Sound Formula/Signature question

A

Ang

Member
Can you Paiste guys shed a little light on this?
How close sound wise are the Sound Formula 14" MH hi hats to the 14" Signature Dark Crisp hi hats?
I am looking to change some sounds slowly from Zildjian and want to dip my toe into the Paiste pool. Looking for the classic Paiste sound, their new offerings are great, but a lot of those Masters and Traditionals sound very Zildjian like to my ears.
 
Ang said:
Can you Paiste guys shed a little light on this?
How close sound wise are the Sound Formula 14" MH hi hats to the 14" Signature Dark Crisp hi hats?
I am looking to change some sounds slowly from Zildjian and want to dip my toe into the Paiste pool. Looking for the classic Paiste sound, their new offerings are great, but a lot of those Masters and Traditionals sound very Zildjian like to my ears.
Click to expand...

I was just trying out the 14 Dark Crisps the other day. I've tried a few Sound Formula crashes and rides. If you're specifically trying to get away from the Zildjian/Sabian alloy sound, you'd probably want to go with the Signatures. The 602 alloy cymbals usually sound closer to the classic "A" sound than the general Paiste high end sound.
 
Acidline303 said:
I was just trying out the 14 Dark Crisps the other day. I've tried a few Sound Formula crashes and rides. If you're specifically trying to get away from the Zildjian/Sabian alloy sound, you'd probably want to go with the Signatures. The 602 alloy cymbals usually sound closer to the classic "A" sound than the general Paiste high end sound.
Click to expand...

I was referring to the older SOUND FORMULA with the Frankenstein logo. They look a lot like the Signatures.
 
They will not sound very similar. SFs are a little brighter than sigs, and the dark crisp hats will sound drier (per the name), than SF med. heavy hats. I have both sigs and SFs, and for crashes they can sound quite close, which is apparently the reason Paiste dropped the SF line, but with hats the distinctions between pairings can add up quickly.

To be fair, I've only heard the dark crisp hats. And I've only owned Sig hats, but have heard enough SF hats to make an aural comparison of overall characters. If it were me, for the music I play (fusion), I'd get the SF hats.
 
Generally the Dark Crisps have a lighter top and heavier bottom than the Sound Formulas. So the weight difference between the top and bottom is greater with the Dark Crisps. The SF hihats have a pretty good weight difference, but more like a Zildjian NewBeat pair.

The DC hihats are definitely darker and crisper. I prefer the DC hihats - the shuup is nice and deep, but the overall sound isn't too dark or mushy. Also I like the response of the lighter top and the Sig line always was a little more refined than the Sound Formulas.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top