Zildjian ALCHEM-E Explained

Today I'm doing a preview deep dive on the upcoming Zildjian ALCEM-E line of electronic drums. btw, they are available for pre-sale not wide release yet. Certain module features may change by the time I do my full review in the coming month.
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[@jbu999]

Finally a resonating metal cymbal that doesn’t have a bunch of crap glued on the back… Looks very exciting.

[@ArgonautDrums]

What a time to be an edrummer! I kinda wish this was just a cymbal only module with like 8 cymbal inputs.

[@femali]

That would be very useful for me. Most modules only do so much when it comes to cymbals....

[@nickr3526]

They could make a killing licensing this to Roland kits for existing Roland E-Drums

[@elgoon3582]

Then you‘re just using 2 modules at the same time ? how do u connect them ? Do u even need to connect them or do they just run separately ? Noob questions here

[@ArgonautDrums]

@@elgoon3582 in this scenario, you'd run them both separately and send the outs to a mixer, or send the out of one into the aux in of the other. You can also trigger other modules via Midi, but this having proprietary cymbals, it wouldn't work in my fantasy scenario unless you didn't care about the metal cymbals and only want the sounds.

[@elgoon3582]

⁠@@ArgonautDrumsoh I See. I will keep that in mind for sure ! Thanks a lot :)

[@DeathswingKettlebell]

This market is REALLY picking up. Crazy. Took me a while to build my ekit

[@65Drums]

Everyone is jumping into edrums lately

[@silotx]

The high end edrum market.

[@nonyabusiness6084]

I think it's because the tech has finally come along where more people will consider an E-Kit. I know I only recently did & got one due to how much more acoustic-like they've become.

[@5Antvin]

It's the jacked up housing market in the US .Most can't play acoustic drums in an apartment without receiving a citation. Even in Atlanta where suburb living is the thing I see apts and storage places popping up all of the time .I'm sure in Europe e-kits are selling well

[@elgoon3582]

@@5Antvin I live in Germany and in between the „Ruhezeiten“ which is like 6 am to 10 pm u can literally do whatever u want in your own apartment. U could even play your drums on sundays without getting into legal trouble. Anyway because I don’t wanna be an ass I also got me an E-Kit. But theoretically u could do it without getting trouble. The US doesn’t have anything like that ?

[@healthiswealth3081]

Love the new cymbals but $4500.00-/ 6000.00 / $7000.00 is just too much for the average e drum geek. A more realistic price is more like $2500. / $3500. / $4999.00

[@ledoov]

agreed

[@TheDude1764]

Let’s see...when I think of Zildjian, I think of-eDrums. 😂🤣😂 This is gonna be a bad investment.

[@MikeKeaneDrums]

If only they made the cymbals compatible with other modules. I would 100% buy the cymbals if I could plug them into my td27!

[@daltonidaho]

Thanks for this overview! I think using their low volume cymbals without all the extra heavy stuff attached really make this a unique product. I like the way they look and flex. Seems like they have potential to be the best feeling electronic cymbals out there.

[@mjjdesigns]

I did the tour of the factory a few years back, and you summed it up perfectly. Such an amazing place to visit!

[@michaelk8642]

Nice video, Justin! Looking forward to seeing your more in-depth video regarding this kit!

[@TheDrumWreck]

I love that you bring such a in-depth demo even when you don't have a lot of access to the kit. Can't wait for the full review!!

[@3L3V3NDRUMS]

Great video man! The combination with those cymbals looks quite cool! I bet they fell much more like acoustic cymbals! So we're all waiting of the final review video🤘🤘🤘

[@Multi_instrumentalist]

i have never clicked on a video so fast before....I've been waiting for this video for soo long!!! Thank you Justin! ♥

[@65Drums]

Thanks! :)

[@admeezydrums]

Nice! I am really keen to see how this stacks up once you get a review kit

[@Edrumcenter]

Great video as always Justin. See you tomorrow!

[@FogmasterLeghorn]

pretty cool Justin - thanks for doing all that you do

[@AngelMartinez-qs3cf]

You give without a doubt the greatest reviews of eKits. I love it! You're great man! I am in my 60s and I wish we had this stuff when I was growing up in the 70s & 80s. I had a pardon my express a real kickass Ludwig and Pearl Drum Kits. But When I lived on the 13th Floor of my building, the tenants keep complaining, so I had to sell my kits. Then I switch over to electric guitar. Then I bought a Roland Drum Kit with the TD-20 drum module. But I had to sell it or financial reasons. I really want to go back to drumming. Thank you for posting this. Love your reviews, keep 'em coming.

