Lets talk Cymbals

[bedubaya]

id recommend Meinl cymbals. ive gone through most brands of cymbal and Meinls have been the only ones ive been happy to stick with.

If your living anywhere near limerick, id suggest you go into steamboat music. they have a decent selection of cymbals (Paiste's mainly and meinls) Theyl beat any thomann prices too!

On the point of the cymbal types,
-Thin crashes sound better recorded as they have a fast attack and decay quickly so they're not muddy-ing up the mix
-a nice ride cymbal with a heavy bell will cut through in a Metal scenario very well
-I prefer using heavy hihats and think they sound good as an open 'slosh' sound and have a very defined 'Chick' sound when closed.
Try and find drummers playing live with some cymbal sounds that you like and figure out what they are!

 

[006]

+1 to Meinls. I recorded Lyle's (of t3h facelezz) other band after he got a sick Meinl endorsement deal. Those cymbals sounded way better than any set I've recorded before. They are usually more expensive though. If I couldn't have a set of Meinls then it would definitely be Sabian AAX series, I have had so many bad experiences with Zildjian uke:

 

[greyskull]

sabian vaults. 18 and 19 crashes. Yeeeeeeeah
They kick bottom. Zildjian Aramand ride is a GREAT crash/ride too.
As for hi hats, 14" Zildjian mastersounds are the only ones that dont annoy the living fuck out of me.
On the whole i've never liked any paiste stuff i've had in.

 

[PhilR]

I play all Paiste (Innovations) with the exception of a Stagg 6" splash and a 20" Wuhan China. I love 'em to bits and fear the day one gets cracked. Just goes to show just how individual preference factors into cymbal choice.

One reason I would keep using Paiste though is they still have a very hands-on human element in their manufacturing process whereas most Sabian/Zildjian cymbals are almost completely machine stamped. I would take a little individuality any day.

 

[HDWR]

Just be careful with Zildjian A Customs. They sound great. Quick, airy and all that but I'd say after a year of regular (non-abusive) playing you're getting into cracking time. Especially the chinas. Also the finish is a BITCH to keep so shiny. I say that because people don't but the Customs to let em turn green.
The Z customs are just too .. I dunno? Raucous? Ha!

 

[James-Doolan]

Pulled the trigger on a z3 mega bell ride and going to go with aax studio 14" and 16" crash's

Its between 14" new beats and aax x-celerators for the hats whichever i can get cheapest ill go with

 

[Sloan]

A long long time ago when I had a sweet gretsch kit for recording, i was looking into cymbals and took a liking to paiste. i really wanted to try the dark energy series, shit is expensive.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Ok so its something i don't see talked about here very often and I'm looking to invest in some good quality recording cymbals so i don't have to rely on the cymbals drummers bring with them.

So what cymbals would you recommend 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?

Hats: I really like the ziljian K custom session hats.
Ride: Dunno, have not had anything that I really REALLY liked.
Crashes: Same deal

I know a lot of help I am.

 

[MetalSound]

Zildjian avedis or A custom are great.
But I would never give my crashes to drummers as they definately would tear them apart.
Our drummer in my band got an endorsement with Istanbul cymbals which sound great, too.
Cool thing is he pays them only once and if one breakes he gets a new one.
So paying once for a lifetime of cymbals!

 

[ttrentt]

Meinl, Meinl, Meinl. More cut, more clean sound. Best of the best. We practice in a studio of over 50 bands/rooms, and you can hear the smooth but cutting ride like no other. Other drummers always come over to hear that ride. It is amazing.

 

[Suicide_As_Alibi]

One of the drummers I play with has a mix of everything.

He's got a 20” Sabian AAX Ride - it was the first cymbal he ever bought, it's still in great nick and sounds great. Hi-hats are 14” Sabian AAX, he does a lot of hi-hat work and they're really expressive.

Crashes are Paiste Rudes - one 17", one 16". They're great live; recorded they're very loud but not very cutting, which makes them a pain to work with. The main reason he uses them is that he's a hard-hitter and really pummels the crashes so he needed something heavy. He's still managed to break two Rudes though.

He also has a 12” Sabian AAX splash, and a 10” Zildjian K splash. The Sabian sounds better, very 'splashy' if you know what I mean - he doesn't use the Zildjian much, though it does stand out when he does.

And he doesn't play with a china any more - he was using a Zildjian but he shattered it on stage (I got a piece in the back on my head) and he never bothered replacing it.

Steve

 

[El_Gato]

Just run away from 13" HH's. My brother bought a zildjian Avedis some time ago and although the 14 one sounds good, the 13 sounds bodyless. A friend of mine has got another Sabian one (if I remember well) but it sounds thin too.