Cymbal Rotation

[synergy]

Hi Guys,

I am kinda new to the forum- been here a while reading just havent posted for a while.

Just wanted to ask some of you guys that have been playing for a while if this has happened to you.

I have a combination of Old Paiste's and Zildjian A's and I seem to be stuck in this continuous circle about how they sound.

What I mean is for a while I borrowed a friends Paiste Sound Formula crash and loved how it sounded- then I went off the sound and loved my Zil A fast crash. I then put my Zil A Medium back on my kit and loved the longer decay it had.

I have been playing like that for a while with the two Zil crashes but just recently in our last few gigs I have found myself not liking how long the Medium lasts and mainly only using the fast crash.

I'm not sure if this has been the venues we have played in recently as there was restrictions on sound levels etc....

I just wondered if anyone has this constant merry-go-round feeling when it comes to their cymbal sound?

I play a Yamaha Stage Custom which I have tuned exactly how I like it and I think my kit sounds great- so I dont know if I just want to fiddle with something!!!! haha

same with my ride it is aweful especially when jamming to pre precorded songs so tingy needs more wash but the bell sounds good and when im just messing around or jamming with m8s sounds ok but then i hate it again so am looking for a new 1 along with everything else

[caddywumpus]

I have the luxury of having several sets of cymbals, so I rotate them pretty often. For louder gigs, it's heavier rock cymbals. For all of the other gigs, I have an assortment of darker cymbals, brighter cymbals, larger/smaller, toney/overtoney, in-tune/dissonant, etc...

I used to subscribe to the whole, "this cymbal works for such-and-such gigs and THIS one works for these other gigs, and THIS one..." Now, I see all of the cymbals as sounding great by their own merit, but I choose them by what mood I'm in that day for what I personally think will sound best with the group, venue, or just what I want to hear that day.

I don't play a set of cymbals long enough to get tired of it, but each time I play a new set of them, it's like Christmas morning...

[Ekim]

I wish I had enough cymbals and holders to rotate more often! I need about four or five more to fill out my kit, then I can worry about hot-swapping them.

Obviously, I just need a better-paying job!

[Royal]

I tend to need a change to my ride cymbal.

However good they sound I usually get a bit fed up with the sound over time & need a change.
HH & crashes (& drums) this doesn't occour...just the ride.

[Togg]

I swapped my whole set up over from Paiste to Zildjian a few years ago, I tend to have a lot of cymbals and I do use whatever I feel approporiate for the situation.

I would say that I found I had a much more consistent sound when I went for a full set of one type ie all 'K's

It just worked much better that having a variety of types.

I tend to swap the ride out a fair bit and bring in or out effect cymbals like Orientals, however the K's all stay, I just vary the size.

[harryconway]

Originally Posted by synergy

I have a combination of Old Paiste's and Zildjian A's and I seem to be stuck in this continuous circle about how they sound.

I run my hi-hat/ride in combo. 1 combo is Istanbul Mehmet Turks 15" hats/20" ride. Real dark. The 2nd combo is Paiste Red ColorSound 5 14" hats/20" ride. The whole other side of the sound extreme. Bright. And changing out the hat/ride combo completely changes the personality of the kit. Which I honestly enjoy. So I'm not stuck in a push/pull situation, it's more of a "what do I feel like today" situation.

Originally Posted by synergy

I just wondered if anyone has this constant merry-go-round feeling when it comes to their cymbal sound?

Then as far as crashes, I have Zildjian, Masterwork, Soultone, and Ufip to choose from. Variety is wonderful.

[synergy]

Thanks for your imput guys,

I think I was just trying to say I wonder why I love the particular sound a cymbal and then not like it?

Nothing has changed? The cymbal is still the same cymbal and I still play the same songs with it....


I guess it's just the fickleness of us muso's!!!!

Haha

[Vipercussionist]

Originally Posted by synergy

Hi Guys,

I am kinda new to the forum- been here a while reading just havent posted for a while.

Just wanted to ask some of you guys that have been playing for a while if this has happened to you.

I have a combination of Old Paiste's and Zildjian A's and I seem to be stuck in this continuous circle about how they sound.

What I mean is for a while I borrowed a friends Paiste Sound Formula crash and loved how it sounded- then I went off the sound and loved my Zil A fast crash. I then put my Zil A Medium back on my kit and loved the longer decay it had.

I have been playing like that for a while with the two Zil crashes but just recently in our last few gigs I have found myself not liking how long the Medium lasts and mainly only using the fast crash.

