Lets talk Cymbals

[James-Doolan]

Ok so its something i dont see talked about here very often and im looking to invest in some good quality recording cymbals so i dont have to rely on the cymbals drummers bring with them.

So what cymbals would you recomend for rock/metal in the studio?

I guess i would be looking at 2 crash's, ride and a good set of hats initially and add more as i go what do you guys think?

 

[Russtopher]

I'd add a chinese cymbal on that list, we drummers love to pound the piss out of those things

I'm a huge fan of Sabian, the AAX line might be a good choice for that style of music. I own mostly AAs and they're fantastic. Stuff like this is more of a personal preference; the next poster may swear by Zildjian, the next Paiste. Best bet would be to head down to the local store (if you can) and bash/ping away until you hear something you like.

For metal, a 22" ride, 18" and 20" crash cymbals, and 14" hats should be good all-arounders for you in different situations. But again, check some out if you can and see which ones you like best. Some you'll hit and just hear "clang" and others you'll hit and know that's what you want.

I personally like Sabians because I've only cracked one in 20 years of owning them, and it was on a line that was discontinued pretty quickly. They replaced it and were great about it. A drummer I know who hits like a mf'er rarely has issues with his AAXs, while at the same time had to send back nearly every Meinl he purchased due to cracking.

YMMV, of course!

 

[jval]

I'd say keep em fairly small... I really like crashes to stay under 20" so they're clear and defined in the mix. I hate when drummers bring in a bunch of crashes and rides over 20"... everything just washes out and it's harder to get separation.

 

[James-Doolan]

Cheers for the input dude

I nearly always get my gear online as stores here have junk and there is always some kid jamming hendrix riffs badly on a squire so its not a good place to audition gear.

I have heard good things about those aax's before and was thinking about getting some before i made this thread but as im not a drummer and have not recorded that many kits i thought it would be wise to ask the sneapsters.

And again i just want something that is going to cut the mustard under the mic i could care less about live as they will never leave the studio.

 

[Lasse Lammert]

I like AAX but you have to hand-select them...
I've worked with some that were complete shit (had a weird ringing noise to it etc), but that were like 1 out of 10.
I've had great experience with the Paiste Rude series.

 

[digitaldeath]

I had 14" Paiste Rude hi-hats and thought that they sounded like shopping trollies crashing into each other.
From my personal experience, I'd go for a mixture of Sabian (AAX, I've gone through at least two 18" AA crash cymbals) and Zildjian (I want their Mega Bell ride cymbal so bad).
The hats and china you've heard me play are Sabian AAX 13" hats and 18" china.

 

[PhilTheBeard]

this is something i def need to start investing in. a decent kit and good cymbals

 

[Ganks]

I've got a pretty decent set of cymbals. They sound pretty good, even through shitty ass overheads. (My next investment is going to be decent overheads.)

I've got:

16" A-Custom Zildjian crash
14" A-Custom Zildjian hats
20" A-Custom Zildjian ride
20" Scimitar Zildjian ride (This one is really, really bright.)
18" Agazarian china (Really cheap, but very "cut through")
17" Medium Thin Dark K crash (This thing is SUPER old, and has a crack in it so it doesn't sound that great. Used to sound pretty good though.)

 

[J-Mac]

If you can trust the drummers you are recording to play the cymbals properly try Sabian AA Sound Control crashes. They are very thin, but have a flange that keeps them from ringing for too long. I have switched over to these and will not look back. However, if you get some meathead in who beats his cymbals like they owe him money you're going to end up with cracked cymbals. As far as Hats go check out the new X-celerators - they are something else for recording - the bottom is scalloped to prevent air-lock. As for a ride cymbal as long as it goes ping you should be ok - lol. On a final/general note I'd stay away from the HH and HHX (way too dark) or anything too heavy unless you love cymbal wash killing everything in the mix, but that's just an opinion.

Crash
http://www.sabian.com/EN/products/AA_Sound_Control_Crash_16_21640.cfm

Hats
http://sabian.com/EN/products/AAX_X-Celerator_Hats_14_21402XL.cfm

 

[mick thompson]

Sabian AAX is all i've ever used for metal, they just cut through nicely. hats, crashes and ride. its a killer then they start to split though

 

[Trevoire520]

I know quite a few drummers who use AAX and they've always sounded pretty decent to me. The new Zildjian Z3's are great but expensive.

