Composer John Lunn, best known for his acclaimed work on The Last Kingdom, Downton Abbey, Grantchester, and many more, continues to shape modern television with his distinctive blend of classical sensibilities and cutting-edge sound design.
A key part of his sonic toolkit? AJH Synths modular systems, which he has relied on for more than a decade to bring unique analogue textures to his scores.
From Soft Synths to Modular Rediscovery
“When I originally got into film music, everything got more and more into the computer with my film and television work,” Lunn recalls. “There was a lot of pressure to do stuff quickly and everyone was using soft synths. And to me, these were all beginning to sound the same.”
Landing the role of composer for The Last Kingdom gave Lunn the chance to revisit his early fascination with modular instruments, dating back to his time at Glasgow University working with an EMS Synthi 100.
“I had suggested that we create the music for The Last Kingdom series electronically, since nobody knows what things really sounded like back then,” he says. “I started getting more into real synths again at this point, and rediscovered modular – and that was a bit of a gamechanger.”
He considered a Minimoog, but price and MIDI limitations posed issues for scoring to picture. “When I saw the AJH MiniMod, I thought ‘this is exactly what I need.’ And that became a mainstay of the soundtrack for the Last Kingdom,” he says.
Unlocking the Low End
“It was the low end that hooked me – and the low end in film and TV is a really complex business that you can’t just take for granted,” Lunn continues. “It’s not like doing a dance track, where the speakers will just be there pumping out the bass. In film and television, the bass needs much more attention.”
Despite experimenting with soft synths, he couldn’t quite achieve the depth and timbre he needed. The AJH MiniMod, built around three VCOs, changed that. “It all just clicked when I used the three AJH oscillators together – the entire sound just opened up, and the low-end presence I needed was there.”
Building Textures with AJH Modules
Lunn’s AJH system has become a playground for evolving textures. One of his go-to setups involves four chromatically tuned VCOs routed through the Triple Cross XFader Panner, modulated by the Tap Tempo LFO and Sample Hold & Slew modules.
“I’ve got the VCA controlled by the Tap Tempo LFO, which is constantly altering the voices. I introduce a bit of randomness with the AJH Dual RVG module,” he explains. “The result is this four-chord thing that disappears and comes back a little different each time – it could be a song in and of itself.”
He also makes frequent use of the Entropic Doom Noisillator: “The Entropic Doom is brilliant – I use this for percussive things, but I will also put another oscillator through it and have it interact with the noise.”
Once he dials in a sound he likes, he keeps it consistent. “Some of these shows I work on last for six months at a time, so if I get a patch that I like, it stays. The MiniMod is kind of its own self-contained instrument that always stays patched, and then I just extend on from that.”
Still Hooked
Following his work on The Last Kingdom, Lunn’s AJH Synth collection has only grown. “I think I’ve got virtually all their modules now, and it is still a massive part of my sound. I was completely hooked after I got the MiniMod.”
Lunn remains in high demand, recently completing the score for an upcoming Downton Abbey film while continuing his work on the long-running BBC series Shetland. His music for The Last Kingdom and Shetland is available on major streaming platforms.
For more information, visit https://jlunn.com
