arisparrein7476]

Rod Terrell happy holidays

[@SergeUnplugged]

A living legend ! Anyone agrees?!!!

[@matteagle7713]

absolutely, cant wait for the Concert in April! :)

[@chaTzon]

Zimmer : *opens cubase* Cubase : *sweaty* "i hope im good enough and have enough functions" *full of fear and doubts*

[@otschie]

his voice is unnervingly soothing.... like his music ....

[@pmishraofficial]

Legend talking about a legendary DAW!

[@alexgerlach5630]

Happy to bought Cubase Artist 11. 😁

[@DCeeMusik]

Hans Zimmer is the reason why I went back to Cubase. I'm not mad at my decision, either. Cubase is very versatile. If I wanna do beats or do a composition, the workflow is so easy to get into and the features are endless. Sure, the learning curve takes time, but it's worth putting in the work.

[@e.g.systems6146]

Hey Hans. I used to work for Steinberg, (International Distributor Support) - possibly the best group of intelligent human beings I have ever met. I remember when we got the message on the internal mailing list that Mark Badger had died, suddenly in his sleep. BOOM. For a while I actually thought it was some kind of joke. I remember him exactly as you describe him - ornery curmudgeounly, argumentative, and alive - if only there were more people like him who fought for how they though the world should be and wouldn't let us take no for an answer. What a strange feeling after all these years to be reminded of this...

[@usereidbpsc]

The Natural Bass In His Voice ❤

[@johnnyeproductions]

I will always remember something Hans said. "If someone tells you there's a rule for music, break it!" I have followed that line and it has helped me along my journey as a producer.

[@priyonjoni]

This man is one of my biggest inspirations as a working musician.

[@michaelm5926]

His last words about orchestras were absolute honest and right. A great musician and composer!

[@TheCruisinCrew]

I appreciate the philosophical insights, but I would have liked to see more of his setup and how he actually works with Cubase...

[@esjel9804]

He said check out Greg Ogdo -- that's whom he's learned from

[@jdanderson9727]

"you got to make up your mind" [@ 11:13] I remember when I was still trying out different DAWs. Back in 2008, Paul, the pro audio guy at a Guitar Center, said the same thing me. "You have been playing Ableton, Cubase, Reason, and now Pro Tools for three years. That is long enough. You got to make up your mind. Which one do you like?" Cubase was much less than it is today, but they brought us ASIO and VST. It was enough to make me chose it, and I have never looked back. Thanks Paul, and thank you Steinberg.

[@sdonagmac2293]

This is true. I made up my mind around 2007 and stuck to Reason version 4 for the music and arrangement and then recorded vocals on CakeWalk or Cubase. But Cubase started getting too complicated and CakeWalk lagged behind and couldn’t support the latest versions of autotune and other plugins. Nowadays I just do everything in Reason 12.

[@AraQkh]

Once I tried Nuendo, there is no other DAW for me anymore. Steinberg gave me all world tools to create and be creative. Thank you guys for the awesome work you made. Vielen Dank Steinberg und Hans Zimmer!

[@kiren3168]

do you think that Cubase elements is worth it for a composer? I'm more of a notation composer than a producer but I want better sounding demos (Sibelius is not that good of DAW)

[@polter5195]

Hans Zimmer inadvertently wrote the best marketing slogan for Cubase. "Other programs? Don't even bother."

[@5ammy13]

"It shrunk a little on the wash". I gotta use this more often... Haha

[@methodofkolishin]

I could just learn from this guy for a few decades.

[@YASIR.K]

I am big fan of Hans Zimmer, since Rain man. 😍🍻

[@EYEONEVENTS]

Hans Zimmer is a musician scientist

[@AnninaMelissa]

Vielen Dank Steinberg für das Interview! Es ist immer interessant Hans zuzuhören. Ich hoffe, es kommen noch viele weitere Beiträge!

[@amondhawes-khalifa1949]

I want a feature-length movie scored entirely by him, *using nothing but a melodica, a plastic recorder, and Mario Paint as the DAW.*

[@777Omwana]

Cubase because of the recording, mixing and midi. One of the very best Cubase interviews.

[@gabrield.cstoica1832]

Hans is legend.

