Hans Zimmer says his Rain Man score was the “beginning of orchestras having to adapt” to synth-written movie scoresHans Zimmer feels his score for the 1988 film Rain Man marked the start of orchestras adapting to working with synthesizers for movies.
Rain Man won Best Picture at the 1989 Academy Awards, with Zimmer being nominated for Best Original Score. He went on to be Oscar-nominated for a number of other synth-laden scores, including Interstellar and Dune: Part One, the latter of which he won Best Score for in 2022.

READ MORE: Hans Zimmer concert film coming to cinemas to offer “peek behind the curtain” at his work

Speaking to Josh Horowitz for the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Hans Zimmer says, “I wrote Rain Man on a synthesiser with weird sounds and there’s an orchestra trying to play my music.
“Actually it’s really interesting that you say this because I’m only just realising as you’re saying it, it was the beginning of orchestras having to adapt. Like, ‘there’s this new guy in town and he works with weird electronic instruments, so we better have some stuff in the orchestra as well that can go and do that!’
“The following year I wasn’t up but Driving Miss Daisy won Best Picture so they kept playing that tune over and over again, and then Gladiator won Best Picture and I was nominated but again it was like they played the tune over and over and over again… and then winning for Dune: Part One, I was so grumpy about the whole affair.”
Hans Zimmer goes on to recall what turned out to be his most-loved Oscars experience from his win in 2022, which didn’t actually involve his presence at the ceremony itself: “I phoned my PR people and said, ‘don’t bother me, I want to go to sleep’. I had my kids with me and they were downstairs doing whatever, and then the phone rings and it’s my publicist going, ‘It’s your category!’ and I’m going, ‘I told you I don’t want to be disturbed.’
“Two minutes later the phone rings again and I’m going, ‘I told you!’ and she goes, ‘But you won!’ At that moment the door burst open and I realised there was a devious plot between [my partner] and my children and they flew in and there’s a big party going on downstairs with the whole band. They didn’t care if I won or lost, they just wanted a great big party! That was the best Oscars I ever had.”
Check out the full podcast below:

The post Hans Zimmer says his Rain Man score was the “beginning of orchestras having to adapt” to synth-written movie scores appeared first on MusicTech.

These super-high-end studio monitors are designed by a techno veteran – and cost up to €31,200TEILE Elektronik, the brand co-owned by techno artist Rampa, has launched a new range of high-end studio monitors.
The new SL Series lineup offers three active studio monitors, including a two-way 6.5-inch model (SLs), a three-way 8-inch model (SLm), a three-way 12-inch model (SL2), plus a matching 18-inch studio subwoofer (SLw). Each has been handcrafted in Germany, with prices starting over €7,000.

READ MORE: “The story began 15 years ago when I was repairing Soviet synthesizers”: Eternal Engine’s tube-powered MARS is the wildest synth we’ve seen in ages – here’s how it came to be

TEILE Elektronik started out “as a fun project modifying hardware to be more user friendly for Djs and producers”. Rampa – whose real name is Gregor Sütterlin – runs the brand alongside Benjamin Hughes.
“We are two guys with a common enthusiasm for music and technology,” reads their official website. “Gregor, who produces and DJs under the name Rampa, also founded the record label Keinemusik. With a wealth of experience as a touring DJ and producer, he has an incredible knack for the micro details of how a product should feel and react, as well as what features are needed most. On the macro level, Benjamin takes these ideas and finds a practical way to implement them.”
All three monitors are powered by four channels of ABACUS Dolifet amplification, while the SLw subwoofer uses two channels. Additionally, the monitors also feature Air Motion Transformer tweeters, DSP crossover systems, and an EQ section. As for looks, their cabinets are all finished in a warm Santos Rosewood veneer, and have black front and back panels. Take a look below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @teile_elektronik

As for pricing as a pair, the cheapest offering is the SLs at €7,019.81. The SLm comes in at €12,374.81, and the SL2 at a whopping €31,295.81. The SLw subwoofer is priced at €10,054.31 per unit.
Find out more or shop the full range now over at TEILE Elektronik.
The post These super-high-end studio monitors are designed by a techno veteran – and cost up to €31,200 appeared first on MusicTech.

