Best All Round Crash (under the mic)

[~BURNY~]

Title says all. It's for a rock band.

I don't really care about drummers opinion here.

I just want the AE perspective.

 

[kernelxsanders]

zildjian A customs. you will never need anything more than A customs. i personally 20" for primary, 18" for accents

 

[Jordon]

Another vote for A customs. Especially for hats (though I know you're talking about crashes).

 

[Ermz]

Sabian AAX or Paiste 2002 series are the best I've ever recorded. You'd really have to check out specific sizes for yourself to work out what fits the project.

 

[MatrixClaw]

I use a 16" and 17" A Custom on my set for main crashes and a 15" HHX-Treme. They all sound great recorded; though I wasn't a huge fan of the 20" A Custom ride I had, or the 14" hats.

 

[greyskull]

Sabian vault 22 or k customs.
Can't stand z's. And the bigger the better!!

 

[jangoux]

Z's suck , Ks don't excite me, A Customs and AAX are great. I had a set of a 17 inch AAXplosion and a 19 inch AAX Dark crash and they complimented each other perfectly. The later is very thin and fragile, tho'.

 

[KillFrenzy]

I have 3 AAX Studio Crashes - 16, 17, 18 - and they sound amazing. The best crashes I've ever recorded. Unfortunately they're a bit thin, but in an AE point of view, the projection and 'brightness' are near perfect. The A Customs are also great, or even the Avedis if you want a darker tone.

 

[~BURNY~]

Thanks for the suggestions. So far I am pretty set on a 18" AA thin crash and maybe a zildjian A custom of some sort or an AAX...
The vault series seem to lack a tiny bit of ping for my taste and the 22 is probably too expensive for me.
I have to keep a good performance/price ratio.

 

[lolzgreg]

Sabian Vault Crashes/Sabian HHX Evolution Crashes

 

[OneDaySky]

Paiste RUDE cymbals, great quality, but mega loud!

 

[~BURNY~]

but mega loud!

Pretty much what I want to avoid.

 

[xFkx]

I vote for AAX, the attack is more prominent, zildjans sound kinda too "big" and are better suited for slower music

i'm saying this as both ae and drummer

 

[Fredrik-Ablaze]

for me; paiste signature or 2002

 

[bedubaya]

just listen to some samples online, generally for crash's, try to get thin ones which will have more attack and a faster decay time.

Plenty of good brands around and everyone has they're preference
I use Diril turkish cymbals, but they might be slightly more difficult to get depending on where you are based.

 

[KillFrenzy]

Well, for what you described, give a try on the AAX Studios. You'll not be sorry. But be aware that even two similar crashes can sound EXTEMELY DIFFERENT!! My 17" is also beautiful, but not in the same "level of perfection" as the other two. Maybe because the 16" and 18" were already used (not spanked though) when I got them and the 17" is still brand new. It sounds a little bit more metallic and ringy than the other two.

 

[jeid]

Zildjian Avedis for hats and crash/rides and A Customs for an accent crash.

The AAX range are pretty good, really like their hats.

 

[colonel_claypoo]

I can't really have a say here but what do you all think of Meinl's?
most metal drummers seem to use them. it seems to me even more so than sabain and zildjian.

 

[DeclanWhite]

brilliant finished medium thin crashes in b20 bronze are pretty standard all round cymbals that should work for 90% of what you will ever want. A custom, AAX etc

if you want trashier/darker/more complex, go hand hammered/hand hammered STYLE like trx, K, K custom, sabian HH, HHX, meinl byzance, paiste twenty series, or any of the 9655865 small turkish companies

i prefer larger crashes - 18", 19" a customs for my main crashes, i also have meinl byzance 21" and 22" medium crashes which i use sometimes, but i hate how they sound in heavier recordings.

in my experience paiste suck (except the twenty series which is made by Murat Diril in turkey, then finished by paiste.) b20 or gtfo.

 

[~BURNY~]

We ended up using a 18" avedis and a 20" AA or something... From the various conversations I've had since I posted this message, it seems that larger/thinner crashes generally are a safe bet If you are after clean, not complex and bright sounding cymbals like me.
I'll probably end up buying an A custom or Avedis pack so I won't be pissed off when the drummer I'm supposed to record show up with shit cymbals.