Remo Silent Stroke and Zildjian Gen16 Demo

Practice On Your Drum Kit Quietly With Two Great Products From Remo and Zildjian!
In this video Nick D'Virgilio is demonstrating two amazing products from Remo and Zildjian. Remo Silent Stroke Drumheads and the Zildjian Gen16 Buffed Bronze cymbals give us drummers the ability to practice on our drum kits at up to 70% less volume! How many times have you been right in the middle of a practice session and been told to stop because it was to loud? I bet the answer is many times.
Drums are loud and that is just the nature of the beast; consequently, we are expected to just practice on pads or maybe an electronic kit so as to not offend the neighbors. I can tell you from personal experience what a hassle it is to have to stop right in the middle of a very intense practice session. We practice our instrument in order to hone our craft and build strength and stamina. Practice pads are great for a lot of things but they cannot take the place of your drum kit; that's where the Remo Silent Stroke drumheads and Zildjian Gen16 Buffed Bronze Cymbals come in.
Remo makes the heads for Roland's electronic drum kits like the TD30. If you have ever played on one of those drum kits then you will be familiar with the way the Silent Stroke drum heads feel. They are a single ply mesh drum head. When put on a regular drum shell like a snare, tom, or kick drum, they have a soft and springy feel and make a lot less sound. It is actually amazing how much less sound they make, but they also have feel and tone. You can definitely hear pitch between the toms, the snare wires on the bottom of the snare snap just like they normally do, and the kick drum has low end.
The Zildjian Gen16 Buffed Bronze cymbals are real cymbals! They are perforated with many holes and that is what gets them to be so much quieter. Even with all of those smalls holes they feel very nice in the hands and do what cymbals are supposed to do. They respond to every playing nuance from your drum sticks, brushes, and mallets. The Gen16 cymbals can also be used as electronic cymbals. You can buy separately the Gen16 Digital Cymbal Processor and pick-ups that mount underneath the bells of the cymbals. You can also buy a package that has the cymbals, the Gen16 Digital Cymbal Processor, and the pick-ups all together. It is a very cool system that I will be reviewing in another video; however, for the purposes of this video I am using the cymbals as a practice tool.
Remo Silent Stroke Drumheads and the Zildjian Gen16 Buffed Bronze cymbals are two great products. Put the two together and you can really practice to your hearts content and not bother anyone, so go and get your groove on!
0:00 - Intro
1:06 - Remo Silent Stroke Specs
1:36 - Zildjian Gen 16 Cymbal Specs
2:45 - Setting Up The Kit
3:41 - Sound Demo
6:30 - Thanks For Watching!
Shop drums here: www.sweetwater.com/shop/drums...

[@Onyxaxe]

Can we make a vote to have this guy handle all drum reviews?. I will pay. He is amazing.

[@Gesreg]

What makes him amazing

[@thisisjackcole]

@@Gesreg relaxed technique, precision, control of dynamics, spot-on timing... Here's a drumeo vid he did that's worth checking out... kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6Kwo5Vnar-cjdE

[@robertdore9592]

i LOVE THIS GUY....

[@diegoalarcon4528]

@Liam Nathanael bot

[@ezemusic8140]

@@Gesreg that he played in Spock's Beard.

[@brentonhobson]

omg i gave up drums about 9 yrs ago because of the noise, moving, neighbors, and work. this is life changing...

[@NorthWriter]

I played a set up just like this at Guitar Center, and was totally blown away by the sound and the feel. At first I'd thought it was an electronic kit. But yeah, this is awesome. And I really appreciate that you don't have to pay a ton more for this. I think the cymbal kit for all four cymbals was $300, and the heads are a few bucks more than standard heads. I live in an apartment, so I've long NOT had my own drum kit. But now I've got a kit on order as well as these heads/cymbals.

[@deanbibb3680]

Nick is the man! He has been apart of so much of my favorite music, I'm happy to see him lending his expertise here!

[@taylorbyrd5557]

you guys really are the best. right down to the free candy that comes with the orders. I'm so glad you make these vids too. they help so much when I am deciding my next investment and they are actually entertaining as heck. I don't see myself ever buying from any other company than you guys.