[@RoscoeZB]

Your equipment "tours" are top notch. Thanks!

[@DevenKhanna-sm5mq]

I’m so excited. The technology we’re getting from these companies is insane!

[@marv6424]

Lol thanks for the joke at the end, gave me a good chuckle. Great informative video already!

[@OliverBurden-1019]

12:23 David just sneaking by

[@rdavidr]

Big foot sighting 👀

[@OliverBurden-1019]

@@rdavidr The big man himself!

[@BuckAugust]

Super interesting. Thank you!

[@darrenkwee3019]

Is there a review coming? I've been itching to get your all-amazing review!

[@SeanZetterlund]

Wow, the e-drum market has a lot of movement lately! I'm not surprised more of the drum market is trending this way. One thing that's underreported is that real estate being expensive now versus decades ago means that modern acoustic kits have become a status symbol, since that means you or your parents have to be able to afford a home with extra space that doesn't share walls with a neighbor. In my case in Northern California, that means like... $1.5-$2 million 😪

[@healthiswealth3081]

"Bidenflation" and greedy investment companies are the root cause. Even rent cost is way over inflated. Heck these drums are way over priced, nice kit but most people are struggling to pay bills. By the way e-drums in an apartment can still make a lot of vibration and or noise, i tried it and the lady below me knocked on my door and was like "what is all that knocking sound". This was a concrete condo building.

[@ConvictsCranium]

Ty for the day one sneak peak!

[@liquidvideotube]

I love it when my commercials are interrupted by a guy talking about drums.

[@reubenk7331]

Cool stuff! Thanks 🙂

[@cleverdood]

This is great! The more competition, the better. Let the pricing speculation begin!

[@DanielGlue]

Between 4.5 and 7 k from Sweetwater

[@jerrygamez5723]

Thanks for the video

[@prudhri]

Hi Justin - Great review as always and I think that triggered samples of real Zildjian cymbals would be appealing to many drummers. I'd love to see Roland/Alesis leverage the cymbal trigger technology/concept so that drummers like myself could retro-fit L80/Low Volume cymbals to work with existing modules. I think it would close such a large gap from a demand standpoint and give drummers the best of both worlds.

[@Mudge07]

Enough differences to make it worth waiting for that full review Justin. The hi-hat possible tri-zone also makes it potentially a leader for those that want full simulation rather than emulation. Durability would be a useful asset in those wholly lighter cymbals, the look is in the bag without the ballast of other makers’ shot at the problem.

[@Beefnhammer]

That's crazy how those cymbals don't have insane double triggering, considering how much they vibrate. These could honestly be game changers for e-cymbals.

[@djashjones]

No PS, so not a game changer.

[@Beefnhammer]

@@djashjones What is PS?

[@gffg387]

@@Beefnhammer positional sensing.

[@djashjones]

@@Beefnhammer positional sensing

[@Beefnhammer]

@@djashjones Is positional sensing really necessary for cymbals though? How much would that really add? I guess I can see it being kinda nice for a hi hat, but not much else.

[@patriciogarzon7077]

edrums are the future, Im excited to see how the market and its products evolve in the next 20 years...

[@jamescotton9269]

Thanks Justin nice video

[@Arbigale]

The cymbals change the game, really nice to se e drums with real feel cymbals

[@hugostos09]

Good stuff

[@Andrew-wb2zq]

Metal hats that work well would be a game-changer in terms of feel.

[@DarrellJones13]

Thanks!

[@65Drums]

Thanks so much Darrell! Really appreciate it :)

[@jellyjacobbazooka7867]

thank you

[@kitdinker]

Is there room in this market for this? Time will tell I guess. Great video Justin.

[@vadimrazin666]

Подождем полноценный обзор!!!

[@JeffDiffner]

I really hope they get the cymbal functionality dialed in....and offer some standalone cymbal systems. From a system builder standpoint, it would be great to offer these as an option to drummers.

[@DouglasLippi]

Looks interesting. Wondering if they would sell maybe just the cymbal pack and module so I could use a say Roland or DWe kit and modules with these cymbals and module. That is to say a two module setup. Thanks for the video!

[@astronaut2005drummer]

Great new e-drums! I like the look of it. But, I still love my Roland TD-17KV! :)

[@astronaut2005drummer]

Btw, thank you Justin for these videos. You"re the man always with good news to share with us. All the best for you.

[@Ripperx121]

Now this is interesting. I don't know if I can make this much noise with my current studio. Geeesh we are really getting some cool drum stuff lately. I am a e-drummer only. Meaning I have never played an acoustic kit. I really hope they make a cymbal pack with a small cymbal module to add onto our current kits. Need to see more. Maybe DB levels against a Roland kit. This is progress for sure.

