Sweet! Dark! Warm! ZAM! (using adjectives to describe drum sounds)

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KoopaS

KoopaS

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Fellow drumslingers,

I'm often amused by the adjectives drum/cymbal makers use to describe sonic qualities. Words like "warm," "dark," "bright," "complex" ...

So, I'd like to know, what words do you use to describe drum/cymbal sounds, and what is the technical/scientific defintion of those words?

For example: "bright" = "pronounced higher overtones, higher pitch, shorter sustain."

I've yet to find a standarized guide that translates this kind of descriptive language into physical properties. Ultimately, ya gotta hit it with a stick and decide if it makes your ears smile or not... but I think a reference guide would be extremely helpful for new drummers wanting clarity on what all the marketing mumbo jumbo means...

Thanks!
 
I don't think so ( a guide be helpful) ( to a young drummer- beyond the basic guidelines that have been around for fifty years - look inside the Zildjian 1958 catalog for example) The result could be quite the opposite;...it'd lose the sensation of 'deciding on your own' and ' coming up with your own set of feelings' or be ' turned away from something 'just because of a printed description)
rather be (as you say) amused, mystified , curious, probing and inquisitive, than Standardized'.
 
I think the OP is probing to see if there is a more "scientific" way to approach the words that are used to describe cymbal sounds. I think it is a lot like trying to describe the character of wine using words. To paraphrase Thelonious Monk - "Talking about cymbals is like dancing about architecture". That being said, I will talk about what I think some common cymbal terms mean.

Bright - Pretty much what the OP said; ""pronounced higher overtones, higher pitch, shorter sustain.", although I would not put in the part about sustain. Something can be bright and still have sustain, IMO.

Warm - Lots of overtones in the low-mid to low range, but harmonically balanced.

Dark - Lots of overtones in the low range, harmonically unbalanced.

Complex - Lots of overtones across the entire range, not harmonically balanced.

Dry - Short sustain, narrow frequency range, less sustain.

Stick - Accentuated and immediate definition when being struck with the tip of the stick.

Washy - Having a prevalence of overtones across the spectrum.

Shimmery - Possessing lots of sustain and overtones in the upper ranges.

That's my stab at it. Others?
 
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I do hope others come along and comment. These are really just my notion of what these words might mean. I would think there are others much more knowledgeable.
 
Ok, Stick that works very nicely for cymbals, now do one for drums! :hello1:
I agree about the need for standard terms, some of the recent reviews in MD have been a bit lame..
 
dwdave said:
I agree about the need for standard terms, some of the recent reviews in MD have been a bit lame..
Click to expand...
I personally find it helpful when someone explains drum sounds by recreating the sound itself... for example, a coated, double-ply head makes "bwom" sound, while a clear, single-play head makes a "bwoing" sound.

I have to admit, that approach is usually more effective for me than reading the six or seven catch-all terms that keep cropping up in MD reviews and elsewhere...
 
dwdave said:
Ok, Stick that works very nicely for cymbals, now do one for drums! :hello1:
I agree about the need for standard terms, some of the recent reviews in MD have been a bit lame..
Click to expand...
Like the dumb leading the deaf here, but I'll try...

Open - resonant, lots of volume in relation to stick velocity, producing a clear tone, but not necessarily a steady note. Wide range of overtones not especially balanced.
Choked - very little sustain, indistinct note
Woody - possessing a wide but balanced range of overtones, predominantly in the upper-low and mid ranges. Medium attack. Medium pitch.
Snappy - very little sustain, high in pitch, hard attack.
 
I'd add to the cymbal list:

Trashy: Having some amount of "undesirable", but possibly useful overtones. Usually heard on a China cymbal, etc..
 
would that be like fat ass skinny chest?, or vica versa. I know your trying to help but just cant help myself, attraction is in the eyes or ears of the beholder. Never bought an instrument based on sellers description of sound, gotta hear it myself.
 
Stickinthemud said:
I think the OP is probing to see if there is a more "scientific" way to approach the words that are used to describe cymbal sounds. I think it is a lot like trying to describe the character of wine using words. To paraphrase Thelonious Monk - "Talking about cymbals is like dancing about architecture". That being said, I will talk about what I think some common cymbal terms mean.

Bright - Pretty much what the OP said; ""pronounced higher overtones, higher pitch, shorter sustain.", although I would not put in the part about sustain. Something can be bright and still have sustain, IMO.

Warm - Lots of overtones in the low-mid to low range, but harmonically balanced.

Dark - Lots of overtones in the low range, harmonically unbalanced.

Complex - Lots of overtones across the entire range, not harmonically balanced.

Dry - Short sustain, narrow frequency range, less sustain.

Stick - Accentuated and immediate definition when being struck with the tip of the stick.

Washy - Having a prevalence of overtones across the spectrum.

Shimmery - Possessing lots of sustain and overtones in the upper ranges.

That's my stab at it. Others?
Click to expand...
Pretty spot on IMO.

I'm a mess when it comes to describing drum sounds. I've been known to call my C&C player date snare "chalky."
 
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