MPG Awards 2025: Shortlist announced The MPG (Music Producers Guild) have announced the shortlist for this year’s MPG Awards, which will be taking place on 25 April 2025 at The Troxy, London, UK.

YouTuber says music theory makes you a “good analyst or technician” – but not necessarily a good songwriterGenerally speaking, knowing theory makes you a more proficient musician, and helps you understand why certain chord progressions, note sequences and arrangements work with one another.
But is a deep understanding of theory absolutely necessary to be a successful songwriter? One YouTuber certainly doesn’t think so.

READ MORE: This is the best Tears for Fears remake tutorial on the planet right now

In a recent conversation with Rick Rubin on his Tetragrammaton podcast, Rick Beato touched on the often intangible nature of composition, and how there’s a gap between knowing theory and having the instincts to construct a solid melody.
Now, in his own video commenting on the conversation, Become The Knight agrees with Beato.
“Knowing theory isn’t actually necessary for making a compelling piece of art,” he says. “Music education – whether it’s formal conservatory education or courses you purchase from an influencer – kind of sells you this expectation in its undertones, that if you just learn this hidden knowledge from those with the nosis, you too can garner the fame and glory of the musicians you love.
“Now they never say directly that you’ll actually write better – or at least they rarely do – but it’s implied that this will help you accomplish your dreams of becoming a successful artist.” 
He says that in reality, music theory is great at helping you become a “good analyst or technician”, but not necessarily a good songwriter.
“Being an artist can include both of these things. These attributes can be incredibly helpful for providing you context on how to make great, compelling art, so I’m certainly not deriding them. But you can have all of these tools in your tool belt and still make pretty mediocre art. That’s because these lessons are trying to quantify the unquantifiable. They’re trying to introduce semantics to a world of semantic ambiguity.”

Also in Rick Beato’s original conversation with Rick Rubin, the pair discussed the impact streaming services have had on music, noting that the availability of having anything at our fingertips has “devalued music”.
Rick Beato also spoke about his theory that all babies “can develop perfect pitch up to nine months”.
See more from Become The Knight via his official YouTube channel.
The post YouTuber says music theory makes you a “good analyst or technician” – but not necessarily a good songwriter appeared first on MusicTech.

💬 Introducing the new BPB Community
Bedroom Producers Blog has launched an improved commenting system and a new BPB Community. Introducing the New BPB Community After months of planning and testing, I’m excited to launch the new BPB Community. This update brings a new and improved commenting system and a dedicated Community section, making it easier than ever for readers to [...]
View post: 💬 Introducing the new BPB Community

💬 🔥 Weekly Deals & Freebies Thread
Welcome to the BPB Community Weekly Freebie Thread for March 10–16, 2025! 😊 Read the Thread Guidelines 💬 This section of our community is where BPB readers can share links to the latest freeware news and deals with fellow music producers in the comments. Thank you for contributing! To keep the discussion helpful and relevant, please [...]
View post: 💬 🔥 Weekly Deals & Freebies Thread

AllMusic's Anticipated 2025 AlbumsAs the year progresses, we look to the future to guess at the upcoming releases from our favorite artists and pontificate as to what their new sounds will reveal. Here is a non-exhaustive list of albums that our editors have been anticipating in 2025.

