Clio Award-winning and multi-Emmy-nominated composer Lester Barnes has carved a niche in the world of television and film, particularly in scoring animation and cartoons. A classically trained musician and orchestral arranger, Barnes blends his love of synthesis with traditional composition, and at the center of this work is his trusted AJH Synth system.
Barnes acquired his first AJH Synth MiniMod in 2014, and it’s remained essential to his process ever since. A statement from Barnes discloses: “Since acquiring an original AJH Synth MiniMod system, I’ve never looked back—it’s still the first thing I reach for when patching.”
His setup is one of the largest in Europe, with more than 48 channels of I/O and multiple synth voices, including 16 AJH MiniMod VCOs. “I was always striving for an orchestral thing,” Barnes explains. “I wanted my room to be polyphonic and multitimbral so I could interact with it much like an orchestra.”
Reflecting on what sets AJH apart, Barnes highlights its reliability: “First of all, there’s the purity of sound. When I plug it in, I just smile. With other modules, it seems like you have to work to get the result you want. I also love the tracking—you can leave several oscillators set up, come back hours later, and they are still bang on in tune with no deviation.”
Barnes routinely puts his AJH system through its paces, recently using 12 MiniMod VCOs to create evolving chords with precise tuning. “The tracking is that good that I could do anything with these voices, and I knew everything would be exactly where it needed to be,” he says.
Beyond sound, Barnes values AJH’s thoughtful design. A statement from him notes: “The features are virtually unlimited with the amount of inputs, controls, and routing options you are given—it introduces a whole different world and makes it a lot more fun.”
While best known for his animation work, Barnes continues to take on a range of projects, from U.K. cartoons to mystery films produced in Shanghai. Regardless of the medium, his AJH system remains central to his creative process.
For more information on Lester Barnes, visit lesterbarnes.com.
