20th Aug 2025by Sarah Gellas
Studio Spotlight: Hans Zimmer and the RG Jones Control Room
Before he became one of the most iconic film composers in the world, Hans Zimmer was a musician and a studio buff — reviewing pro audio setups for Studio Sound magazine. In one 1980s edition, he profiled RG Jones Studios and wrote:
The control room was one of the busiest studios in England.
It wasn’t an exaggeration. RG Jones, by that time, was a gear-head’s dream:
- Custom Rupert Neve 32/16/24 Quad Console
- Studer A80 and B62 tape machines
- Dolby A and SR noise reduction
- EMT 140 plate reverb and AKG BX20 echo chambers
- Lexicon 224, Eventide H910, and other studio mainstays
The room, acoustically tuned by Sandy Brown Associates, was outfitted with JBL 4311 monitors driven by Crown DC-300A amps. Zimmer’s review captured what many already knew: this was a studio that engineers trusted and artists came back to.
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