[@dferris7767]

Great demonstration with a before and after comparisons. Great hearing testimonials from Nick as well. Thank you.

[@timsears951]

not only an accomplished musician/drummer but a great spokesperson for Sweetwater ...Nick does it very well

[@michaelmorris8210]

Excellent video. GORGEOUS kit!

[@ShaunOligo]

Can't wait to have all these for my kit! I haven't played my kit for 2 years now because of neighbors and all that, but now. Gee!

[@hayesshirley1525]

Now that zildjian is coming out with the L80's it really makes it pretty affordable to get this set up. I might sell my electronics and go with this.

[@ricardocoelho5295]

I just bought a Remo set with you guys because of this video. Thanks!

[@AnthonySargeant]

Great video showcasing some useful drummer use cases for this gear.

[@georgiechadwick2124]

great, informative video. Thank you sir and great playing!

[@13F_Airborne]

Dang that opening is some good chops!

[@bradclifford1220]

That kit sounds awesome !

[@MrBassdog]

Mayn !!!!! So grateful for this advice !

[@AH.111]

I'm so glad i came across this video, my neighbors called the police on me for making so much noise at around 6:00pm xD

[@alfieclayton2532]

papa bless!

[@stubowl1]

did you purchase these yet?

[@deesnuggets730]

Hugh mungus what? Is that sexual harassment

[@Cpayne30]

Hugh Mungus - I bet you have a hugh mungus 24 inch bass drum. Papa bless!

[@raviolipaw9015]

Hugh Mungus XDD 😶

[@Sterlings_End]

Got my little jazz kit with all the hardware! Now I just need the heads in cymbals!! SO STOKED.

[@bryanharrison3889]

I'm always amazed that sweetwater has such a chops-heavy talented drummer working for them.

[@bengray5013]

Thanks for sharing this video, not many vids on here show that actual noise reduction, especially with the gen16's so great job, kool drumming too :)

[@raymondhmchew]

Well explained! Thank you so much.

[@sionlewis827]

Great looking kit.

[@UPdan]

These also are fantastic to use for school clinics, especially around younger kids.

[@nicholasregister7396]

This was super helpful!! Thanks for sharing

[@sweetwater]

Thanks for watching, Nicholas Register!

[@tomchoi0310]

Good day, Nick! Thank you for your wonderful demonstration! I was just wondering, can you do another one for comparing Zildjian gen16 cymbals and Zildjian Low Volume cymbals that came out recently? I am very curious whether there is a big difference in their volume. Thanks again!

[@kdzone9720]

I really like it . Thanks so much

[@tomtomboy6471]

AHHHHHH....THE BEAUTY OF TECHNOLOGY, WHAT A DIFFERENCE! THANKS NICK.....I'M SOLD!

[@Alessandro-mg9oh]

Beautiful kit

[@JulianFernandez]

Nick is the man!

[@panzerken]

+JulianFernandez The kind of guy you would have a beer with and talk drums.

[@JulianFernandez]

+panzerken Indeed! Cheers, Nick! :)

[@FraJa1980]

There's a video on youtube called "getting a better tone from your mesh heads" and the guy put a strip of painters tape on them to get a little more resonance from the batter head, it was night and day ..... ugly..... but it sounded sooooo much better and slightly louder so i think it would be a better match with the Gen 16's in terms of volume. Thinking of building a little bop/ jungle kit like a breakbeat with these heads and cymbals and taping the heads on the inside of the drum hoping for a good balanced sound to use in house or small cafe performances in combination with true acoustic instruments.

[@toddgraham6006]

I have Remo Silent Strokes! And the Zildjian L80 low volume cymbals! They are wonderful!!

[@NA-cl6vj]

Do you prefer it over a GOOD roland edrum? I'm not sure which one to go with.

[@maziu27]

@@NA-cl6vj don't buy edrums. Playing on a 8 or 10" snare sucks

[@Nakeddog2007]

Can you hear the drums when playing with music tracks?

