Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL): The Madness of Modern Film Scoring 

I could not take my eyes off those modular synths...total trance!

Dang Rick, you are becoming an interviewing legend in the film score world as well. Please keep it going!

The ANALOG ROOM... Luv it 😁👍🏻👍🏻

Hey Rick. His appreciation of the art of learning a instrument. I recognize this feeling. 3 years ago I started learning the bass and now Everytime I see or hear an experience bass player my jaw drops. Such skill and making it look so easy. Leland sklar for instance. Just amazing.

Tom is a wonderful person! Respect Brilliant musician and programmer

Dutch legend!

Man, another interview with Tom would be awesome. They have done a lot more recently and moved studios.

In Tom's studio, every day is New Year's Eve. I want to visit Tom's studio too.

I'm glad you included your interlude explaining Rick Beato 2. I didn't realize that, so now I'm subscribed. I enjoy watching your facial expressions, Rick, as you interview. I cannot help in notice you seem a little giddy interviewing other such talented musicians, in this case, a film composer. It's a joy to watch. I like what Tom said beginning at 5:04. I once spent four hours programming an 11-second string part including violins, violas, cello and bass (with a bit of brass) - but I got it right:)

Sometimes I really do feel good being Dutch. Tom is a humble hero. Driven by the force of music. Says cheese on every note. Gouda! (Gold)

5:13 "There's ten different ways to play a staccato note". It's so true. As astounding as string libraries are these days, it just cannot compare to real players because of the seemingly endless ways they can play a note. It would fill a hard drive alone to capture all the expressions. I go as far as legato, staccato, tremolo and pizzicato and I adjust velocity afterwards. I'd never rate hans Zimmer as a composer of melody like say, John Williams but he's brought this whole new production sound of layering strings with synthesis that's the way forward for game and film/tv composers. If you haven't got an orchestra in your back pocket, then go the Zimmer way.

This could be a 5 hours talk. Tom is such a lovely music and tech nerd

Another reason to record in sections and deliver cues in multiple stems is because the score can often be orchestrated, recorded (and indeed mixed) BEFORE the picture is locked. Meaning you need the control/flexibility to re-edit the delivered cues to the final picture, later on. This is critical.

I was waiting for him to say Bladerunner 👏👏👏 That is just the best marriage of score and film IMO. Sounds both futuristic obviously but also timeless and has me asking ‘how’d he do that’ with 1981/2 era technology. Amazing.

Love hearing them both enthusing about favourite music and players.

God I'm envious of Holkenborgs gear walls. Thats probably the biggest moog modular setup I've ever seen, and thats not even touching on the utter behemoth on the wall behind Rick.

Tom's incredible as are both his studios. Looking at those 2 incredible walls of tasty gear in his LA place though, I can't help thinking that it's in big-time earthquake country. Sure hope it's all beefed up for the shakes.

This was so fascinating a great interview.

Mode film scoring interviews please!!

Enjoyed this fascinating interview, and that studio looks amazing. Spaceship vibes 🌟⭐️🌟

Looks like you're on the bridge of the Enterprise! More cowbell! We need a LOT more cowbell! 😁

Fantastic interview. More please !

Amazing content! Thank you so much!

These interviews you're landing are insane rick

Awesome interview. Tom is great!

Great videos Rick!

Great interview, Rick.

Great interview!👍🙏

Cool. Something different this time. Still remember when my friend got Saturday Teenage Kick demo from a radio station and played it to us. (We all listened to Prodigy so we thought it was pretty awesome.)

If you've never heard it, you should listent to Tom's band Nerve, especially the Blood & Gold album.

I cannot take my eyes off that modular synth

Would really love to see Rick interviewing Zimmer next time

Fascinating.

There are an astronomical amount of knobs back there. I’m intimidated just looking at that.

I love all of this content and this interview is great! You're killin' it! Impressive to see so much growth and content coming out of you! Side note, maybe turn the auto-focus off on the cam settings to the sensor isn't freaking out when people move their hands, etc. No criticism at all! Just a thought!

Fascinating

Tom, from the Netherlands 🇳🇱. I remember that day when half of his studio stuff was stolen in The Netherlands 😢

Subscribed to both channels! HEJ FRÅN SVERIGE!!!!! HELLO FROM SWEDEN!

Love to Tom ! When Tom mentioned that the orchestra had to play their parts separate for mixing purposes I wondered if there isn’t an AI application that is able to split the instruments perfectly while allowing the orchestra to play together. With good mic setups this should be possible no?

Vangelis, chariots of the Gods. r.i.p.

Look at all the stuff😮.

Wow I thought Tom was downgrading his hardware arsenal but looks like he's expanding it :)

Oh yeah, this is great, more film music would be cool!

Tom is the goat!! 🐐

I can understand the director wanting control. I know I'm not young but I have do say: if it was good enough for Steven Spielberg and John Williams to produce what they have, are they really making a better product? Not really fair but it is how I feel.

Great interview Rick. More film composers. Interview some of the game composers next.

Wow still can’t believe he sold all that gear a few years ago!

Rick, can you try and do an extended interview with John Williams on the issue to get his opinion on traditional methods of scoring? Would love to see it!

Just subbed!

Wow!

