How can I make my cymbals decay faster?

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drewz0r

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I have been setting up a drumset I plan to record a few tunes on. Everything sounds great, but the cymbals ring on forever (especially the ride). Is there any TEMPORARY remedy to this problem that won't damage the cymbal?

If not, what can I do to my Overhead tracks to hide the ring?

The cymbals:
Zildjian ZBT Ride 20"
Zildjian ZBT Crash 16"
Zildjian A Custom Crash 15"
 
I have the same ZBT you have, except I got the whole pack (hh, crash, ride and china).
The usual is tape. I don't know how it's called in english but it's the tape you use with cables, to aislate one with the other.
Check it out here, if you look close enough you can see the tape in the crashes. Mainly, experiment. Try different sizes of tape in different places of the cymbal.
However don't overkill it. 4 big pieces of tape (like I used on the video) is way too much. Too bad I just realiced when I was mixing.
 
thanks for the reply!
I added a single strip of tape to the ride and it really helped! Maybe not as much as I wanted, but it was a good start
 
A slow release paired with individual mics you'd hardly notice it.

I would prefer using a little tape, but that's my opinion.
 
Nick The Man said:
not if he has some room and direct mics, COCK
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Don't post nonsense, Nick. The overheads are generally considered your main mics, SUPPLEMENTED by direct mics and room mics, the latter aren't there to 'compensate' for anything.

If the guy was stupid enough to take that advice, he'd spend an hour dicking around only to find he had a cacophony on his hands, and probably call you a cock, when just 15 minutes of careful cymbal damping would have alleviated the problem.
 
Greg_L said:
Shut up you assface. You obviously have no clue! :mad: :p

The correct answer would be to drill as many holes as you can into your cymbals then back over them with a car.
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We finally found it.

The least helpful person on this forum!!

Congrats:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:p


("Poindexter"....I still can't take it.)
 
Only answer

Get different cymbals and don't expect cheap ZBT's to act like top end cymbals. You can improve the problem a little bit with tape but you also sacrifice sound clarity. Don't buy packs.
Go to your local instrument retailer with a drumstick and try out the cymbals in their cymbal room until you find one that you like and buy it. When you have more money, go back again and find another. After a while you'll have cymbals that you like and you can keep your ZBT's for times that you want that kind of sound or you can sell the whole lot of them to a punk rock drummer (they'll never notice the difference)
 
Yeah, if you want cymbals with faster decay, get cymbals with faster decays. At least get good cymbals, I cringe at the thought of recording with ZBTs.
 
drewz0r said:
I have been setting up a drumset I plan to record a few tunes on. Everything sounds great, but the cymbals ring on forever (especially the ride). Is there any TEMPORARY remedy to this problem that won't damage the cymbal?

If not, what can I do to my Overhead tracks to hide the ring?

The cymbals:
Zildjian ZBT Ride 20"
Zildjian ZBT Crash 16"
Zildjian A Custom Crash 15"
Click to expand...

You shouldn't be having problems with the A Custom.

Get a new ride cymbal - cymbals "ringing too long" isn't a problem, if they sound good. If it is, maybe you should have used a HH choke instead.:p
 
Try smacking yourself in the forehead with a ball peen hammer each time the drummer strikes a cymbal. Trust me, you will hardly notice the cymbals.
 
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