[@DidNotFinish.]

love the look of the ekit, its very clean. if the price isnt as much as dwe i may just pick one up because i dont have a ekit yet

[@failedcreation1]

I had no idea this was coming out until i saw it today, and immediately thought "I'll see what 65 drums has to say".

[@Omalleydrums24]

As someone who’s played the low volume cymbals on my practice kit for a while now, heavy hitters will absolutely go through those cymbals like it’s nothing. If you actually play and hit like you would live, they won’t stand a chance. That being said I still love them 😂

[@DDMOLSBERRY]

Solid review. I like the metal cymbals but wish the module had a bit more features for the kit.

[@JustanEdrummer]

Like what?

[@DerekFrampton]

oh and shout out hello RdavidR lol

[@65Drums]

He's a really cool dude!

[@imsomething2]

Wow😮

[@ChristianSandviknes]

Which do you prefer playing, the standard rubber/plastic cymbals or these lightweight metal cymbals?

[@TonyDiaz.]

Sweet, sweet drum sets… bitter, bitter pricing. 😅 Still, pretty cool to see different companies trying to establish their own spin on edrums. This is getting interesting. Thanks, my man, as always. ✌️

[@DSMedicAWD1]

That price with a lack of all the hardware is...definitely a choice. I'll look for one on Reverb in a few years lol

[@DerekFrampton]

SMARTRIGGER technology from the mid 2010's Very cool. Looks like the Ethernet cables are just to have more wires/connections per cable. 8+ground vs 3/4-TRRS/TRS etc.

[@healthiswealth3081]

Ethernet cables are very fragile too

[@DerekFrampton]

@@healthiswealth3081 30+ years in Network infrastructure management, and the only way they're "Fragile" is if they're made wrong, or manufacturer defect.

[@JDubzDrumz]

I feel like the drum industry is trying to ease us into using E-kits. I'm fine with it due to loud noise causing me issues now. However, they aren't focusing on rapid setup which DW has seemed to solve with the wireless components.

[@eDrumsandVSTs]

Great to see the new stuff coming so often in the edrum world. But when it's either a solid used car OR a new edrum kit, its getting a bit crazy :)

[@65Drums]

I love it! We had a dead period for awhile where nobody was taking risks

[@Ludo_A]

It is like some years ago with ebikes; a 'real' rider says 'yikes' like a 'real' drummer says 'yikes' to edrums but they are not going to go away. I love my Roland VAD 507 with EZ drummer 3 and SD3.

[@vibecheck_gg]

im curious if they’ll do something like the DWe where you can buy add on cymbals or more drum shells in other sizes seperately since there’s more inputs on the drums

[@lobbyrobby]

What a great time to be a beginner drummer. Now if I only spent more time actually practicing rather than watching product reviews lol

[@danielcueva4685]

Locking connections! Bravo Zildjian! Tech companies should take notes. Why haven't we seen this on USB, USB-C, etc... imho👋👋👋

[@freddielee7591]

Justin, love your vids. So w/ Z using the ethernet cables, there's no chance of buying a cymbal pack and putting them on the TD50X? Or outfitting Gen16's w/ the new triggers? And if Z wanted to go "all out" why NOT use Gen16 as a cymbal platform instead of the Low80's?

[@AndrewDRoyappa]

Any indication if they will be selling the cymbals separately? Think there is any potential to use my own shells and make them hybrid, and then use the alchem-e cymbals all with the alchem-e module? That would be my ideal setup. Don't really feel like paying for more shells when I have some already collecting dust, and I also feel like triggered drums are way closer to a solved problem than cymbals (i.e. I don't necessarily need zildjian's take on hybrid/e-drums). But the cymbals definitely look like the best option on the market and I'd love to be able to use them.

[@roccovaselino]

After a nice career as a pro drummer, I quit cold turkey in 1979. In 2008, I started again on a Roland TD-20 kit, and then upgraded to a TD-50. It's been very rugged and reliable, but customer support from Roland is maddeningly bad, and doesn't really exist. I hope to get some saddle time behind one of these Zildjian kits, and if they have decent customer support, I'll probably have a fire sale on my Roland kit and move to Zildjian. I've played conventional Zildjian cymbals since 1962, and I like the idea of buying one of their e-kits. Support, reliability, sound quality, and logical simplicity are most important. I don't even really care about price.

[@BOBNAR96]

Justin just saw a pix on this Vid. of David of rdavidr @ 12:26 time stamp....Guess he was there the same time as you..KOOL

[@65Drums]

yup he's a cool dude :)

[@jeffgermanich8105]

Efnote or this new Zildjian ? Gotta wait to see how the Zildjian drums pan out.