[@kiaraclement-martin5508]

Legend is Hans Zimmer. This man is way too amazing to be just a legend. He need a new word for himself.

[@bradlyj9760]

Wow. This is amazing. I will cherish this content forever. Thank you Hans Zimmer and thank you Steinberg

[@hagen1555]

"the creative process takes place in your head"

[@kashresurrected]

What a voice

[@thomasschatton3481]

The path this interview is taking is truly astonishing in a good sense, but also eye opening to a certain degree. I appreciate this kind of input by such a renowned film score composer very much! In the end it's all really a matter of the Weltanschauung, as Hans Zimer states correctly!

[@mirr1984]

I fully agree with what Hans says about taking the time to learn the software and be a dedicated musician. I've been tinkering with music production and mixing for almost 20 years and I used FL Studio for a long time. I recently switched to Studio One 5 Professional and the work flow seemed a lot different and slower, but I realised that music production is an art, and art takes time. A streamlined workflow is nice, but it's more important to have a vast array of options and understand how to achieve the sound you want in your DAW.

[@Nabi.Production.]

I am working on cubase almost 15 years now. I love Cubase! Such a beautiful DAW. After the 8th version its getting more exciting to work on this workstation. I hope i will get the 10th version very soon))) Thank you Steinberg and all the Team who is making the life of a composer much easier and more productive! God bless you all) Special thanks to Hans Zimmer. My inspiration. Your music helped me through hard times.

[@simbaking6338]

My 2 favorite DAWs of all time for me as a film/tv composer myself...Cubase & Logic Pro!!

[@clancybenedict6647]

Logic all the way baby xD

[@ptptn09]

I missed it for 2+ years, I couldn’t believe.

[@ItsMrDanny]

Music legends like Hans Zimmer, John Powell, make the most beautiful film music I've ever heard ❤️

[@Fwuzeem]

John Powell uses Logic

[@MyFeltMusic]

As a former Cubase user, if it at least partly catered to the mobile musician and young producer, it would be more than a niche DAW for composers. The dongle, lack of included content, and price is why Apple is walloping them with Logic Pro X.

[@DoctorJRx]

i would love to have a sit down with this man !!

[@fobiaisnotreal]

The fucken legend started speaking. ♡

[@Pauluz_The_Web_Gnome]

The first video on YT that has decent video/audio quality about Hans...OMG!

[@Vincent-Vega24]

I mean, what i great guy. He is probably rich as ever and seems so humble. Nice video Steinberg!!

[@simonegelund2832]

Why would he not be humble just cuz hes rich?

[@Vincent-Vega24]

@@simonegelund2832 You must not be from america?

[@fairuzhussaini7301]

0:59 - "Something I quite a-DAW."

[@amondhawes-khalifa1949]

Damnit, I came here to see if anyone had already said that! (>ヮ

[@StanleyGurvich]

"It's the professionals who keep the software from moving forward" Damn steinberg getting my money for 10 years straight and can't implement Bezier curves in the midi editor. I love cubase but it didnt really change at all from V5. in the bottom line it looks better and we have side chain but damn it steinberg its time to make cubase more creative !

[@YungWillias]

this guys studio is like something fantastical bruh oh my fugg

[@juanpablogharzia]

That Pirate pillow ... Epic!

[@frankpaws]

That is a great testament to the orchestra Hans made. Technology has made it easy to forget about the orchestra. There is still, and always will be a human aspect to the feeling of the orchestra and how its is played. Maybe the part is aggressive and someone is having a bad day, and is a little more aggressive then usual that adds a subtle layer you can't get from the samples. Mistakes sometimes add a feel. A rush to tempo, going from fast to slow has an organic feel. Every time.

[@poplab_audio]

12:48 is huge and absolutely crucial to get shit done

[@OzReel]

Wow. Amazing. After 14 and half minutes, I was totally astonished as to the zero information this contains about Cubase.