JMG Sound’s WideFire is FREE until March 19 at United Plugins
WideFire from the developer JMG Sound is now free for a limited time at United Plugins. Some of you may be familiar with the DarkFire analog-style saturation plugin from JMG Sound. If you are, you might be one of the users who asked for a streamlined plugin providing the core features of DarkFire. JMG Sound [...]
View post: JMG Sound’s WideFire is FREE until March 19 at United Plugins

Manus probably isn’t China’s second ‘DeepSeek moment’Manus, an “agentic” AI platform that launched in preview last week, is generating more hype than a Taylor Swift concert. The head of product at Hugging Face called Manus “the most impressive AI tool I’ve ever tried.” AI policy researcher Dean Ball described Manus as the “most sophisticated computer using AI.” The official Discord server […]
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Deep Drawing with UltrasonicsSmall cylindrical parts are often formed through deep drawing — a process by which a punch forms the finished piece from a flat sheet of metal using a forming die. If it sounds like that stresses the metal, it does. But researchers at Fraunhofer have found a way to reduce friction protecting both the material and the tools that do the forming. The process — known as VibroDraw — uses ultrasonic vibrations at around 500 Hz.
Researchers claim a 20% reduction in friction now, and it may be possible to go even further. With less friction, it is possible to do a deeper draw in a single stage. It also creates less heat which is good for tool life and prevents overheating lubricant. The process has a patent if you want more details. You might need to brush up on your German, though. Unsurprisingly, the vibrations are from a piezoelectric transducer.
Copper is soft enough to use 3D printed dies. We don’t know if this technique would help with that or not. Then there’s hydroforming. If you have any results using ultrasonics with these or any other techniques, be sure to let us know.

Sottovoce DSP SpeedShift Drone StretchSpeedShift Drone Stretch is a plugin which stretches audio to such an extreme that it can turn your favourite song into an dark and ambient pad. The effect is most notably used in the film Inception... Read More

DIY and Independent Musician News Last WeekLast week's DIY and Independent Musician News covered a SXSW preview, how to promote music with short-form video, single release strategies, a ROSTR update and more...
The post DIY and Independent Musician News Last Week appeared first on Hypebot.

Last Week’s Top Music Business NewsA busy week by any definition, the music business news was no exception, with copyright lawsuits, music docs booming, and more...
The post Last Week’s Top Music Business News appeared first on Hypebot.

Spitfire Audio reveal The Albions: Orchestral Selects The Albions: Orchestral Selects promises to provide composers with a comprehensive selection of string, brass, woodwind and percussion samples that offer a wide range of expressive possibilities. 

Apple to introduce new ambient music feature with iOS 18.4With the upcoming version of iOS, Apple is set to offer ambient music playlists from directly within the Control Center, each curated for a different mood. By default, it will give access to four categories – productivity, wellbeing, chill, and sleep – but users can customise this to allow access to any playlist from Apple Music.
For those with an Apple Music subscription, this feature will come with additional benefits. Subscribers will have full control over the tracks played, enabling them to skip songs, choose specific tracks, and save their favourite songs into custom playlists.

READ MORE: “This just looks like another wild scam”: Billy McFarland claps back at Mexican tourism board for claiming it has “no knowledge” of Fyre 2 – but people aren’t buying it

However, even without a subscription, users can still enjoy the feature, with Apple’s algorithms selecting and playing the most fitting tracks based on the chosen mood.
Currently, this feature is available in Beta mode, allowing users to test out its functionality and offer feedback before its full release. It’s expected to be officially rolled out in April 2025 with the release of iOS 18.4.
This update is set to include some other major changes to Apple devices, several of which involve new features for Apple Intelligence. For example, Apple Intelligence will now be able to determine which notifications are the most important and display these in a separate section of the lock screen, so only the most relevant notifications get through.
Apple also recently released the new Powerbeats Pro 2, following their first-generation release in 2019. These sporty headphones are designed to offer ten hours of battery life and have active noise cancellation. They are also the first Apple headphones able to monitor the wearer’s heart rate, a useful feature for any sportsperson wanting to keep track of their progress.
Learn more about iOS 18 at Apple.
The post Apple to introduce new ambient music feature with iOS 18.4 appeared first on MusicTech.