Mini Hats vs. Hi Hats

[soulfulvirtuoso]

What do you think of using mini hats for recording (rather than the standard hihats)?

There's one shop here who's letting go a Tony Verderosa 12" mini-hat for cheap. I've heard the soundclip already from

but i'd also like to hear your part.

Cheers!

 

[FunkDaddy]

I find them way too high-pitched. Maybe for some techno, special fx type stuff sure, but for regular drum tracks...bleh. Lowest I'd go is a heavy pair of 13" hats

 

[cubanorocker316]

I'd go with 13" also, definetly, 12" is just pushing it.

- Lou

 

[soulfulvirtuoso]

Yeah, that was what i'm thinking about it too. Anyway, thanks for your inputs.

Cheers!

 

[Elton Bear]

I had a pair of 12" and flipped them inside out playing too hard. They suck.

I now use a set of 15" paiste big-band hats and they're LUSH

 

[FunkDaddy]

My buddy got Sabian to make him a pair of 15" rock hats, those things are crazy lol.

 

[Elton Bear]

There's only one drawback as far as I'm concerned - I did a sketchy ambient live recording of my band using one mic - the hi-hats cut through like a bitch, I couldn't hear anything else! Sometimes that's a good thing though obv

 

[Blue Groove]

....

Ask Billy Ward about it on his site www.billyward.com, specifically his prototypes. I love small hats for recording, the verds aren't good for many types of music though, you might try regular 12" or 10" hihats. Zildjian has 12" special recording hats and I think Sabian and Paiste do also. Good luck

 

[zacanger]

I'm planning on getting some mini-hats eventually. My style's more in the Tim Alexander/Jerome Maffeo sort of way, and those suit me. I'm looking at 8", 10", and 12" made by Sabian, Zildjian, and Paiste. Right now I've got 14" cheapo Paiste hats, though, and they suck. I guess it depends on the band and the sound.

 

[demirateser]

Its really the style of music your playing that will dictate the size of your hats. The size should not affect the recording quality provided you follow good recording practices. Look into lighter weight hats in the 14" size. Also, non lathed cymbals can really cut.