quietening cymbals (live work)

[dr.colossus]

this is a mega bitch..... and duct tape seems the only answer! i have changed my technique to involve less cymbal work, and am now only playing with two cymbals :O i am using a 22" med thin zildjian ride and a 20" med sabian crash... i am only having volume troubles at one local venue, and am slowly getting used to the 2" square of gaffer tape killing them... but sound wise i may as well go out and buy a zildjian zbt pack.... i have searched far and wide for a "veteran" (not quite vintage) 18 or 16 crash, but these are like hens teeth!

any ideas for quietening my cymbals?

[tmix]

Have you tried putting Moongels on them?
I haven't tried it myself / they may fly off / but they work great on my drums.

[boose44]

Use Smaller sticks, and less velocity?

I've always felt that gaffer's tape, in additon to leaving that ugly residue that you can never get off, makes the cymbal more brittle and prone to cracking -- esp. if used on crashes. shudder.

-bruce

[coloradojay]

I like electrical tape. It doesn't leave as much crap behind as duct tape when you take it off, and it does a good job sonicly.

Don't know about gaffer tape, don't know any gaffers.

[coloradojay]

BTW- where do you get gaffer tape? I'd like to compare it sometime...

[dr.colossus]

actually, i like the sound of electrical tape, but maybe it didn't seem to reduce the volume quite enough with out going over the top...

More info on moongels please

what we call gaffer tape in these parts is tape with gauze through it... duct tape is plumbers tape and electrical tape is simialr to duct tape just "rubberier" and not as wide... i hope our tape terminologies are on the same wavelength here

[tmix]

Moongels?
Gotta love em!
They are a small (1" x2") semitransparent sticky slab of soft rubbery type substance about 1/8 inch thick similar to the kids toys Gak or other gross toys that stick on the walls or mirror when you throw them at it and then can be peeled off without leaving residue(at least nothing to be worried about). They come in packages of four and can be placed on snare /toms (or cymbols?) to kill overtones all the way up to deadening , depending on how many and where they are placed.
They have been a Godsend to the drumming community at large and particularly to me in the studio. They cling perfectly with no slight buzzing sounds (like RemOs do)and when they get dirty all you have to do is wash them in the sink with mild soap and water and they resume their stickiness.
Also.. they are cheap.
Check them out!

tmix

[eeldip]

i think what it comes down to is that you need smaller darker cymbals.

tape works ok as a stopgap, but new cymbals are ideal.

if you have a 20" crash and a 22" ride, it is going to take too much tape to tame them.

get a 16"-14" hh, hhx, k crash. it will be quieter, less bright, and have shorter sustain. look out for an 18" ride.

not as rare as you think... i see them all over. musicgoround.com has a bunch.

then again you are in australia right? might be too expensive...