Dry rides? More work or less noise?

[mandion]

Hey guys. I'm looking for a new ride. I've already got a ping ride, and want something a little jazzier. I was looking at my local drum store at a Zildjian K custom and a Zildjian K Custom Dry. My thought was that dry = less wash = more of exactly what I'm intending to hit, more articulation and less noise. But the salesman, who has way more drumming experience than me, advised against the dry,because without any wash, you have to work harder and hit more often to fill the space. This also makes sense.

I'd appreciate it if anyone could share their thoughts on this.What do you guys think of dry rides? Do you miss the wash and have to compensate or does it just feel more precise?

Thanks.
Steven

[aceman]

I actually prefer a dry ride and more so, a Ping ride. They seem to stand out through all the other instruments instead of getting lost in the mix (as the wash often does). The overtones of a ride cymbal throughout a guitar solo for instance, sounds like mush to me where as a loud clean definate "ping" stands out and seperates itself from the guitars. Just my preference and I'm sure some will disagree, Thats why they make different rides.

[mlehnertz]

I've got a Sabian 21" dry ride. I've had it for 20 years. I also had a mini-cup ride (very pingy) and a 22" medium ride, crazy decay. For me, when playing in an ensemble, most of the decay gets lost to the rest of the instruments.

I'd probably look at the dry ride again. You like the ping ride. A dry ride is still going to give you that strong attack with a lot more sustain. The salesman is selling you what HE thinks sounds good to him, not to you.

But the salesman, who has way more drumming experience than me, advised against the dry,because without any wash, you have to work harder and hit more often to fill the space. This also makes sense.

I'd appreciate it if anyone could share their thoughts on this.What do you guys think of dry rides? Do you miss the wash and have to compensate or does it just feel more precise?

Thanks.
Steven

[Cymbalrider]

A dry medium ride would sound weird in quieter music as there would be a space of silence in the sound as you don't have that wash to fill in the space. In louder music though the dry ride is certainly nice as the wash doesn't overpower anything. An option here is have something like the K Custom left side ride...it's a dry ride with rivets. You may like flat rides too. For uptempo songs, dry rides are certainly a bonus. The opposite situation is true for light rides. Great for soft stuff as you can have the extra spread, but during faster and louder pieces, the definition is lost. A dry ride and a light washy ride would be the best way to go in order to have both.

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

The K Session that I just bought is very dry by your definition. I love it. The tone is solid, and you can actually get three different tones from it with a nice volume range. I love that there is no wash with this ride. It's exactly what I wanted in a main ride- solid. I have a washy ride on the left side which is nice for certain parts, but I like the dry one for most things. On the other hand, the A Ping Ride I was borrowing from a friend for a while had huge sustain... it was over powering in this small room. I bet live it would rule though.

[Ruok]

I personally prefer the precise and direct sound of dry rides. I think it is true that you have to have a bit more precision in your timing with such a cymbal, where a washier ride is more forgiving. For this reason I like to always have 2 very different ride cymbals in my set-up, one that is somewhat washy and one that is very dry. If I understand your question correctly, I don't really see that one has to work "harder" or hit it more often on a dry-type ride, in fact, I personally find it the opposite. I find it easier to play when I can easily hear the precise and direct stick attack sound of a dry ride. And I love leaving a lot of open sound space for other instruments to come through as well for some music using a dry ride.

[mandion]

Hey, thanks for the advice guys. Yeah, the wash always just sounded like extra noise to me. But part of my concern was related to my limited experience. I've never played out as a drummer, so my experience is limited to a small room. As SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ noted about the A ping, the wash can be overpowering in a small room, but may be great in a larger venue. Since I don't have that experience, I'm afraid my preference for less wash and more ping is based on ignorance. So, it's good to hear that you guys also like the dry ride.

A few of you also suggested getting two rides, one washier and one drier. So, would you consider the A ping I already have to be dry or washy? Would it be redundant to get a dry ride in addition to the ping? At this point, do I need to go for something washier for mellow songs to complement the A Ping? Or what do you guys think of hanging a chain on for slower songs to get some wash?

Cymbalrider, that Custom Left Side ride sounds cool online, but my local store doesn't carry it. Do you think it's versatile enough to use as a primary ride, since the dry sticking would carry through on fast songs and the rivets would fill space on slow ones?

Thanks again.
Steven

[Pocketman]

If you are looking for a 'jazzier' sound than avoid the A Ping. It has a lot of contact sound and not a lot of sustain hence the word 'Ping.' Anything in the K Series would be fine for straight ahead jazz where I think darker is better. A K Dry would be my choice.

Another important question is what kind of sticks are you using? That makes all of the difference.

