AJH Synth is a UK-based manufacturer of Eurorack modules, specializing in handmade vintage analogue designs. For years their modules have been known for their fantastic vintage sound and great build quality. In this Interview conducted at SuperBooth24 in May 2024, AJH’s founder Allan J Hall talks about the origins of the brand, the difference between the synth world and the corporate world, his design process and what still keeps him going.
How did you get started building synth equipment?
Allan J Hall: I’d been involved with synths for many years and I was a part of the synth DIY movement, building lots of different things, just for my own amusement initially.
And around what time was that?
About twenty years ago. About eleven or twelve years ago, I built the Moog Model D in Eurorack. By that time I had a big 5U modular system and I was building lots of 5U and I was a synth service tech as well, servicing a lot of gear, so I knew how they should sound.
Were you servicing synths full time at that time?
Well, initially it was part time. But then I sold the business that I had and I retired at 42 years old and had lots of time on my hands, just playing with synths all day everyday (laughs). And so when I tried the Eurorack synths that existed back then, I was disappointed with the sound, thinking “why don’t they sound like this vintage equipment that I have?”
So I thought I’ll take the original Model D — which to me was always the “Stradivarius” of mono synths — and I’ll make that in Eurorack, and over a period of two years I built all the individual modules in Eurorack. And a few friends heard it and went “oh, will you build me one, and will you build me one…” (laughs) — but the short answer was no, because that would’ve simply been too much work to do DIY-style.
But then I thought hang on a minute, what if I actually make them as proper production modules? So it was in 2014 that we launched the first AJH Minimod modules. At the time it was just the Minimod VCO, VCF, VCA, Dual EG and Glide/Noise, that was it. But we started selling them and they were very well received, so it became a business. That was the start of AJH as a brand.
Was there a plan to turn it into a business, or was that just something that gradually happened step by step?
It was just a step by step thing, really. It was quite organic and it was fun! Because it’d been in business before. I was in manufacturing, and we used to go and do exhibitions with our products. And whenever we got an Email from a trade customer it’d be like “there’s something wrong with this”, “it got damaged in transit”, “we want to return this” … you know, it was only ever problems!
When I got into this, one of the first Emails I got was someone that said, “I just bought one of your systems” and I thought “oh, no, what’s wrong with it”. But the Email just said, “it sounds great, thanks!” — and I couldn’t believe that, that someone would write to me just to say thanks for making the system. Because in the other business I’d been in, in the corporate world, that simply didn’t happen. And that’s one of the things that I really enjoy about being in the Eurorack and synth world, that it’s this community, rather than just a corporate industry.
I couldn’t believe that, that someone would write to me just to say thanks for making the system
What was it that drew you to the vintage Moog / Model D sound specifically?
Well, I was a keyboard player. I used to play in a classic Rock band, playing both guitar and keyboards. And for keyboards, I was brought up with Rick Wakeman, and Jon Lord of Deep Purple, and Vangelis, and Jean-Michel Jarre and Tangerine Dream. Those were my influences and so that’s really where the love of synths came in for me. I’m not really from the experimental electronic scene, I’m coming more from the perspective of a keyboard player that’s drifted over to modular over time.
How do you balance keeping the heritage of that vintage sound alive, while also updating it and adding new features?
I think the first thing you have to do is control some of the vintage nature of some of these instruments, like the tuning and other things. Those could be improved upon. With the initial VCO module, when I came up with the Minimod VCO design, that took a lot of development because I was trying to hit a balance — if you put too much control in, it becomes boring sounding. It’s about finding that middle spot, where it will stay in tune and it’s useful, but it also has that character and depth and life.
And if you look at something like the Next Phase, we took the EHX Small Stone phaser, which I’ve always loved used on synths on those early Jean-Michel Jarre records. But then I thought, if I make that into a module, instead of four [allpass filter] stages, why not put in three of them in series, so we have twelve stages? And then I thought, let’s also have it so you can select a different resonance stage, and so on. So with all of the modules I’ve built, I always think “how can this usefully be expanded to make it more interesting”. That’s what drives me.
How do you arrive at designs for new modules?
I’ve never ever built something because I thought “oh, if I build this, I’ll sell some”. That was never the consideration. It's always just something that excites me, that makes me think “oh, I really like that idea”. It’s only then that I develop something. Of course sometimes, it would be other people, customers, who say “why don’t you do this?” — and if that’s an idea that excites me, I’ll do it!