Rick: So what's your favorite score Tom: So my second favorite keyboard playing would be.... 😆

CUBASE !!!

this is his old studio in LA isnt it? how old is the interview actually? loved it! really loved it

I'd like to hear more about the politics of scoring. Projects go through several layers of approvals and everyone has to get their 3 squirts of territorial piss on it to feel like they are a part of the process. The video edit can change, an executive can not like particular tracks... you can always be chasing revision. How is that handled... contractually, time management, creatively?

Ilaiyaraja should be checked out by you lot. The greatest pen and paper composer imo

Film mixing is just insane...

Tom's studio looks like a filmset of Stark The Next generation.

We actually played many of the same stages and festivals as Tom. A really nice and talented guy! And now I understand why the last 5 years so many films are mixed so poorly! That the music is ear shatteringly loud and the dialogue hardly can be heard. It’s probably the director’s vision (hearing). And it’s annoying as hell to sit and watch a movie and not hear dialogue and squint from the orchestral or SFX onslaught.

Remember when he first started doing soundtracks and I was like "the guy who did that horrible Elvis dance remix?" Now love his film work

i remember ssx blur soundtrack was by this guy

Come on Rick, this is OLD OLD OLD!!!

The only soundtrack of his I’ve listened to is The Dark Tower, and while I hate the movie for being such a horrible adaptation of Stephen King’s masterpiece that spans 8 books, I still really enjoyed the soundtrack

Nice wallpaper

I don't know if this is the place.. but you should interview Dave Abbruzzese. Just to complete the grunge legends 😄🙌🙌🙌

"The way that Vangelis used music against what happens in the picture was very groundbreaking." So what does Junkie mean by that? Anyone care to elaborate? Thank you.

Is there a particular Zimmer score that started this?

Junkie XL Legendary!!!

Great interview, but if you get a chance an interview with Emily Bear on film scoring for films.

I thought that was Kane in the thumbnail! 😂

Whoa, I remember, back in the day the committee - it was in Eastern Europe - literally laughed at me during my music academy entrance exam when I presented a medley of my Philip Glass-esque pieces as "film score". Like an honest laugh. And it wasn't THAT long ago. Jesus, it was. Anyway, the idea of getting away with a film score without John Williams-style leitmotifs, or melody as such, or ANY substance to be honest seemed funny here. I guess right now everybody's at least a bit fed up with all the empty arpeggios and stuff again, everywhere, but anyway...things, thank God, always change.

Hey man, maybe it's time to have Tom Back.

The best film score I saw was Scarface. Highlander was pretty good too.

lol i was going with bladerunner two minutes before he got to say bladerunner :)

The issue is that people are using the sample libraries too much. Playing a cue on the piano prevents the director from getting used to sampled sounds and it will train their ears to hear a reduced version on the piano and wonder what it will sound like in the recording session. From what I hear....the musicians HATE being separated from each other when in recording sessions. They see it as a few things: 1. the composer is trying to get the players to do things that they can't replicate from the samples because they are human and not a computer, 2. they can't orchestrate or control the orchestra so they divide them up with walls or record them on separate days and use faders to replicate that orchestras can do ANYTHING

it’s important to precise that they are talking about music score for blockbusters that why directors can so much control on the music files. This can explain why block busters music score are lacking of uniqueness. Business wise.

Serious question: why, in studios filled to the brim with very expensive synths, belonging to people who obviously have the money, am I seeing cheap and low end studio monitors?

Holy shit!

Looks like a mad scientist's lab

The Untouchables soundtrack and score....

I....want...that...synth...rack!

Does this guy make music or control Apollo 13 with that gear

Jerry Goldsmith was doing mock ups long before Zimmer lol

Tom lives on the set of 1970s science fiction film.

Looks like a space ship 😊

doubt you’ll see this. idk if you had any relationship to him but i’m sure at the very least you know him…would love to hear your take, as someone in the industry, on the legacy of the great steve albini. whether we as individuals know it or not his work has impacted everyone in music. if you’re willing and able i would love to hear you’re thoughts. rest in peace steve.

Mental❤

Is he on Furiosa as well? Please!

Does he need to buy carbon offsets for that room?

What is going on in the background? Is that stuff functional? 😮

Isn't this his old studio didn't think he had that modular wall anymore ..?

Just gonna slide this in here, unrelated: Yuja Wang interview?

❤😊😊

In a slightly odd off topic item... Weirdly enough, if you focus in on the face (ignoring the hair, or lack), Tom Holkenborg looks a bit like F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg. With the extra twist that the family names are so similar, but not the same, so there isn't even the question of "oh, are those guys related, then?". (Seriously, for people who don't know who I'm talking about, look up a photo of the guy.) Freaky, man. That aside... good lord, this guy is just The Modular King, isn't he?

Please tell me there is more than just 11 minutes!?!? 🙏

Said the mics were incorrectly placed. Too much reverb Tom's voice.

My degree is from Berklee in film scoring. I scored two films for local people and they were such dicks and divas about it, they refused to pay anything on top of it. So I said fuck this. Just a dumb state of the art right now.

this room needs more knobs

Harry Potter ❤️

Should be noted Tom has sold everything you see and is now based in his home country.

He has almost as much stuff as Keith Emerson