Good sizes seem to be:
14" Hat's (though 13" are a bit quieter which can be a godsend for recording guys who are heavy on the hats)
14" Crash
16" Crash
20/22" Ride (Personally I think thicker rides sound better, and check how the ping on the bell sounds)

 

[HDWR]

I know quite a few drummers who use AAX and they've always sounded pretty decent to me. The new Zildjian Z3's are great but expensive.

Good sizes seem to be:
14" Hat's (though 13" are a bit quieter which can be a godsend for recording guys who are heavy on the hats)
14" Crash
16" Crash
20/22" Ride (Personally I think thicker rides sound better, and check how the ping on the bell sounds)

Trevoire's got some great points. 13" Hats are where it's for me personally (No Bonham/Lombardo 15"s!)and a HEAVY ride with a big bell that's not too washy. I have a 20" A Custom Dark Complex ride that's great for everything except rock and metal! It's not heavy enough. I've always been an A Zildjian guy and have all A Customs but I'm now moving away from them. No love for Meinl here huh? I've taken quite a liking to them but Sabian has lots of special efx cymbals that are cool. If you are buying a whole set ($$$) be sure to audition them all together on a store set prior to throwing money down! Some brass works well with each other-some not!

It seems like the China of choice anymore is the Zildjian China Trash series. I have a 16" and it's ok I guess but really like the 18" A Zildjian China Dark that's now cracked in numerous places. Modern A's just seem fragile.

Oh yeah, If I had the loot to do it over again I wouldn't be worried about being brand loyal. I'd buy the best sounding Brass outfit all together even if it's a mixture of 5 different manufacturers!

 

[James-Doolan]

Some nice food for thought so far thanks guys

 

[Machinated]

aax's have always served me well, especially the hihats.

 

[MetalJonesy]

Love sabian AA's, AAX and hand hammered

 

[AHChris]

Our drummer uses mostly AAX Crashes and Chinas... He has got a very old high hat from is dad which sounds just fantastic, but I don´t remember the brand of that one. We keep the cymbals as small as possible.

 

[DaWolf]

I really dug the Paiste Dimension series for crashes. Too bad they are discontinued, I hope the three of mine last as long as possible.
For rides I recommend the UFIP Class series. My 20 is a briiliant sounding tank of a cymbal , I`m beating the shit out of it for almost 20 years now.

 

[DeclanWhite]

wow. lots of love for aax here. this is quite suprising how common it seems to be amongst all you people. i, myself have 21" sabian hhx legacy ride as a crash and 21" meinl byzance crash on my kit at the moment along with 13.25" zildjian k custom hybrid hats (in my opinion the best hats out in terms of versatility and just sound in general) and i use a 19" sabian aaxtreme chinese, which is the best and probably the most popular china for metal that sabian makes. i also have 2 other ride cymbals and 2 other crashes, 2 bells, 2 splashes and 2 other chinas, all high end.

i recommend this - from a drummer who has owned nearly every type of cymbal for louder music.

buy a zildjian a custom pack or sabian aax pack and add a zildjian oriental china trash or a sabian aaxtreme chinese. the ride in both packs may not be pingy and defined enough for you, so you may want to replace that with a z3 mega bell or something similar.
the packs save you money, and a custom and aax are bright, shimmery, and clear unlike the cymbals i have on my kit right now haha, so they record excellently, filling out the cymbal part of the bands sound without washing out the music too much.

as a side note, cymbals differ from cymbal to cymbal with the same models as castings and hammering by hand OR machine are never exactly the same.

hope this helped

 

[Russtopher]

Yeah I've always loved the different AA lines Sabian has put out; and having a fantastic customer service experience with them when I was a teen really won me over as a Sabian user. I've always loved their tonal qualities and lack of cracks/breakage I've had with them. I've actually always liked the B8 Pro chinese cymbal more than any others, mostly because it sounds trashier, which to me is how it's supposed to be

That being said... 14" Zildjian New Beat hats are THE best I've ever heard/owned. Still regret selling those.... twice! LOL

I've always steered clear of the pre-packs ONLY because 2 different friends of mine who've worked as drum dept. techs/managers have mentioned that sometimes what might be considered "B-stock" ends up in those packs. Purely rumour, purely word of mouth, but neither of them would have had any reason to BS me about it. Plus, I've always liked testing individual cymbals before buying, so that always worked out well for me.

 

[Damian B]

http://cymbalsonly.com/

I can't recommend Tony at Cymbals Only enough. He honored a credit that I had there for over two years, and I fucking love the Istanbul crash (traditional series) that I got. My favorite high hats are Zildjian New Beats. I have a pair from the early 80s and they sound great.