How to Choose the Best Low-Volume Cymbals For Your Drum Set

Get Your Free DRUM! Mag Pack ► pro.drummagazi... Cymbals are loud! Well, cymbals themselves aren’t loud, but they’re certainly capable of projecting a whole lot of noise when we hit them. For drummers in residential settings, educators in small rooms, or players simply interested in protecting their hearing, regulating cymbal noise has long been a struggle with few solutions. Balancing feel with legitimate noise reduction is no easy task.
Thankfully, the era of cymbal sound management is upon us. From classic pads and mutes to entire lines of cymbals specifically designed to reduce total noise output by as much as 80 percent, there’s something out there for almost every situation.
With that in mind, we figured it was time to get to work on a good old-fashioned roundup. We lassoed nine different products designed to address cymbal volume and put each to the test. We’re not talking winners, losers, firsts, or worsts, but more of a snapshot of what’s available today.
Read the full article at wp.me/p7Np7V-4jz and check out more at drummagazine.com!
0:04 TRX CRX Air
1:14 Istanbul Mehmet X-Ray Silence
2:34 Sabian Quiet Tone
3:49 Sabian FRX
4:42 WHD Practice Cymbals
5:44 Zildjian L80
7:01 Cymbomute
7:50 Evans Soundoff
8:47 Vic Firth Drum Mutes
Recorded with Earthworks SR-20 (stereo pair) and minimal processing and consistent volume levels.

[@dovemaarika1668]

for anyone researching or considering purchasing these i have the sabian quiet tone and i love them. the video doesnt do it justice for how good it sounds and its very quiet. i especially enjoy the hihat feel and sound. they are still loud as in they would likely wake up someone in the next room but far quieter than traditional cymbals. and they sound good enough for practice ! they actually create a far better mix in the room than traditional cymblas in my opinion traditional cymbals wash everything out in a high pitched cacophony and everyone has to be freaking cranked on their amps but the quiet tones sound amazing with the guitars and come out nicely if youre recording your band practices with a basic recording setup (for me a microphone on the floor haha). i have regular drum heads (not low volume mesh heads) and they still sound great in the room and recorded mix with the standard heads. traditional cymbals are just too freaking loud!! would also gig with these in a lower volume setting. no matter what brand these are an incredible investment best money spent for a drummer who values their hearing and lives with/near other people. you also get dynamic and feel practice that you can't get with e drums ( i like e drums but there is really something to be said for these). also yes i still wear earplugs even when practicing with these

[@novagiantmedia1154]

Received a set of Resanito today and I am blown away. 14" Hats, 16' and 18" Crash, 20" Crash/Ride - Under $100. Perfect for what I need. I do have a lot of respect for the Big name brands. However, most of them are just too far priced and don;t sound much different than the chaeaper ones. From this vodeo, the Isanbul X-Ray Silence sounds amazing and closest to traditional, undrilled cymbals. However, the price is far beyond reason for me, compared to the others. They do make excellent cymbal products though!

[@hiptoalieu]

Istanbul NAILED It!!! I might actually play them in a LIVE Low volume situation!

[@DrummerGrrrl]

Cool! They DO sound lovely!

[@DrummerGrrrl]

The hi-hats are amaaaaaaaazing!

[@Hennu_TRM]

They do sound nice. According to the article, they are a bit louder than some of the others though.

[@Brento44]

I think you have the 16 and 18 labeled wrong.

[@DRUM]

Good eye. It does look like that but the camera is a wide-angle, so the closer (higher) cymbals look larger.

[@45gforce]

@@DRUM GUYS CAMERA ANGEL BE DAMMED. LOOKING SIZE OF FAR RT CYM.

[@browndog412]

@@DRUM I can see from the holes on the frx. The 16” only has 2 at the base on every second one. In your video your left hand side has 3 so it’s actually labeled wrong and is the 18”

[@izzylopez419]

Wait why is the 16” bigger than the 18”

[@shadow105720]

The 18 is on the left where most people put a 16 and the labels are how most people put them.

[@Kingofweastpak]

Miss the Agean R...???

[@45gforce]

HI JUST GOT MY ORA'S FROM WUHAN CHINA. AND TRUCK ME THEY SOUND SO MUCH BETTER THAN ALL I HEARD HERE

[@davidpersonful]

You got a video? Thinking about buying some myself.

[@adamsdrumroom8229]

My set of Wuhan Ora’s have an amazing tone and I can’t recommend them highly enough. I love them!

[@travisalbert276]

I heard they are a little too loud in combination with mesh heads. Do you have an opinion on this?

[@DrummerGrrrl]

Thank you so much for this video!

