Good Crash Cymbals for Recording?

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crawdad

crawdad

Dammit, Jim, Shut Up!
I want to buy a medium crash for recording purposes--just a sort of all purpose cymbal that would work for pop, blues, jazz, country, etc.

While I am asking, what about hi hats for recording? Do I want thin and bright or what? I'm hoping to get some good advice rather than spend a lot of money on cymbals that won't work for my application.

Damn, I thought mics were expensive until I started looking at cymbals today!
 
i am a rock and punk drummer and I find that the Zildjian z customs are awesome live, but I need to tone it down a bit for recording so I use Zildjian A customs for recording. I use a Zildjian A projection hi-hat for recording and live this hihat cuts so much I wouldn't recommend it for recording unless you are a hard hitter and like to have your hihat well above the snare drum (as opposed to right on top of the snare drum). Like I said, I am a rock drummer so I like to use bigger cymbals. One reason is that I think they sound a lot better on tape. Another is that I think for my playing style small cymbals sound cheap no matter what line they are. So I play 18" and 19" crashes and play 21" and 22" rides.
 
Tuff call on that one. I usually use Zildjian cymabls for live and most recording. I don't usually use Pastie cymabals but I've had some nice results recording with them. Sabian's make a nice ride cymbal. I find their crashes to be to "heavy" sounding. As for Hi Hat's they are all good, and yes they are all expensive.
 
I've always used very heavy Zildjians live, but my own music is quite tame. The heavy cymbals sound like shit for recording unless you're smacking 'em pretty hard.

I bought used the Sabian AAX series in the studio for a few sessions. I like the stage crash and ride in that series. (they were stolen from me though.) IMHO, thin is the way to go in the studio unless you're a consistantly heavy hitter.

I may have found a cheaper alternative to Zildjian/Sabian et all, but more research and experimentation is needed. ;)
 
As a general rule of thumb, thinner cymbals (in particular crash cymbals) work better in a recording studio.

I prefer cymbals to be subtle in the mix (more as a color than a rythmic foundation). Playing for a long time I've accumulated about 40 cymbals - which I alternate both live and in the studio.

Some of the better sounding cymbals I've recorded include the Paiste Signature series, the Zildian K Customs and the Sabian HH series (the Paiste being slightly "brighter" than the K's or HH's).

Naturally, playing technique, mic considerations and the song all have a factor in what sounds best.
 
Thinner cymbals will give you a "darker" sound because they are thinner...more metal/weight generally means more midrange.

I've never liked Zildjian Rock cymbals becaue they are so heavy.
To me, a cymbal should sound good in any situation.

So, for recording, generally, the thinner the cymbal is, the better it will record.

For Hi-hats, I prefer a thin top with a Heavy Bottom.

I use all Paiste (2002's and the Signature series Sound Formula's, which are now discontinued, and a 22" Rude Ride that is from 1981.)

When I was younger, and playing Zildjians through the 80's ( I was an Aldridge fan, so it was Zildjian back then) I had a hard time finding good crashes because locally all you could find were ROCK crashes, and I always haated their heavy Midrange sound...I was always after a Bonham type of cymbal sound, which years later I understood to be a thin cymbal. The K's can yield this type of sound easily....so Obviously the K and K Custom crashes are the Zildjians that i like....and for some reason I can not stand 16" Cymbals; I have simply never found one that I liked. I use 18", 19" and 20" Crashes.)

So, just check out the Thin and Medium cymbals...they react faster, and generally have a more "equalized" sound (because there's less midrange.)


Tim
 
Thanks to all. This is a very interesting thread for me because I've always wondered what studio drummers find to work best. Seems the thinner crashes are what I am after. I've always been a fan of Zildjian because every drummer I played with used them, but there are other great cymbal companies now.

Can I assume the same rule that the thinner hats record better too?
 
try this...

i use a 16" thin crash aa series made by sabian. i bought it at a music store for $100 bucks. it's great for recording. it can give you that attack that stands out in the mix but is yet not to loud. when recording, place an overhead about 1' from the cymbal,right in the middle of the hi and mid toms. eq it with a little of everything
(boost hi's/cutmids,boost lows) then add a little room revurb. now you've got some good sounds!
 
I own an extensive line of Paiste signatures. I have done some recording with them and I can tell you I would not trade these cymbals for the entire Zildjan vault.....lie, maybe I would for the entire vault. i use the full crashes because the are not too heavy nor too thin, they have the perfect balance of sustain and attack and cut, in my opinion of course
 
I own an extensive line of Paiste signatures. I have done some recording with them and I can tell you I would not trade these cymbals for the entire Zildjan vault.....lie, maybe I would for the entire vault. i use the full crashes because the are not too heavy nor too thin, they have the perfect balance of sustain and attack and cut, in my opinion of course
 
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