[@OldDolio312]

Nice. More e-drums I cant afford.

[@pour-g8677]

The thing with low volume hi hats is they are way lighter than a regular hats.. which will feel different when you jump from low volume to regular but then still very very minimal difference

[@yoyoz333]

Very interesting as a consumer but no pro is going to market this since its a specific cymbal brand selling drums.

[@cleverdood]

These were just announced at some local music stores here in Canada. $6149, $8199 and $9599.

[@65Drums]

What the crap??? nearly 10 grand in Canada??

[@johndef5075]

If I hadnt already converted my Ludwigs Id be checking these out😅❤

[@thewinegeekdan]

Now we know why Alesis rushed their Strata Prime to the market.

[@Tyler_Durden987]

First glance... Tube lugs > other lugs...

[@Tannehillin]

Are the Tom and snare tunings able to be adjusted in the module?

[@harperbros.4355]

so I have the Alesis Nitro Max do i need an audio interface to record drum covers and if i do what audio interface should i get

[@RPSchonherr]

Very nice, but my whole reason for getting an e-drum set is I don't have room for a full sized drum set. Then again I don't have the money for something like this. I can tell you though I would like more responsive triggers for the cymbals than the ones I got. Lyx-Jam not good.

[@ZalmanStern]

Great video. Will they offer the trigger system and module to add to L80s? Or the opportunity to put it on their other cymbals for sound layering. Depending on Zildjian for a full drum kit at that price point doesn't strike me as promising, but I see a huge opportunity for them to offer the best cymbal solution for all the higher end edrum kits out there. In particular I'd love to pair this with The Evans/Sensory Percussion setup, but that's pretty unlikely given Evans has their own low-volume cymbals now.

[@JustanEdrummer]

Why do people ask immediately if they’ll sell the components separately? I don’t ask volkswagen to sell me only the chassis of a new car…

[@ZalmanStern]

@@JustanEdrummer 1) Zildjian used to sell effectively the product I'm asking about in the Gen16. It hasn't been around for a while and an evolved version would be useful. 2) In many segments, such as vans, most car companies will happily sell chassis because it is useful to the market and a profitable business. 3) Zildjian stands a much better chance of being *the* e-cymbal provider to the entire edrum world than making a dent in edrums themselves. 4) There are interesting technical and usability questions in splitting cymbals and drums across two modules, which is likely necessary if one e.g. wanted to use Zildjian's e-cymbals with DW's edrums. 5) This announcement pretty much highlights how ridiculous the lack of interoperability in edrums really is. At this price point, Zildjian needs to be world class on the triggers, the module, the sounds, the drums, pretty much everything. I seriously doubt they're going to be there anytime soon. And even if it is really good, it sucks that drummers playing edrums have little flexibility in choosing the properties of their creative tools, at least if buying products from the bigger companies. E.g. think of the creative possibilities of something other than a traditional kit, such as cymbals only with some triggers on hand percussion, etc.

[@TheOriginalCoda]

Drum shells aside, I'm curious where the upgrade is over the Gen-16 cymbal system. I've been using the Gen-16 for over 10 years now, and they've been flawless. My kit is a mix of 2-Box module + shells + cymbals + gen-16 cymbals, so I have things like 3-zone ride and loads of crashes/splashes, and I use the Gen-16 for hats and chokeable crashes. The price of the new alchem-e is quite an ask, so I think the question is warranted. Opinions please, especially from Gen-16 vets.

[@igorfleury7855]

i found the mesh very bouncy, the cymbals feel good but they are too loud for what I need...... ended up with a dwe drum kit with roland td 27 + roland cymbals

[@leemorganmurray]

Magnatrack has had the solution for electronic low-volume cymbals available for years, at a much more affordable price point, and works with any brand of module or pads

[@mcconja]

Yep. Sure does.

[@65Drums]

I had a set of Magnatrack triggers once. But the hihat system is single zone, and the ride trigger system is dual not triple zone. So I'm glad the product exists, but it's not complete yet.

[@BlazinRiver1]

So this may be weird....hell I am weird....but I have always used my heels when just sitting around hearing songs in my head. SOOOOoooooo.....I turned my high-hat and bass drum pedals backwards on my Alesis Nitro and use my heels. Am I crazy????? It feels so smooth...oh yeah I am a guitar player that loves to play the drums. So yeah I have not owned a kit since the 70s...had a nice set of Pearls.

[@Ameerioemdee]

Alcham-e bronze or vad706? How would you compare the triggers, like the snare compared to the digital snare?