[@critney_]

🤫 hmm 🤔 but it does. He asks the right questions, which when you answer them lead you to SpectraLayers ❤

[@Kaff231]

Hans Zimmer's music compositions are amazing. You don't get the full scope on just how talented this guy is until you take a look at his body of work. He has composed music for over 150 films. His works include The Lion King, (for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score) The Pirates of the Caribbean series, Interstellar, Gladiator, Crimson Tide, Dunkirk, and The Dark Knight Trilogy. One of my all time favorites is the score he did for Inception. Absolutely brilliant!!

[@albertusbosman1700]

Kaff231 all brilliant I agree!,...but Inception just had that extra bang...can’t put into words but it does something to your soul

[@giulioboobzilla]

itz just blockbuster mainstream music. Nuthin special.

[@PurpleripplerTTV]

Better than your spelling though.

[@PurpleripplerTTV]

@@giulioboobzilla Haha just messing, if you don't like its that's your choice.

[@308787084]

Steinberg you guys should do one of these on Noisia, they've been using Cubase for decades and really pushed the boundaries of what it could do!

[@itsBoo]

The background music really changed the feeling of the talk

[@Cchogan]

I loved this. I started with C-Lab and Steinberg at the same time on my Atari Mega 4. Me and my writing partner used to leap between C-Lab Creator and Pro 24 depending on what we were doing. For some things, the "Pattern" based way of working on Creator was better, but we preferred Pro 24 for our wilder ideas. We were probably being over precious, but we liked playing! I had a pile of Atari S900 samplers, an early hard-disk digital recorder editor (Fostex Foundation 2000 - amazing bit of kit), and an analogue desk. Later, I spent more time with Logic (the descendant of Creator), but then Apple bought Emagic and dumped Windows support for Logic. I had always had Cubase, but I upgraded (along with thousands of other users who cross-graded) to Cubase 4 (I think?), and have been exclusive with Cubase ever since. Some things have changed. When I abandoned Logic for Cubase, I think my "cutting edge" PC had 500mb of ram (less probably) and a tiny hard disk. I now have a 14 core i9, 64gb Ram, Terabytes of SSD, and a 34" curved monitor. I no longer have the Mega 4, but I found a floppy of Pro 24 in the back of a draw a while back with some floppies of samples for the S900 - some brass I recorded once, going by the faded label. Interestingly, I was playing with the Arranger Chain in Cubase the other day, and was suddenly reminded of working in Patterns on C-Lab creator. So now I have the best of both worlds!!

[@daneticmusic]

Legend and Genius 🙏🏼❤️

[@ephjaymusic]

This was therapeutic to watch. Thank you!

[@rickymolina7390]

Always great to listen to one of the great composers of our time. Thanks Hans. I would have to polite fully disagree with you about workflow, however. It's crucial to be able to capture inspiration with the least amount of hurdles. I just do not find Cubase to be simple enough to use in the creative process. I think it's telling that Hans had to commission someone to program a touch-sensitive screen to do routine DAW procedures. Not all of us have the budget to be able to hire programmers. And a DAW shouldn't make you have to hire a programmer either.

[@Wulfcry]

There are two composers whom speak vividly about their creation process I love so much cause you hear them talk about it once and it all makes sense to me are Hans Zimmer and Yoko Kanno.

[@furryz666]

Elfman seems pretty enlightened

[@dragonstone6594]

Great interview. Hans is the man!

[@Mandy-Lane]

EPIC..

[@ET2carbon]

I love how so many top notch people are all finally leaving AVID behind. AVID is dumb, and I got licensed and a B. S. Audio production degree with Slow Tools. I've been cubase since SX3. My heart is in it.

[@vuvfhnvubgth7579]

He has always used Cubase and Digital Performer for composition work. Pro Tools has always been targeted at recording, mixing, and mastering. The real news is that low cost alternatives like Reaper are now just as good.

[@JuraKez]

one day ill be the hans zimmer of modern music. thank you hans for the endless inspirations

[@ehtaabbundhoo384]

All the best bro. He is indeed an inspiration to me too

[@alainpatry]

Hans inviting us to buy the upcoming 10.5 version? ;)

[@maikorr7970]

10:52 - 11:19 I really needed to hear that

[@djhansiofficial]

Whenever i see Hans Zimmer i click

[@SalomonAbiassi]

This video made my day! "so ultimately when you buy a piece of software you are buying them and the mentality, philosophy, the Weltanschau of the people who are writing the software. so does that agree with you?"

