Cymbals for Recording Metal

[Rohrak]

I'm looking into getting a set of cymbals for recording metal.

I'm guessing cymbals with a fairly quick decay would be ideal for this situation.

I've heard a few recommendations for 13" Hihats, as opposed to 14". Someone suggested to try the Paiste Signature 13" Dark Crisp Hihats.

As far as the ride goes, something with a large bell, nice ping, and not too washy would be ideal.

I'm thinking that I should be looking towards medium weight cymbals, and ones that aren't purely designed to be "loud."

I've used the Sabian AA Metal-X range in the past, but felt they were a bit too heavy/clangy sounding for the job.

Can anyone recommend a specific line of cymbals they have had good experience with, when recording metal?

Many thanks.

 

[Studdy]

Metal is a pretty vague term when talking about cymbal selection. It can really very. In my studio I've now settled on Zildjian 'A' Customs all around (except china). I've found it to be the most versatile amongst different styles/genres/etc. But it really is personal taste. One thing I have noticed is that I really prefer drumsets that have consistent cymbal sound. When you have 5 brands of crashes, different hats, etc. I find the drumset to sound odd/unnatural. Once again this is only my opinion and the next person could disagree completely.

 

[Sloan]

I'll be watching this thread. Back when I was interested in investing in more drum stuff, I was always impressed with sound samples of Paiste stuff.

 

[cfh11]

i like sabian aax or hhx series cymbals for heavy stuff. hhx have a very quick decay (i think they were designed with the studio in mind) so i would def check those out.

 

[derekmoffat]

I really like A customs. They always cut through for me. Telling the drummer to hit consistently and not like a sissy helps too

 

[DavePiatek]

Zildjian A Customs all the way, though I do like the K Custom 14" hats. They're a bit darker, which means that the spill on the snare mic is a little more manageable because of the coloration.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I'm rocking all A custom shit except the chinas. I'm using Wuhan for that, beat the fuck out of it and it sounds nice and trashy. If they break you don't get pissed.

 

[~BURNY~]

AAX, A custom, also Masterwork Troy series and Zultan Rock beat if you're in Europe .
I personally hate 13" Hi-hats

 

[mickrich]

I have a set of A Customs.
14 hats, 16 and 17 projection crashes and 22 ride.
Always sound fantastic for any type of music.
I find sabians (apart from hh) to be too shrill.
Paiste signatures and 2002 are great for recording too.

 

[Rohrak]

Thanks for all the advice so far.

I'm getting a good deal on a Sabian AAX 16" Dark Crash, so I think I'll go for that to start with.

I'm REALLY liking the sound of the 22" Sabian AAX Metal Ride. I currently own the 20" Sabian AA Metal-X Ride (not the AAX Metal), and I do quite like it, but the 22" AAX Metal Ride seems a lot more defined, less washy and the bell sounds fantastic.

@~BURNY~: What don't you like about 13" hats?

 

[chdrummer]

A customs always sound sick. Meinl Byzance, Mb20, and Soundcaster are also sick.

 

[Pman]

I hated A Customs when i tried them. Much preferred Sabians AA(X) range.
Standard A's always sound good for me. I use Z Customs for live purposes as they just have a harder time breaking but they don't as amazing in the studio.

 

[bryan_kilco]

I'm rocking all A custom shit except the chinas. I'm using Wuhan for that, beat the fuck out of it and it sounds nice and trashy. If they break you don't get pissed.

Dude, honestly, I've heard a few chinas in my time but the $30 or whatever Wuhan always sounded pretty fucking sweet to my ears.

 

[FrankTheSmith]

Anything smaller than an 18" kinda sounds like the bad samples you get from free hiphop drum sample packs.
They're fine for accent crashes, but consistent riding on the crash sounds weak to me.
I got a little dealio with TRX a while ago and they sound pretty cool.
Wuhan and Agazarian chinas are like 2 bucks and they sound amazing. They break fast though.

The china in this song was done with a 16" Agazarian china

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Dude, honestly, I've heard a few chinas in my time but the $30 or whatever Wuhan always sounded pretty fucking sweet to my ears.

The only problem I have with them is the decay is a little lacking. Very fast bright attack fallowed by a very fast decay.

I sort of want to give one of the 22" ones a go and see if the decay is any longer.

But other than that they do exactly what you want them to do. Sound trashy as FUCK.

The only thing I would argue is that the 12 and 14 inch ones are pretty much shit. Gave them a go and they just fucking suck. I have an 18" that seems pretty perfect.

 

[RedDog]

AAX user. Smaller, 16" or so are brighter, more sizzle and quick decay that doesn't get hazy in small rooms.

I use 16" Dark Crash, 16" X-plosion and a 21" Raw bell Dry Ride. I absolutely love the ride.

 

[ArthurD]

A Customs. AAX. PAISTE 2002.

If you are into Paisties take a look:

 

[amarshism]

I generally prefer smaller quicker cymbals

 

[Teddyboy]

Paiste for me

 

[MatrixClaw]

I hate anything smaller than 16" for crashes, way too high pitched and annoying. My kit looks like:

4-piece Yamaha Oak Custom
13x6" C&C Maple snare
14x6.5" Pork Pie Big Black Brass snare
Addiction Drums 13×6″ Vented Oak Snare
20" Meinl Byzance Traditional Heavy Ride
18" Sabian HHX China
17" Zildjian A Custom Crash
16" Zildjian A Custom Crash
15" Sabian HHX-Treme Crash
14" Sabian AAX Mini Chinese
13.25" Zildjian K Custom Hybrid Hats

Zildjian A Custom, Sabian AAX and Sabian Vault all have cymbals that sound very similar. Obviously, there are some differences, and some more specialized cymbals between the series, but I've found most of their crashes to be fairly interchangeable without sounding weird. The Zildjian K Custom are fairly similar to Sabian HHX, though my Hybrid hats are still the best I've heard for brighter tones. For rides, obviously I like my Meinl, but the Sabian AAX and HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride are KILLER sounding, and I'd probably take one over my Meinl, if I had the chance. I do NOT like the Zildjian A Custom line of rides, too pingy and brittle. The Sabian HH and AA and Ziljdian A, I find a little too dark/subtle to cut through the rest of my cymbals; but they are nice if you have a full set of them. Meinl B20 and Byzance are great for metal, too. I've never really been huge on Paiste, but their 2002 series does sound great.

Personally, if I had to do it all over again, I'd probably get a full set of Zildjian Ks, as I really dig the darker and softer sound... but that's definitely not something most drummers would prefer for metal