[@65Drums]

I'll have to wait until I get my review unit. But Roland's snare is more advanced technology wise

[@stenmartens7179]

honestly, "you can't split the cymbals", i think it has never been easier! just add a network switch for more ports! this would introduce a minimal ammount of latency but the expandability would be endless. since the signal is already digital, if it has some networking logic it would honestly be as simple as finding out what IP address belongs to which cymbal. you could check that easily with the module and bind the required sound to that since each cymbal (except for HH) will basically provide the same format of data, probably different values since the size differences provide different resonances. but for the module, that would just be a simple task of repetition since its more of whats already there!

[@Crazy-Roland-vDrums]

hey Justin, are these good to buy NOW, or wait for things to stabilize? thanks!!

[@JustanEdrummer]

They won’t be available before June 16th so you have a little time to think about it

[@TheBonsaiRonin]

Like always, just wanna hear some prices

[@LeosNotFaking]

Price?

[@chrisburton4487]

I hope they make just the cymbals and module an option without the drums. I have used gen16 for years and would like an upgrade.

[@TheOriginalCoda]

I thought this too, but maybe I missed it, where's the upgrade on Gen-16? I've been using my second-gen cymblas since they came out (with a 2-box module kit), at home and live, and I don't see what the upgrade is with these new cymbals. As you know, we can choke the gen-16's so it's not really a 'killer feature' on Alchem-e. Genuinely interested in your opinion.

[@user-hq2np8xu1t]

Hi im gaving a hard time on choosing this zildjian edrums between the roland vad706...what do you think is good and what would you recommend?thnk you

[@65Drums]

I can't give a recommendation for sure yet, I played prototype Zildjians, waiting for the finished version. Right now I'm still leaning heavy toward the VA706 though

[@user-hq2np8xu1t]

@@65Drums thnk you...i just recently i sold my vad 507 and want to uograde to 706 but when i saw the new zildjian edrums...i got second thought to 706..

[@johndef5075]

I wonder about cymbal noise while wearing headphones.

[@bwclay]

What’s the deal with the Ethernet ports on the cymbals? No way to use these cymbals with another module? Or can you switch out the cords to TRS?

[@65Drums]

They told me it's for greater data throughput.

[@TheOriginalCoda]

@@65Drums It will be so they can utilise the benefits of twisted-pair, which is automatic cancellation of electronic interference at high data rates.

[@camilo.venegas]

Pease when you get the kit for review record how it sounds acoustically, especially the hats, and opening and closing, and foot chicks. I think the fact that cymbals don’t sound like hitting rubber is the true gamechanger of this kit.

[@zacanger]

They look nice, they sound good, and they're only the price of, uh, $6k for a four-piece set. I'll look at picking one up used in a few years 😆

[@mikosoft]

So how much beta are the sounds then? Because the cymbals sound pretty good but the shells sound very meh, like a generic chinese middle of the road kit.

[@CrappyProducts]

Seems like the only exciting thing about this are the cymbals. We need DW to adopt these

[@aaronrio4271]

Man this makes my choice between the strata, 27kv2 even harder.

[@65Drums]

Wait until people get their hands on the finished version of the Alcheme before buying anything. I only played a prototype. but as of right now, I'd go Roland TD27KV2 personally.

[@aaronrio4271]

@@65Drums Would you say the 27kv2 is much better than the strata? I played both at my local guitar center and honestly I preferred the strata. I wouldn’t use my ekit professionally or for gigs I just play drums recreationally. I just love the look and feel of the strata. I’ve been a bit on the fence since i’ve seen so many people saying the 27 is way better so i’m not sure what to do.

[@shazampanda]

Not the casting couch Zildjian headquarters.

[@JesusRiveraPercusion]

Roland is having a nightmare lately, do you think they’ll lower prices or release better entry models? Alesis is selling nitros and Stratas like cakes!!

[@waynebaker2452]

If you have the low volume cymbals can you just buy the triggers?

[@65Drums]

Nope

[@Maplefoxx-vl2ew]

no bell zone at this price ... ... i'll wait

[@65Drums]

What? The crashes and Ride have bell zones

[@fallenshallrise]

Haven't watched the full video yet but already Zildjian needs to chill on the "E" in everything lol.

[@65Drums]

I agree

[@femali]

I don't see myself wanting one right now, but I would definitely love to get one after the updates! Or after a certain amount of refining!

[@jorge-me7ly]

This one or DW-e?

[@65Drums]

Too early to say. I played beta kits

[@markitux]

12:24 ...and then BOOM, @rdavidr is here!