How Cymbal Bells Affect Sound & Playability | Ep. 8 - Cymbal Sounds

[@gho5t504]

That's interesting. I have bought a Zildjian K 20" Custom Dry Ride couple of years ago. Zildjian doesn't make them anymore unfortunately. Bell has really nice bright sound, but the body is indeed really dry with beautiful stick definition. However, I got my hands on K 22" Custom Dark Ride couple of months ago. The bell has slightly lower profile and it doesn't cut through nearly as much as dry ride. It behaves very differently, but I like the dark sweet sound the bell has. Still, awesome stick definition and it has washiness that I needed desperately. This is where things get interesting. I decided to incorporate both rides into my set just for the fun of it. These two rides work together perfectly, even though they contrast each other in almost every way. It's really fun when you go in D'n'B territory and you switch between the two. Now I can truly understand why Jojo Mayer worked with Sabian on Omni ride.

[@mightymrmousempls]

I spent some time with Mike Mongiello at his shop in Philly a few years ago, and he said in more words that the bell is essentially the gain floor of the cymbal, that it literally sets the tone for the rest of the hammering and lathing and contributes greatly to almost all the facets of activation of the cymbal. Thicker bells generally lead to thicker bows which lead to less activation, or rather that it requires greater activation, etc etc. Great video as always, cymbals are literally magic and I love getting into the weeds on them.

[@BeatKasterG]

Excellent mini-series. Some nice playing from Cody.

[@TapatioDrummer]

I found the playing at 3:14 I found extremely tasteful with that ride ! Chefs kiss !! Cheers !

[@jonashellborg8320]

Cheers, I do wish to have a flat ride in my arsenal. The volume ceiling, high stick definition, quick crashes, perfect for me that try to not get in the way of singers and still communicate the pulse in all ways I can. :-)

[@robygamboa8479]

Hi, Cody. Great presentation, it cleared up a lot of questions about the bell and the sound character that it contributes to the ride. At the very end, you mentioned using moon gel or a hi-hat felt to mute the bell, to get an idea of how much character the bell was contributing to the sound of the ride. In the same direction, would playing around with the tension on the cymbal wingnut also change the bell profile? And if you were to take the wingnut and felt completely off of the cymbal (which is what I typically do), what are the advantages or drawbacks there?

[@marcusjordan2518]

Will you do an episode about flat rides?

[@NoctisReitop2]

Hey guys, love the channel! I have a Sabian prototype 20" completely unlathed ride. It's super dry and THICK! Crazy sound, almost too dry and a lot of stick sound. It's too thick to get any meaningful 'crash' out of it. It just can't propagate the vibration through its thickness. No body, all attack. Wish you guys could've demonstrated it for comparison!

[@MrGlenLane]

I've never liked the 'shimmering' sounds of overtones in most ride cymbals ever since I got into drumming. To me, if you can understand this, it kind of 'sounds like soap tastes', lol! I often refer to it as a 'soapy' ride sound. For many years, I've been searching to find the right ride, with as little to no shimmer as possible. I found an Avedis Flat Top, which is nice, but I do like a good amount of crashability as well. It should also pair well with my set of 13" Quick Beat hihats. Is there anything you could suggest that I listen to or try, please? I play a vast array of styles, so that's not really a concern.

[@KaiOwensDrums]

Have you tried different sticks? Something like an SD2 eliminates most of the high end ring and brings out an incredibly dark woody sound

[@borisboslul9975]

Meinl byzance big apple dark ride is a nice dark ride that crashes super well.

[@F00Lsmack]

What sticks y'all using?

[@petarcvahte7418]

Sticks are a VERY big factor when it comes to cymbals sound.

[@drummerboyharm3078]

Paiste blue bell ride '22