AJH has started offering pre-configured 6U and 9U systems. What was the idea behind offering such dedicated AJH systems?
The thing with Eurorack is that a lot of people are in that space with experience, and they tend to buy single modules and build their idea of a perfect system. The reason we offer full systems is that some people may be new to Eurorack and they just want something that’s useful out of the box. Or perhaps it’s a professional musician that wants to get into Eurorack but they want to keep the learning curve as low as they can, since they’re starting with a system that has a good balance of modules.
These systems were configured in collaboration with Wayne Taylor (DreamsOfWires, Tomorrow The Cure), what was that design process like?
Wayne is a musician that has a big love of the Berlin School sound, which I also share. He bought some AJH modules back in the day, and we just started chatting and we started working together. Wayne knows the modules inside out, and he can leave me dead for patching (laughs). So that’s his area of expertise and I’m in awe of his talent in that respect.
Do you sometimes get surprised by users like Wayne doing things with your modules that you didn’t expect?
Absolutely! Sometimes Wayne would make videos [of patches] and send them to me, like a tribute he did for Klaus Schulze where he got a vocal sound out of the synth that I didn’t think was possible. So I was just like, "how did you do that"! And it was really only after he’d break it down that I was like “Yeah, I see it now”. He surprises me with what he’ll do. So I’ve learned from Wayne, but conversely, he’s also learned a lot from me, because I know exactly what the modules will do. So it’s one of those things that’s greater than its parts, really.
Can you tell the story of how your new RadioPhonic system designed in collaboration with Hans Zimmer came to be?
I went to NAMM in, I think, about 2015. And I was in the booth and someone came to me and he said, “I play Wind Instruments with Hans Zimmer and he has one of your systems and he really likes it”. And then two weeks later I got an Email from Hans saying, “I really love your system and I’m using it on a daily basis for the score I’m doing at the moment, thanks for the great work!” So that’s how it started and over time, Hans got more of our modules and we’d occasionally exchange emails.
And then, towards the end of 2023, I got a FaceTime call from Hans and he said he’d bought the BBC’s Maida Vale studios and he’d like me to create the “ultimate modular system” for him that would go into the new RadioPhonic workshop that he was planning to create at the Maida Vale studios. As you might know, the original RadioPhonic workshop was closed by the BBC, and so one of his motivations behind buying the studio was to recreate the RadioPhonic workshop, but to bring it into the 21st Century. And the idea really was to develop a modern Eurorack system that hasn’t been compromised in any way. So between us we came up with a design brief, and the RadioPhonic was the product of that.
the idea really was to develop a modern Eurorack system that hasn’t been compromised in any way
Was the system inspired by the music coming out of the old RadioPhonic workshop?
Yes! With me being from England, growing up, the BBC TV was just full of things from the RadioPhonic workshop and the Dr. Who theme — of course, everyone knows the Dr. Who theme! So yeah, absolutely. It’s a huge, huge honor. Electronic music wouldn’t be where it is today without the contribution that the workshop made.
(Allan with Hans Zimmer and the RadioPhonic System)
Can you walk us through the RadioPhonic system?
Where do you even start! But the way it is designed really comes down to the fact that it has two stereo voices. Because when Hans writes for the big screen, he’s pointed out that the speakers are very far apart when you are in the cinema. And so the fact that a voice can be made stereo was very important to him. But in terms of the module selection, it’s more or less every module we've ever made (laughs)!
There is also some duplication in the system — so you could take a module out and replace it with another, that was something we've consciously built in from the start. It wasn’t meant to be set in stone, so if we have something new, it can just be added to the system.
Do you have anything to say about what the future might bring for AJH?
You know, for me the thing is really that it’s still exciting. I think when it stops being exciting, that’s when I’ll stop working. But for now, it really is a passion. If you just want to get rich then Eurorack is not the place you want to be (laughs)! It’s a reason to get out of bed in the morning. The customers are the best, they really are. It’s such a pleasure to meet the customers, that’s also why we do SuperBooth. It takes quite a lot of organization, and it took us a two day drive from the UK with a car full of stuff, but it’s worth it, because we get to meet the customers and there’s nothing like it!
So the feedback from your customers and users is really what still drives you?
Absolutely, it’s about the community, really — it’s a fun way to spend your life (laughs)!
You can find more information about AJH over on their website and shop a large selection of their products over at SchneidersLaden.