[Drummer Karl]

I personally prefer dry rides because I made the experience that I played on a very washy ride...and well, it was so washy that I couldn`t hear my spang a lang! this was weird...I LIKE rivet ride but my favourites are dark dry rides.
I especially like thin or medium-thin Rides which sound very dry and which are good crash able. It`s great for Jazz if you have a ride cymbal which is very good crashable...perfect for accents!

Check out maybe also the K Custom Dry light Ride, I`ve got the 22" version and I couldn`t be happier! :-)

Karl

[aceman]

If your considering an A Ping ride as your main ride, your not going to want a dry ride as your "other" ride. You'll need something with more wash. If I were in your shoes, I'd look at the Sabian AAX dry ride. If I'm not mistaken its a 21" ride and it gives you the best of both worlds with a clear noticable stick definition and a small amount of sustain. Its one of the best sounding rides I've heard.

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

My left (second) ride is a 20" Sabian Pro Dry. It has a lot of sustain and wash, so I'm not really sure why they call it a dry ride. At least, I'm comparing this to my 18" K Session which doesn't have the wash or sustain (which I thought meant 'dry'). My second ride is higher pitched than my main, so it feels like I'm transcending when I move to that ride. I would really like to get a 22" Bosphorus Antique for my third ride, which would serve the purpose of filling in during quiet and slow passages. The A Ping is still a beautiful sound to me. I would like to try one smaller than the 22" I used though. Perhaps it would be a little more usable in my setup. If I were to use an A Ping again, I'd use it sparingly and for accents mainly. It has a very strong character that needs taming.

[thumper]

I have a 22" K ride that is supposedly more "jazz oriented", but I find it works extremely well in any genere (except maybe for Heavy Metal). Not too much ping, and dry sounding, but not TOO dry. I used to own a 22" Sabian Paragon that was a great ping ride, and had an awesome bell; wish I could have kept it, but couldn't afford both....the K is way more versatile.

[goalieman92]

keep you ping ride and get a Meinl Byrzance dark ride as an aux ride.

That's gonna be my rides, just with an AAX dry ride for a main.

[Maytridy]

I have a K Custom Special Dry Ride.....I absolutely love it. Rock, jazz, funk...it works for everything.

[Skitch]

I have a K Custom Special Dry Ride.....I absolutely love it. Rock, jazz, funk...it works for everything.

These ARE great ride cumbals! Very musical indeed!


Mike

http://www.mikemccraw.com
http://www.dominoretroplate.com


http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=drummermikemccraw

[2d-chris]

Got the k custom session ride myself, works real nice for so many styles of music and you don't need to work hard. I have the 18" version not the 20". The 20" would be better for louder playing situations. If i need something alittle louder i'll swap to my 20" K custom medium ride.

I also have what must be the most flat and dry cymbal known to man, i have the Zildjian SFX Breakbeat ride, now that needs some serious work if you want it to stand out when playing in a live situation :)

Either way most cymbals in the K range would suit your needs but like everything it's down to what sound you like.

[syaoran05]

Hey guys. I'm looking for a new ride. I've already got a ping ride, and want something a little jazzier. I was looking at my local drum store at a Zildjian K custom and a Zildjian K Custom Dry. My thought was that dry = less wash = more of exactly what I'm intending to hit, more articulation and less noise. But the salesman, who has way more drumming experience than me, advised against the dry,because without any wash, you have to work harder and hit more often to fill the space. This also makes sense.

I'd appreciate it if anyone could share their thoughts on this.What do you guys think of dry rides? Do you miss the wash and have to compensate or does it just feel more precise?

Thanks.
Steven

if you had to work harder at a dry ride to "fill the space" then you shouldnt be getting a dry ride at all. you'd end up hitting it harder and more often to match the wash of a regular ride, which defeats the purpose of getting a dry ride in the first place. that statement by the salesman is just weird and doesnt make too much sense.

MAYBE he was gonna make you get a dry ride and a regular ride, you know, marketing.

[mandion]

Thanks guys.I'll definitely check out all those K's you guys recommended. I listened to them all on the zildjian web page, and they all sound pretty cool. Now, deciding btw them will be another thing altogether...

I think I may end up moving away from the A ping and using it like SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ suggests, just for accents. It is pretty limiting as far as nuances in playing jazzy or funkier stuff.

I'll also have to try experimenting with different sticks.

Thanks again guys.

[mandion]

So, get this: went to my local drum store to check out those cymbals you guys were suggesting. They barely had any of them. They had a ton of cymbals, but all they had in the K series was one used K, one K custom, a couple Constantinoples (which I personally dislike the sound of), a K session, and a K dry. This is by far the best drum store in KC.

Surely you guys must have had similar problems. A drum store just can't stock every cymbal by every brand. How did you choose your cymbals? Did you just choose from what your store had, or did you choose by listening to those clips on the cymbal company webpages? Are those enough?