[@kevvyd2128]

@@maziu27 my e snare is 14"

[@zachgormley1952]

SWEETWATER has the best, most professional demos out there!! Thanks for the production time on these - you've convinced me to by A LOT of products because of that!

[@JoeyRam.]

..'is the nature of the beast'...I'll use it from now on, thanks.

[@bobweber4140]

Love this guy great job

[@ducky3884]

I know pearl made triggers for the tom brackets/rings. Would they work with these? Because this would be a great and affordable way to convert an acoustic to an electronic kit.

[@user-wh6sp6st8s]

I use 707 stick which have a really round bead and on the Gen16 I noticed the tip will bounce back oddly because they hit sides of the holes or whatever and the rebound is inconsistent. Other than that i liked them.

[@TomTyProd11]

This is how you know they are quieter: When he hits the ride all by itself, other than the sound of the cymbal, you can hear the wood hitting the cymbal, like your hitting your sticks together, almost.

[@nate6692]

Are they substantially different from other mesh heads? I have some Pearl mesh heads but they make very little noise. The other Silent Stroke videos out there seem to make it sound like they're much quieter than regular heads, but still make drum like noises at low volumes. (The Pearl mesh just makes a little "doink".

[@lorenzogentile9038]

hello all, if I pull out all the resonant skins, should the volume lower anymore? Or it mutes at all? thanks.

[@BBT609]

@SweetwaterSound, you guys always make GREAT review videos. Never boring videos! SUBBED

[@morganyoungisplayingdrums]

+BBT609 Really? How can you even get an idea of how loud these heads are or are not? The only mic picking up sound is the tiny one attached to his shirt.

[@rustybuckets07]

+Morgan Young I got turned on to these (heads) years ago ,because I have a Roland kit. On actual drums,they are quiet, and even work on concert toms.The vid is pretty accurate.I use rubber 'killers' on the cymbals.

[@lildevil7002]

Great playing

[@michaelglenn3874]

Can you buy the Gen 16 cymbals without the electronics? I like the sound of the gen 16 vs the L80's.

[@davidhuckstep9703]

Love this and. They still sound good

[@jasonpaul3000]

Excellent video!! I'll be investing in these heads for quiet practices!

[@thatcubingguy]

Imagen filling the Zildjian Gen16 with rivets, the amount of sizzle...

[@pete5668]

yes it would make the folks at sizzlingsteakhouse.com blush.

[@teebeutelspider]

BEN Schneider

[@mauroangelantoni6889]

Finally i can furnish my living room!

[@chicharones9640]

Hello Nick I hope you can find the time to answer to this old post, I am getting these heads tomorow, how do you tune these or is it the same as normal heads.

[@cj_m2477]

Would these heads work well to convert a set of RIMS DRUMS to an electronic set?

[@wilberribeiro7966]

What series of Gretsch did you use on the video? Thanks

[@davebryant2114]

How durable are the Gen16 cymbals? I've got a couple drummers who are pretty brutal on their crashes, and have broken quite a few Pearl electronic cymbals (we use the EPro Live kit conversion)

[@maxmillman9477]

Did he change all drum heads to Silent Stroke i.e. batter and resonant, or is it a mixture of Silent Stroke on the batter and "regular" resonant heads? It looks as if the resonant head on the hi tom is still a regular drum head, and the video doesn't show him changing the reso heads... If anyone else is wondering please upvote this so that it hopefully gets answered.

[@justinmills7259]

Just batter heads

[@Alexzw92]

The reso heads dont change

[@guillaumedemorcel4755]

You can see that the Gretsch Logo is still on the resonant head of the bass drum. I guess the batter heads are the only one to be changed!

[@terrytk9398]

You need the extant reso heads to provide sound.

[@maxmillman9477]

@@terrytk9398 That makes sense; I wouldn't have thought mesh heads on both sides would provide much in the way of resonance.

[@Patriot1776-0]

Sweet water rock's....wonder if you can get different sizes on toms..

[@markiplierSINGSbadly]

I love how the Gen16 / L80 crashes sound JUST LIKE the 808 drum machine synthesized crash!

