Hi all,
When recording my drum kit, there is way too much hi-hats in the room mics (compare to the snare). I think I should learn hitting softer BUT I'm wondering if some models of hats sound softer than others? I currently own a pair of 14'' Sabian AAX Stage Hat. I feel that they are pretty thick, especially the bottom hat. Would a Paiste 2002 sound less loud/harsh? What do you think?
Best,
Jerome
Well, OK, so I didn't put the post up when I said. It came down to the reality that I needed some brief videos of all three of the different roads to truth.
The first part is method while the second part will be advice.
I've been thinking about this thread for more than a week plus and right off the bat I'm going to say that my method of addressing the need for subtle, dark hi hats isn't what I'd recommend for most drummers, including you. But this should be very instructive to you or any drummer who really wants dark sounding hi hats.
I approached this as a moving target. I had (and have) a pair of New Beats that I'm fond of so I took the slow road to finding the right hi hats knowing I had a pair to fall back on. I currently own about 20 cymbals but in the last 6 years, I've owned 50 or so, selling what didn't fit my vision and keeping those that did.
Using my scale, the 14 inch hi hats are about a 2.0 with 5.0 being the brightest sounding pair and 1.0 being the darkest. They cost me about 200 dollars and were made in about 1954 (top) and 1958 (bottom). Back then most hi hats were sold individually and became a "PAIR" because a drummer thought they should be. Their weights are 727g over 810g. Brief 15 or so second video using an iPhone 7 sitting on my snare drum (same method for each HH pair. My bogus little groove isn't copyrighted so feel free to use it on your next mega huge platinum selling song.
Second pair would rate about 1.5 on my darkness scale. They're 15 inch hi hats that, again, cost me around 200 dollars. They're about a 1958 top over a HEAVILY hammered 1935 bottom. Their weights are 870g over 1455g. These are my favorite pair of hats. Their hammering and diameter makes them very dark and subtle sounding while the weight of the bottom helps them project like a modern set of hats. IMHO, these are the perfect pair of HHs and the ideal balance of old methods of manufacturing laid across the needs of a modern drummer. If I could only own ONE pair, this would be it.
The third pair would rate a 1.0 on my darkness scale. These are 16 inch hi hats that were (or would be) about 450 dollars. I paid 265 for the top cymbal and the bottom was a gift. These are paper thin cymbals (HHs or crashes) that weigh 835g over 875g. They're also very rare Trans Stamp A. Zildjian cymbals from about 1950 to 1953. They're highly prized Jazz age cymbals sought after by collector / drummers, so they may take time and $$$ to ferret out.
Advice time: I really don't use modern cymbals with only a couple of exceptions. So I put these three pairs together slowly and with purpose. If you've GOT to have super dark sounding hi hats, this is the way to go. Companies just don't make cymbals this way anymore because of the number of hours it would take to produce them. (Time is money)
The "DARKNESS" type of hi hat sound is basically coming from a few places:
THINNESS and RUNOUT - how thin the cymbal is in general and where that thinness is.
LATHEING - the grooves: their depth, placement and variation.
HAMMERING - when the hammer strikes are deep and numerous those indentations create little sound deadening pockets that cancel each other out.
Bottom line, if you MUST have an Uber Dark pair of hats, hit eBay or other site and listen to a sound file. Buy the ones that fit your need.
But if you're good with a modern pair of "dark" cymbals, buy new ones that get you close.
The way I did it would be ideal for someone who has time. Buy one or two that sound good to you and check them out. If you buy smart, you'll be able to break even selling them if need be and then move on to your next possibility.
Left to Right . . . 14 / 15 / 16
If you MUST go all the way down to 1.5 or 1.0, send me a PM and we'll go deeper down the rabbit hole.
Pete