Help with sound of a ride cymbal

M

Mike7300

Member
Hi all,

Im still pretty new to drumming, so i had a question. I have a set of Zildjian Avedis i am using. The ride is a sweet ride. When i play my ride, it sounds too.... i dont know, too much like a crash. I mean, clearly it has a different tone, but i want it to sound more like a light bell ring type sound instead of being loud and too crash sounding. And i tried just hitting it lighter, but that does not seem to solve the problem. If this makes sense to anyone please let me know. Otherwise i can try to explain better.

The sound im trying for is usually when a song goes into a break, and the drummer will be using the ride. It can be in other parts of a song too of course, but those are the parts i think of the most when i can really notice that sound.
 
The issue describe is familiar to anyone who's ever played one of those cymbals, but a lot of drummers really like that quality so they're extremely popular as a result.

Two things you might try to make that cymbal work for you would be tape or Moongel on the cymbal to tame it's overtones, and/or playing it closer to the bell

Sweet Rides are really crash / rides as a practical matter and that's why it's washing out on you so easily - that's what a Sweet is supposed to do. Your job, should you decide to keep it, is to figure out how to make it work for you.

Myself, I could never get on board with how those cymbals behaved for just that reason so I ended up going with a slightly heavier cymbal - a 22" A Zildjian Medium Ride. If you never want to crash your ride, this cymbal can do it. If you decide you do want to crash it, it's up to that task, too. A pretty great all arounder, IMO.
 
hmm ok, yea it just bugs me because i can never get that tone out of it i am looking for. And as a beginner i just went out and bought the whole Avedis cymbal set because i knew they were good cymbals. But i did not realize how different one ride could be from another. Oh well, i guess ill probably end up having to buy a different ride.
 
You could try playing on the bell more for a ping-y sound until you're able to get a ride that suits you better. The other option it to damp it. I've used moongels, tape etc to dry out a cymbal that was either too washy or I simply wanted a different sound for a while.
 
What I think you're saying is that you want a ride with more ping and less wash.

Mike is spot on, the Sweet Ride is really a thinner, crashable ride that produces a lot of wash. Many people like that washy sound out of their ride; I don't personally.

Get a heavier ride. Some that really crank up the ping are the Sabian Paragon, Zildjian Ping ride (of course), the Sabian Dry ride and Raw Bell Dry ride, the Paiste Dark Energy, or the Zildjian K Custom.

You could tape or moongel the ride you have in a pinch, but I never recommend that if the cymbal overall isn't what you want.

Maybe someone has a pingy ride that they'd be willing to trade for your Sweet ride... check Craigslist.
 
Yea more of a pingy sound is what im looking for!

Should type of music determine what kind of ride i should look for as well? I play mostly new country music.
And should i stick to a ride that would be at least 22"?
 
Mike7300 said:
Hi all,

Im still pretty new to drumming, so i had a question. I have a set of Zildjian Avedis i am using. The ride is a sweet ride. When i play my ride, it sounds too.... i dont know, too much like a crash. I mean, clearly it has a different tone, but i want it to sound more like a light bell ring type sound instead of being loud and too crash sounding. And i tried just hitting it lighter, but that does not seem to solve the problem. If this makes sense to anyone please let me know. Otherwise i can try to explain better.

The sound im trying for is usually when a song goes into a break, and the drummer will be using the ride. It can be in other parts of a song too of course, but those are the parts i think of the most when i can really notice that sound.
Click to expand...

I know I had a heck of a time deciding what ride I like. First, record your kit and see if it sounds like you are hearing it. If you decide to get a new ride, I would recommend you hang on to the one you have if you can. It's a nice cymbal. You never know. Your tastes may change, you may find it works as a crash ride in combination with your new one, etc.
 
Great reply, Mike.

After the first blooms of love have died down I'm starting to find my Zild A ride a bit noisier than I'd like. Used a bit of tape to shut it up a bit but that compromises its crash. It's always a tradeoff unless you have a flat ride or you play a style that likes lots of ride wash.

My ride's not doing my lounge cred much help, though many here would see that as a plus :)

PS. I really didn't mean all the possible double entendres in this post but I couldn't be bothered rephrasing now. I blame Freud.
 
AZslim said:
I know I had a heck of a time deciding what ride I like.
Click to expand...

Narrowing down a lifetimes worth of sound palette to one humble ride cymbal? It just can't be done. The earlier you accept the fact that you're gonna own a bunch of ride cymbals, the easier (albeit more expensive) life becomes. ;-)
 
Pocket-full-of-gold said:
Narrowing down a lifetimes worth of sound palette to one humble ride cymbal? It just can't be done. The earlier you accept the fact that you're gonna own a bunch of ride cymbals, the easier (albeit more expensive) life becomes. ;-)
Click to expand...

Yep, I have a bunch of rides. I'm glad I didn't get rid of any.
 
You need something slightly heavier, but if you want to grow into a versatile drummer I'm sure you'll find use for the one you have. If it sounds good and you can afford to, I'd keep it around.

You will find your style with cymbals as with anything else and I'm definetly a "less is more, get most of what you have" type of musician myself, but depending on the group, the room and the music you need options, especially when it comes to rides and snares.
 
Definitely experimenting with a couple different rides till you find one you particularly like the sound of is a good option, but another option is to vary the type of stick you're using.

If you're looking for a lighter sound head to your nearest drum store and find a maple stick (assuming you're currently using hickory which is pretty much the standard for most of the big company), also try one with a small tip: Vater's Sweet Ride or the Peter Erskine model will both give a pretty defined sound.

It's a cheaper fix for a long term problem but you may find you still don't like the sound, then by all means buy a new ride!
 
Pocket-full-of-gold said:
Narrowing down a lifetimes worth of sound palette to one humble ride cymbal? It just can't be done. The earlier you accept the fact that you're gonna own a bunch of ride cymbals, the easier (albeit more expensive) life becomes. ;-)
Click to expand...

I got so annoyed that I own three and use them all at once. No crashes, just rides.

Then at the drum show yesterday one of Andy's industry acquaintances really throws a spanner in the works by showing me an Amedia 21" EFX 'Old School' ride. The second I played that thing I was hearing 'Nefertiti' in my head. Super thin and just beautiful. I want the 22" version.

Now all I need to do is win the lottery so I can own more ride cymbals. I think a dozen would cover it.
 
Again, Mike is right on. I have an A custom 22 inch medium ride. Pings good, bell is clear and cutting. As a bonus I can crash the hell out of it when I want too. I think you need to get the right ride for you. Good news is you shouldn't have a problem selling off the sweet ride.
 
Different stick tip shapes should be experimented with before binning it. (See I used an English bit of slang there, and I'm a Yank)
 
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