[@markiplierSINGSbadly]

Kyle Heslin yeah i'm referring to them both.

[@coffeedog2355]

Didn't know you were into drums, dude.

[@markiplierSINGSbadly]

MassHysteria414 been playing for over 10 years

[@coffeedog2355]

+markiplierSINGSb.a.d.l.y. (The FAM) I knew you played music, what other instruments do younplay?

[@markiplierSINGSbadly]

MassHysteria414 i play all keyboard instruments, most guitar instruments, and most percussion instruments.

[@mcboogaloos]

Awesome!!!!!

[@a.w8584]

I have seen multiple videos about the silent stroke drum heads and this is by far the quietest version. I was wondering if having a kit fully fitted with zildjian l80 cymbals and silent stroke heads would be suitable for a small flat (apartment) in a block in London.

[@EvilSewnit]

Happysod - I would say go for it.

[@DrumsbiblebikeGodspeed]

Just bought one of these drumheads for my snare drum,,If I like it I will buy more for the rest of my kit ?

[@bpooboi]

Its the bass drum and snare that I'm worried about the most. Tearing them up that is. So would anyone advise putting a felt kick pad on the bass head?

[@s1lentscre4ms97]

awesome! Please,size of Paiste Cymbals?

[@ryanbutalid9693]

Can i use this for live performance?

[@temskee]

do you change top and bottom heads?

[@afrohop]

I have this set up in an apartment, still too loud. Beater impact is still an issue and keeping time on the hi hat produces sound that travels through the stand to the floor. Also crash / ride resonance is less yet still very noticeable in the next room or downstairs. Rimshots on the snare still produce a loud attack (from the hoop). Still great! Best use in my opinion is in a private lesson or the basement of a house, or when you want to give your ears a rest. Again I love both the heads and cymbals. This setup isn’t quite the solution for apartment practice.

[@ReelFabricante]

I saw another video where they show a platform mointed on tenniss balls that isolates the vidbrations you mention. That could help.

[@calebjsmith727]

Comparison 0:00 3:45

[@robertdore9592]

tHANKS cALEB...

[@Carmelious]

I'm using TRAPS. which means no depth and no bottom drumhead. 1. Will I still be getting a tone out of my drums? 2. How is the balanced are the cymbals with the drums?

[@carmangary]

I bought a set of the Silent Stroke heads but did not like them because they sound like I am playing drums on window screens. I modified mine to make them sound like drums but still quiet enough so that I can beat on them without hurting my ears or disturbing my neighbors. With some masking tape I made a circle in the middle and use spray adhesive, sprayed from the bottom, to fill in the circle. I put multiple coats on it until the mesh was filled in with rubber adhesive. Then I pulled the tape off and played them. This works great on my two mounted toms. It worked "OK" on my floor tom. It sounded horrible on my snare. For my snare I use a Silent Stroke with just a single piece of gaffers tape on it and that sounds pretty good. In my bass drum I put both spray adhesive and some gaffers tape on it. It doesn't sound that good but it sounds better than the silent stroke by itself. And finally, you have to play with the tuning of the top and bottom heads until you reach a sweet spot. All of the tone comes from the resonant head so you have to dial that in. The silent stroke just pushes some air around to get the resonant head making sound. For Cymbals, I have some Chang reduced cymbals. They are not quiet but not too loud.

[@frantisekdikacz5590]

i am really afraid what if i buy remo silentstroke and they will be noisy on classic acoustic drumkit.. :(

[@I_ROT_WITHIN]

I have an extra pearl drumset. Thinking of doing this 🤔

[@toohardtohandle]

Is there anything that is halfway between this? Looking to reduce stage volume but still have some noise.

[@sweetwater]

Hey, David. Thanks so much for your interest. There are some things you can do. We did a great video of how to reduce stage volume. You can find the link here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4XPeKGwea2ri80 My recommendation would be Sabian FRX cymbals and some drum mufflers. I hope this helps. Jason Thiele, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1391, [e-mail]

[@jaredkronenwetter7460]

How much quieter do you think it would be without any reso heads?

