Best cymbals - from the producer/engineer perspective?

[Benny H]

Hey guys, I'll be looking to get a new drumkit shortly, and it's job (apart from being fun times for me!) will be recording.

However, I'm not in the position to go lashing out on pro studio drums + a bunch of good mics and related gear to get good real drums to 'tape'.
So the idea I have in mind is to trigger/sound replace all the actual drum sounds of whatever cheaper kit I get.

But that still leaves the question of cymbals.. I still need a reasonable array.. both for my ears and to record.

So.. I thought I'd ask what your thoughts are from the recording experience?

Eg... Any particular brands or lines that never worked for you in the mix?
Do you think very expensive cymbals warrant their price from this perspective?
Ever got a good sound from relatively cheap cymbals. etc

 

[Brett - K A L I S I A]

A lot of metal drummers (and I really mean A LOT) use Zildjian Z, must be good !

 

[Benny H]

Yes but the point of this thread is to ignore what the drummer thinks for a sec.

Surely the people in the control room have their own opinion on this! ..like they do for everything else!

 

[Andy Sneap]

zildjian and sabian seem to work the best for me

 

[Fyhed]

I have always used zildjian cymbals, the A customs are lovely and bright with the K's being a lot darker.


While Iprefer using A customs for my crashes, I like K's for the ride and Hi hats.

For splash cymbals there is a make called "Stagg" and these guys make cheap as hell cymbals that actually sound pretty good. They are especially good for if you go on tour as they are cheap so you won't mind if they break.

Personally I prefer Zildjian overall but Sabians are popular also. Its up to you but I believe that to get a good crash or ride cymbal, you have to be prepared to part with a good deal of cash as I believe in general, a cheap ride is always gonna be crap. The same goes for a crash cymbal.

 

[Razorjack]

I prefer recording Sabian ride's, I also agree with Stagg splashes but only for live use.

 

[J the TyranT]

< - uses Paiste, Meinl and Istanbul... but, Im a drummer...

Sabians arent bad... and I think Zildjians are just too generic. UFIPs are nice too... soooo uhm... I barely narrowed that down at all...

I think the jazzy sort are easier to record due to their quick attack, precise control, and fast decay, too... but... whatever.

J

 

[kaomao]

Ufip rocks, are hand made here in italy and are way more clearer than zildjian
Ok they're not really cheap, but if you want a great tone try 'em
I like 'em!!

Maurizio

 

[unsilpauly]

Hey guys, I'll be looking to get a new drumkit shortly, and it's job (apart from being fun times for me!) will be recording.

However, I'm not in the position to go lashing out on pro studio drums + a bunch of good mics and related gear to get good real drums to 'tape'.
So the idea I have in mind is to trigger/sound replace all the actual drum sounds of whatever cheaper kit I get.

But that still leaves the question of cymbals.. I still need a reasonable array.. both for my ears and to record.

So.. I thought I'd ask what your thoughts are from the recording experience?

Eg... Any particular brands or lines that never worked for you in the mix?
Do you think very expensive cymbals warrant their price from this perspective?
Ever got a good sound from relatively cheap cymbals. etc

hey, hows it going. im a drummer and alot of these guys are right for sure. zildjians are great, cant go wrong with them. for recording rock/metal the "a customs" would get my vote. i personally have "z customs" right now for crashes and they are great live but record kinda harsh. "a customs" are really smooth and quality sounding. bright enough for heavy music. although "k series" sound great and there are probably some good models for heavy music, as a whole they are a darker line and dont cut through as well. definetly a thinner cymbal and wont really hold up too good for heavy styles of play. sabians are great too, but personally i just think they are kinda hovering just below zildjian most of the time sound-wise. another good brand is istanbul. the alchemy series is really good. ive had several of the "professional" line of alchemys and they sound great. definetly worth checking out. all this is obviously personal preference though and im sure everybody has their faves.