Blend in or cut through

[dxtr]

Ladies and Gents

So as you guys know I have been looking into the Bosphorus cymbals. They tend me to be lighter weights then some of brands and I've been reading a lot that they blend nicely into a band.

This has lead me to a cymbal concept that I have wondered about for a while and thought I would see what you all have to say about it.

Do you prefer your cymbals to cut through a mix or blend into the band?

I personally like my cymbals to blend. No matter the genre I just prefer it add to the song not cut through it.

Thoughts?

dxtr

 

[bolweevil]

I like to blend as well, not only from a perspective of taste but because of the kind of music I play (blues, funk, R&B ). I like cymbals that can be just a bit cutting if I lay into them, but sound warmer if I hold back. In my experience (at least with what technique I have) heavier cutting cymbals sound the same whether hit hard or soft.

 

[chetatkinsdiet]

Right there with you. About 10 years ago, I moved to Istanbuls for that very reason. They just sound right with the kind of music I play. 5 or so years ago, I ran across a Bos ride that I loved and now I have 3 of their rides. I love them. They do exactly that. As a matter of fact. I'm now of the opinion that there's no real thing as a "ride" or "crash" or whatever. They're all just cymbals. The good ones are more versatile. So, I have them all set up and they're my cymbals. I can ride them all at various volumes and with varying amounts of wash. I can also crash them and get a beautiful sound there too. It makes me rely too on crashes with my hats which is fun as well and pretty controllable, giving me a multitude of sounds available.
If you need to play loud all the time, then save some money and get regular A's or whatever. Nothing wrong with them and I know there are some beautiful A's...I have some. But overall, they're less expensive than most of these Turkish imports.
Now, when I play the rare rock gig where I'm competing with Marshall's and SVTs and such, I have a bag ready with a 22" Ping ride and 3 Zildjian A 18" cymbals. Not sure if they're rides or crashes or what. They're on the thick side and work well with this type of music.

 

[Sequimite]

I've always believed that I need at least one crash that cuts through.

 

[TSamee]

In my experience, workhorse cymbals should blend nicely, and offer a little bit of cut for higher volumes (if you're going to be getting loud, of course). Probably better to go with blending if you have a smaller space to work with, but when I have room for at least two crashes, splashes and chinas I like to have a more mellow-sounding one, and a cutting one. So my 16" 2002 China sits prettily in most rock mixes, but the Holy China I'm looking at should blow holes through them.

 

[Buxom]

I like a mixture. I like my hats and my ride to blend, but I love for my crashes to really stand out.

 

[VintageDrummer]

Blend... But just enough ping to be heard. I've heard some rides that sounded like all wash and you couldnt hear what was really going on, and i've heard some rides that were all ping and cut too much...

 

[AtlantaDrumGuy]

Blend...but also depends if you need washy vs ping in your situation. Depends on the music.

 

[Pounder]

Both. You want the stick to cut and the wash to blend, on a ride, and you want the crash cymbals to cut but not be too harsh, so they are musical and play nicely in the mix on their way back to zero. That being said the style of music you play determines what exactly is blending (and contributing to a nice overall tone) and what is cutting. Furthermore I've found that cymbals that sound great by themselves may record well but in a mix they may just not do anything. I understand the general jazzer's tendency towards some thinner cymbals but often a thin cymbal won't have enough stick to be heard at all--depending on the acoustics and miking of the situation.