[@JesuisParte]

Yeeeeeeees haha

[@samanthnair2692]

What a wise man

[@foghornblue]

Come on Greg, give Hans his refresher course already!

[@jamesbastani4295]

I'm not sure if I learned anything from watching this video except that Zimmer endorses Cubase.

[@burgundisands9905]

Thank you for saving me time

[@simoncrocket2040]

Great inspiring talk Mr. Zimmer. Thank you for treating us as equals. Thank you too Steinberg/Cubase for providing the tools.

[@cmdess]

Amazing life and scores. There's so much to the scoring process, it's great to have a daw you know like the back of your hand.

[@halidharis]

Wow hans voice has so many plugins.it's too LOOWWW

[@xriou]

They bypassed the Low cut

[@Cchogan]

I desperately want to get in there with RX7 and de-click his voice!

[@achillesamusic]

@@Cchogan HAHAH WAT

[@mrweed979]

There are a lot of really good swallows in this video.

[@jordanmicahcook]

I’ve heard people argue that modern day composers are not as genius or iconic as great composers of the past, because everything is centered around a set of theme and variation as opposed to the free formation of the scores to their own fullness. I disagree. The point of music, especially orchestral compositions, is to be able to evoke in the listeners the desired emotions and musically-communicated messages that help the listener understand what mere words cannot communicate. Regardless of how that is accomplished, an individual’s musical genius can be measured accurately by his/her ability to do this. Make no mistake, Hanz Zimmer and John Williams, are the Mozarts and Beethovens of today, and they are of the same caliber in their own rights.

[@nevertheless123]

I totally disagree. To put HZ snd JW in the same sentence makes no sense. JW is a real composer and great orchestrator. HZ (while I do like some of his scores) is more like a sound mixer, producer and businessman. If you dont see the difference between the two I have no interest arguing with you.

[@jordanmicahcook]

nevertheless123 Awesome! I have no interest in arguing with you either! 😃

[@liamruiz2833]

If anyone wants to argue with me about hans Zimmer, hmu ;)

[@akshaydabhadkarofficial5104]

@@nevertheless123 What do you mean by a real composer? I have tremendous respect for JW and I adore his work. But HZ is a different human with different approaches and a different mindset. It's like comparing the London bridge and the Brooklyn bridge. Both have the same job of carrying people from one side to the other. Both both are aesthetically different. HZ is a truly modern composer who utilises technology to make art which is equally appreciable as JW. Please give everyone a chance to be different but equally efficient.

[@ncn0505]

@@akshaydabhadkarofficial5104 100% agreed, some people just don't understand or they don't respect the hardwork put in it

[@PatrickPuszko]

"Cubase ... something I quite a-DAW"

[@spkoftdvl]

Just show me Hans composing on Cubase not talking 3 hours about the daw.

[@chhau123]

Not enough money to pay him for showing that😂

[@ayebarberfuckmeup4689]

@Rudy Makai both of you... Stfu, you're adopted

[@almalaga3924]

@@chhau123 its spitfire,who done the video..i bet couple of new huge libs and supermegaexpensive repetitive strings ,can make the deal...lol

[@waynefarrellvoiceovers]

A truly amazing man.

[@RickyKejmusic]

I am a loyal Cubase user for the last 21 years

[@ephjaymusic]

0:59 - "something I quite a'DAW!" 😎🥂

[@simonjoelwarkentin7087]

"The button is where the button is!" - Hanz Zimmer

[@randszzob8590]

I was a Cubase user since Cubit, or Pro-24 actually! But some years ago, when I had the choice of an update full of features I didn't want, or spending the same money on the full version of Studio One, I did the latter. I've not done a project in Cubase since. Sorry Steinberg - it was a wonderful marriage, but it's over now. :-( It's still a fantastic toolbox, just no longer my toolbox.

[@alfonsoroman8964]

Curiously it´s the same history for me... i´m since 15 years Cubase user ... lot of Respect to Mr. Zimmer and big thx to Mr. Steinberg...but they know and we know... music and sound are first in our mind and then our ears are only looking for that...itsn´t really matter what kind of tools are in your hand at this moment. Becouse Studio One is a serious tool in things like optimized workflow, etc. and because we can have the best that these tools offer us, its very thankful to knows we can obtain a certain successful result of a complex creative activity. wh Health and Prosperity.