[@Robert-qe7vq]

Can you play live with thise cymbals if you mic the drum set?

[@TheRceberhardt]

hi SweetwaterSound. do these cymbals crack easily? i would imaging that would be the case as all the holes would weaken it?

[@sweetwater]

Hi TheRceberhardt. They're actually quite durable, especially for as many holes there are as you've stated. Give us a call at 800-222-4700 and we can tell more. Thanks!

[@ScottMartinD]

I wonder if the same can be achieved with a bunch of holes in a violin?

[@phrosda]

What's the durability like on those cymbals?

[@IAMndHook]

Price for the cymbals and heads for a pearl xpt

[@johnjamesmclaughlin]

My favorite drummer that demos plus he’s a accomplished drummer listen new drummers this is perfect for you any drummer but I know new drummer question if it’s a waste and this is the best way to go

[@michaeldavis1308]

gen16 cymbals are the best invention for drumming ever

[@thebusinessend1]

I think its cheaper to just build a dedicated drum booth for my real drums? But I like the cymbals for triggering that could be cool.

[@GabroPL]

I know it's probably a stupid question, but can you play with brushes with these on?

[@CarlosOrtiz-wv8pw]

can you mic drums with these heads and get a good sound?

[@kallewille]

Just wanted to put this out there. From my experience with playing my Roland kit, make sure you don't use a felt mallet on the kick mesh head. Either use a plastic one or put on a protective patch. Whenever I used felt mallets on the mesh head I'd eat a hole through the outer ply rather quickly.

[@poppy7186]

i just brought one for my kick drum, I have a felt head on the the kick pedal but it came with an impact patch, would it still ruin the kick? i also don't play that hard or for long periods at a time

[@MOREtoocozycam]

@@poppy7186 If you put the impact patch one it won't eat through it, I got one of those too.

[@antonioduarte1523]

Hi guys... I've recently discovered the remo silent stroke skins and there is one thing I would like to know... I live in an apartment with people living above and below me and I'm looking for a way of making much less noise.So,can the silent stroke heads truly be used in an apartment without disturbing anyone around my building?

[@sweetwater]

António, give us a call at 800-222-4700 so we can learn more about your setup!

[@RudolfHorvath]

Thank you for a good review, great playing aswell. Just one question, which unfortunately you did not answer in your video. What does it feel like on a bass drum and hi-hat using pedal. Thank you in an advance.

[@sweetwater]

The bass drum felt nice with the Silent Stroke head on it. It was not bouncy like you might expect. For the Hi Hat, it felt totally normal because the Gen 16'S are cymbals. It is the perforations that bring down the volume but they still feel like a cymbal. If you need to practice quietly I think there is no better combination. At least not yet. Take care!

[@brookie2464]

+SweetwaterSound are the cymbals like more extreme ozone cymbals

[@williamraymusic]

Are these strictly built for practice or can you get away with gigging with these. Specifically the heads.

[@daniroperto]

Do the Silent Stroke heads work fine with the Roland RT 30 triggers??

[@jamesglynn1424]

yes but the trigger system isn't as good as say a normal roland pad

[@Jakodrums]

if you change the bottom ones it dempens much more

[@MrRemo71]

So is this a better purchase than a mid level electric kit? Opinions anyone???

[@philkimber8086]

Nick D’Virgillio for president! .... ?

[@nedbryant7907]

Do you have to replace the resonant head with silent strokes as well?

[@the6ig6adwolf]

Ned Bryant nope just the batter head

[@thatoneguy-qc6gf]

Kit sizes?