[@rosmakloma]

Thank you for this

[@wxnder4797]

Today is my day

[@D_sull93]

the Istanbul crash ride actually sounds good

[@RicardoZea]

The TRX CRX Air sound the best, hands down. I just wish they weren't SO expensive. Then in a very close second place, the WHDs. And as much as I want to love Sabian's Quiet Tone ones, they sound absolutely horrendous. The Zildjian L80s are just too quiet, the sound of the stick hitting the cymbals is louder than the cymbals themselves. Thanks for this video, very helpful.

[@faaltov]

Lol nah. Those CRX's sound even more tinny than the L80's and those crashes are pathetic.

[@scind9766]

WHD are quite cheap and sound great

[@ot5634]

Turkish Cymbals FX Silence Series are nice cymbals to have on a drum set but they are to expensive for my budget.

[@DiegoBombardiere]

Istanbul is in a totally different level

[@dombarker2113]

Which is quieter between quiet tone, whd, and L80?

[@darthrvan5349]

Does anyone have an answer for this? I'm wondering the same thing.

[@dombarker2113]

@@darthrvan5349 I never found out. But I went with L80s. They can still be loud, but if you use Adoro silent sticks with them, you can literally play along to a song over your phone speakers

[@darthrvan5349]

@@dombarker2113 ok, thanks!

[@dovemaarika1668]

i have the sabian quiet tone and i love them. the video doesnt do it justice for how good it sounds and its very quiet. still loud as in it would likely wake up someone in the next room but far queiter than traditional cymbals. and they sound good enough for practice ! they actually create a far better mix in the room than traditional cymblas in my opinion traditional cymbals wash everything out in a high pitched cacophony but the quiet tones sound amazing with the guitars and come out nicely if youre recording your band practices with a basic recording setup (for me a microphone on the floor haha). would also gig with these in a lower volume setting. no matter what brand these are an incredible investment

[@JayKayEllEmm]

L80 is probably the quietest of the lot, but also WAY overpriced. I say get one of the others and put cymbal mutes on them.

[@leonrosser183]

crx sound the best in this video to my opinion, whd are surprisingly good too but I don't like the hi hat its a bit to pingy

[@caputo116]

Very good review

[@gluv1]

anyone expierianced some low tone cymbals with the cymbal mutes?

[@w00x360]

The Istanbul's are really the best to my ears. Shame about the price

[@DrummerGrrrl]

The Sabian FRX cymbals were actually nice. The other Sabians, the silvery ones? Yeccch!

[@zb695]

The FRX aren't really quiet though, they're just drilled to cut out some harsh frequencies, in order to make them more bearable acoustically at small club gigs etc. Other than that they're still "normal" HHX-ish cymbals.

[@crumblebee6728]

@@zb695 yeah, the other Sabina ones are doing what low volume cymbals are supposed to do

[@tyorbs3680]

How are those practice cymbal

[@scind9766]

What drumheads are these?

[@JoeyRam.]

The WHD are as glossy as the Sabian Quiet Tone ?

[@45gforce]

BEEN LISTENING TO ALL OF THE LOW VOL CYMS. AND AFTER I WENT WITH WUHAN ORA'S OUTWADR REDUCED AUDIO. ALL SOUND GREAT. NOT TONELESS LIKE #1 OR @2

[@williamjenks6866]

Which of the cymbals are the quietest?

[@tomhuang5313]

I think is the sabian quiet tone

[@williamjenks6866]

@@tomhuang5313 when im a jillionaire im gonna buy a yamaha set with those cymbals

[@thediehardarkansasrazorbak7288]

My minds made

[@VeloVios]

Sure some sound better then others (better = the tones I like) However for most people, the cheapest options are the best, including me. I'd only buy with my ears if I was going to play them live, or I had unlimited money. I'd rather spend the money I saved on real cymbals

[@17kHz]

0:06 5:44 0:47 6:34

[@DrummerGrrrl]

The Cymbomutes? Comletely pointless. Evans' Soundoff cymbal mutes are realllllly weird! Like muted cowbells.

[@ringostarchy3604]

How come the 16 bigger than 18

[@ascgazz]

Perspective?

[@user-wr3mr3kr7u]

No, the labels are wrong. The 16 is actually the 18 on the left and on the right is the 16 labeled as the 18. If you don’t believe me play the video back and listen to the sound and look at the sizes.

[@user-wr3mr3kr7u]

Same thing with the Sabian FRX cymbals

[@fredsquatch01]

your 16 and 18 need to be switched

[@bonghetti]

Tukish FX Silence?

[@Lanishathe]

The Soundoffs are worse