[@elferraz2854]

LEGEND

[@jonasdenolf4831]

Amazing work Hans!

[@JulienMorency]

Lol always love how Mr Zimmer is true and funny in his talking...well Cubase or anything...it's great music the main goal ;)

[@exnihilo7806]

I got all my friends hooked on Cubase

[@jagadeeshmusic6123]

thanks for giving unforgettable music for #interstellar 😍♥️😘 love u #hanszimmer and #chirstophernolanSIR♥️♥️♥️

[@wabisabi6802]

Damn, he needs to run.

[@haydarhannachi9374]

I wanna sit with this man for hours just listening and logging everything he say. Without paper or tape or anything

[@psy0rz]

He has a masterclass which is pretty epic.

[@haydarhannachi9374]

@@psy0rz yes. I saw some highlights and it's really amazing

[@sirena7116]

Thannk you Hans for apologising to us 4 on the floor EDM producers. =)

[@MartinRimas1]

Thanks Hans!!!

[@luigimangili7719]

I found my inspirations... especially in dune soundtrack thanks a lot Mr Zimmer

[@TheouTRace]

He is the main reason for me to buy Cubase 10 pro. If It is a journey to work with it. :)

[@covert0overt_810]

>walks into studio >immediately notice you are surrounded by skulls. >”alright, ima head out…”

[@souliseum5437]

Is most of that equipment relevant? Or is it just how their world operates. Always was fascinated by all his touch screens that hold the juice and Cubase just indeed the laboratory. But he keeps saying custom made. Do they legit have their own engineers make this stuff distinctly for them? I always was fascinated by his empire. Regardless of what people or interns had to say. His mind is a treasure and he’s proved himself since long before the 80’s. Just his studio looks insane for what digital projects are spit out and then brought to the live orchestra to record. Like all those synths and racks in the back. Would love if anyone can clarify what exactly those touch screen iPads do or are. Seems very affective and intuitive with the DAW load. Also LOOOOVE that his MIDI piano… is a weighted piano. Like what model and brand is this??!

[@mateodeo9161]

Much of this hardware sounds 100 times better than most of the crappy plug-ins.

[@tekknovator]

Piano is döpfer lmk4 afaik. He states it in some interviews.

[@HinoarashiSuzaku]

About that touch screen... theres a old interview at the time of Pirates of Caribeans 3 with the guy that made the touch and the system that controls it... it has made specific for hans zimmer workflow.. the guy that made was Zimmer's employee... so a internal guy... so it is really "not for sale", only for internals at Remote Control or other musicians that are friends or collaborates with Hans, just like the entire London Symphony Orchestra library recorded at AIR Lyndhurst to do Mockups.. About Cubase... I've readed in a really old interview which Hans tells thah he choose Cubase because one day he asked some feature from the pro tools guys but received a big NO, and them he asked to cubase guys, and they are very open minded to add features requested by him... the same goes to Zebra, which the Zebra HZ come from a private beta build of Zebra 2 with custom features implemented to do Batman soundtrack... Zimmer is one of those really few guys with privilege to request private custom features from companies..

[@alastairs3727]

absolute legend ! thanks Cubase, look forward to hearing even more epic scores from Hans : ))

[@AndreyRubtsovRU]

gosh he really did go DARK in those last couple minutes, didn't he?

[@taqyothman2528]

Just like his music. Remeber that low BRAMMM at the end of 'Circle of Life' in The Lion King?

[@gowthamkrishna1568]

Imagine this guy and John Williams in the same room.

[@WellFedProductions]

John Williams is a God, there is no comparison...

[@LeeGee]

John Williams had ripped off more composers than most audiences have heard

[@WellFedProductions]

Lee Gee Name me one composer that has not been influenced by other music...

[@gowthamkrishna1568]

Alright peeps let's all just calm down. Yes John Williams is a legend and id say in this era, Zimmer is the closest thing we have to our own John Williams.