I'm not sure if this has been the venues we have played in recently as there was restrictions on sound levels etc....

I just wondered if anyone has this constant merry-go-round feeling when it comes to their cymbal sound?

I play a Yamaha Stage Custom which I have tuned exactly how I like it and I think my kit sounds great- so I don't know if I just want to fiddle with something!!!! haha

Seriously, it sounds like a problem a lot of drummers would LIKE. To have enough equipment to have all those choices.

It's ALL good!!
.
.
.

__________________
Most respect the badge, but all fear the drum.

[drumerpnkrrockr5]

I go through this problem myself. I own 12 zildjian cymbals and 5 paiste's. I really like the keep a solid line up of either Pasite's or Zildjian's, but never make up my mind. I usually only use 5-6 cymbals live and rotate my cymbals around from show to show because I tour and it avoids me from over using cymbals.

What I do is whatever I feel like using, Ill use it! It's the only way to avoid it. Just basically pick and choose randomly what to use. It's the best way to go about it for me.

[That Guy]

Yes, you wanna know what I think? I think we eventually become bored with the sound when we hear it over and over again. I'm not saying this as fact but I think it holds some merit.

[ddamm27913]

im really not picky when it comes to cymbals other than my hi hat. you could consider it a good thing to wanna change around a lot though, because it will give you some expertise to cymbals sounds and will motivate you to build up a collection.

however, i change my tuning and tom arrangements almost as much as i change my underwear.

[dkerwood]

Originally Posted by ddamm27913

however, i change my tuning and tom arrangements almost as much as i change my underwear.

About once a month then? :-)

[diosdude]

Pretty much with me, i keep 2 things constant: Sabian aa 14" rock hats on my main hi hat and a 20" paiste formula 602 ride. everything else in between is random but at the same time systematic, i keep a variety of splashes on the lowest tier and a bunch of different crashes up higher. If i'm torn between 2 different cymbals, guess what? They're both going on the kit somehow. Problem is that sometimes i can't make up my mind and the kit ends up looking like this:



Ohh... the HUMANITY!!!!!

[ddamm27913]

Originally Posted by diosdude

Pretty much with me, i keep 2 things constant: Sabian aa 14" rock hats on my main hi hat and a 20" paiste formula 602 ride. everything else in between is random but at the same time systematic, i keep a variety of splashes on the lowest tier and a bunch of different crashes up higher. If i'm torn between 2 different cymbals, guess what? They're both going on the kit somehow. Problem is that sometimes i can't make up my mind and the kit ends up looking like this:



Ohh... the HUMANITY!!!!!

wow. i thought my ludwig was a monster.....

[Vintagedrummer]

Originally Posted by diosdude

Pretty much with me, i keep 2 things constant: Sabian aa 14" rock hats on my main hi hat and a 20" paiste formula 602 ride. everything else in between is random but at the same time systematic, i keep a variety of splashes on the lowest tier and a bunch of different crashes up higher. If i'm torn between 2 different cymbals, guess what? They're both going on the kit somehow. Problem is that sometimes i can't make up my mind and the kit ends up looking like this:



Ohh... the HUMANITY!!!!!

Dude, I wanna be like you when I grow up.

Peace

[That Guy]

Wow, too much for me.

[TTNW]

Originally Posted by synergy

I just wondered if anyone has this constant merry-go-round feeling when it comes to their cymbal sound?

I have a love hate relationship with my Zildjian A Ping Ride.

I also have a bright china that I flip flop on from month to month.

I also have a snare that I like the sound of but, I kid you not, every time I play out with it, everybody says they either love it or hate it. Never a middle ground. I actually have a mild complex about it.

I think that tastes in musical sounds are not static. They are constantly changing and being influenced by many things. It's normal.

[dkerwood]

I have a tendency to rotate my crashes when I cut down to a 2 crash setup. With my big setup, I hang 6 crashes, 2 rides, splash, hats, and china.

When I cut down to 2 crashes (splash, hats, and ride are generally static, although the ride does get swapped out every now and again), my selection rotates based on how I'm feeling on that particular day. Sometimes the china will even come out as one of the two crashes. Sometimes I'll run 2 rides and one crash. It all just depends on the genre (hand hammered are generally a lock for jazz, and faster crashes are great for quieter sessions) and my mood.

I am gear obsessed, so one day I would like to have over 100 cymbals (hopefully, 200). I will rotate and rotate til I turn blue, but I love all brands and variety. I think it's normal!