[@dylanbaldwin7934]

Would this setup be too quiet for rehearsals? I like to play at a comfortable dynamic. It's hard to play really fast songs quiet. I was wondering if these would cut through enough for other instruments to play along with in a low volume situation. They are cool about it but ik my bandmates would appreciate my efforts to cut down the volume. I've tried but it doesn't feel right to play so quiet for certain songs

[@sweetwater]

Hello, Dylan! Though the Gen16s and other low volume type cymbals can produce enough acoustic tone for a live ensemble, mesh drum heads are far too quiet to be heard by other members for time keeping purposes. For a low volume practice situation, I suggest trying brushes or rutes instead of conventional sticks. That’ll be the best low cost solution. Thanks for the interest! Cody Kraus, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1766, [e-mail]

[@DavidOakesMusic]

They should do a April 1st video where they do 'silent drumsticks' - where they play a real kit but turn the volume off on the video :-P

[@teslacoilsmusic]

I have a question drummers - can you use drum triggers with these heads? To drum triggers still pick up the same amount of velocity as a regular head would?

[@balls2380]

Yeah, a lot of people convert acoustic kits into electronic kit with these

[@teslacoilsmusic]

@@balls2380 Awesome thanks so much. Really helpful

[@rakbeatz4196]

Do i only need to buy the batter drum heads or do i have to buy a pair of 2 mesh heads for each drum shell ?????? Please answer as i am waiting for this answer to order them immediately

[@sweetwater]

Thanks so much for the interest. I'd say just batter head would be fine. You will get a little resonance from the bottom head, but still keep the overall volume very low. Thanks again, always here to help. Derek Senestraro, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1243, [e-mail]

[@MyloXyloto94]

6:02 It’s the Catalina wine mixer.

[@michaelsanchez8987]

I put the silent stroke on my snare but it buzzes everytime I play the high tom. Do I need them on both sides of the drum?

[@handidrummed]

+Michael Sanchez No. I wouldn't put them on both sides of the snare because it would kill the response/tone. You COULD put them on both sides of the tom, but again it would kill the tone and the feel would be mushy. Just like sympathetic snare buzz with regular heads you can either accept that it's going to happen or you can change the tuning of either the bottom head of the snare or pehaps the bottom head of the tom and that may help a little. Or just play with the snares off. But you won't get rid of it completely, as with regular heads.

[@michaelsanchez8987]

+handidrummed .thank you.

[@brucevilla7490]

I can't even hear my bass drum. All the others I can still hear tone like yours. How can I get any tone out of my bass drum?

[@sweetwater]

Bruce Villa, you may need to remove any extra pillows you have in your bass drum. It'll allow the kick drum to breathe a little more.

[@brucevilla7490]

Thanks

[@thumperpaul]

They are a great product, but they are not as “silent” as they are in these videos. I played on a kit with this setup at my local Lang and Mcquade, and they are still fairly audible. I think I will stick with my Alesis electronic kit for practicing in my townhouse.

[@1017Don]

Were the L80 low volume cymbals not made yet?

[@DanielGlue]

No, they came on the market in the end of 2015

[@cfc_newholland]

Would you be willing to do a video combining the Gen16 through the Gen16 module and some Roland triggers with a drum module? Could be an excellent church rig!

[@sweetwater]

Great suggestion! We'll take that back to the team!

[@aaiello7]

SweetwaterSound Great indeed! I've had my silent strokes for a while now and I've been thinking on how this pads may respond with the Roland triggers. It'll be awesome to have some reference on how this two work together! :D

[@cglasford1]

I am looking at getting these for a kit in my finished attached garage. My concern is that they will be too quiet to practice with the band. Has anyone played with others using this set up? Obviously the other players would also have to practice volume control. We have two electric guitars and electric bass and singer. I don't play drums just have a small kit so the drummer doesn't have to lug their stuff over.

[@sweetwater]

Hey, Chance. Thanks for you interest. They are really quiet. Not ideal for band practice. If you’re trying to tame the volume a little bit, I would suggest the TAMA Soft Sound set: www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SSRP52K--tama-soft-sound-ring-set-10-inch-12-inch-14-inch-16-inch I hope this helps. Jason Thiele, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1391, [e-mail]

[@cglasford1]

@@sweetwater sweet so combine those with the quiet cymbals? I like that option. Easier than changing heads too! Thanks

[@Abandoned978]

Actually, the Gen16s are only useable with Zildjian’s module because they use tiny microphones, while actually electronic cymbals use piezos instead.