Zildjian ALCHEM-E Gold EX Unboxing and First Impressions

Zildjian has come out with the three new electronic drum kits. This is the flagship of the three the GOLD EX kit. We unbox it and talk about the ALCHEM-E series in general and what are impressions are so far. We are taking preorders on kits now. You can click the link below to find visit our website and place an order.
edrumcenter.com/collections/z...

[@demonicsweaters]

I do really like the cymbals. They should sell them on their own at a reasonable price point and they'd have a winner.

[@Edrumcenter]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@erikdanielczyk7666]

Finally a Zildjian product I would buy!!

[@ianmclean5541]

I think they’ve got something here. The cymbals are a massive improvement for e-drummers. They’re giving you real drums instead of being cheapskates trying to squeeze every nickel out of drummers [Roland I hope you’re listening]. The sounds are great. The hats and cymbals sound great and look great. Personally, I prefer a kick drum with a big pad in the head like Pearl Emerge but I could install one I suppose. The other thing I’d LOVE to see e-drum manufacturers do is come up with a genius way to hide the cables. I know that Roland’s DW line does that wirelessly but there’s no way I’m paying $15,000 CDN for that and lol…no module! Keep going Zildian. You’re on the right track!

[@antrykar]

One of the reasons they left the cushion out of the kick is because these shells can have Mylar heads put on and it becomes a true acoustic kit.

[@Edrumcenter]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@xennialmusic]

I dunno, these kits are pretty pricey...

[@ianmclean5541]

@@antrykar yes it all comes down to personal preference. It’s tough for these companies to get it just right in the market because everybody wants something different.

[@ianmclean5541]

@@xennialmusic yes I’m sure they are. I haven’t heard the pricing yet.

[@gary1128]

I originally got into e-drums for the cymbal sounds. Choice cymbals at the local music stores were hard to find and, not to mention, very expensive. Can’t wait to see how this kit pans out, it may be the one for me.

[@Edrumcenter]

Thanks for the feedback! These kits are for sure worth a look if. The cymbals sounds are one of the highlights of the experience as you would imagine coming from Zildjian.

[@anthonybovee5181]

I would absolutely buy this for the cymbals alone.

[@Edrumcenter]

We have them in stock!

[@hvruk4541]

@@Edrumcenter just the cymbals/module or full kit only?

[@Tannehillin]

Are the Tom and snare sounds tunable in the module?

[@jordanrowland3557]

Are there plans in the future to make the cymbals compatible with other e kits?

[@MrTdg2112]

I love my TD-30, but if I could get these cymbals and integrate them into my current kit, I'd be all about that. Use the TD-30 module and pads for drums, and the Zildjian module and cymbals for the cymbals, I'd be all about that.

[@Edrumcenter]

You can use 2 modules for sure. Customers do that all the time.

[@MrTdg2112]

@@Edrumcenter Yeah, but when can I get the module and the cymbals sperately?

[@fcsallan]

Love the Cymbals, I can't wait until they offer them with a module by themselves. I still use the Gen16 but am not thrilled with the limited sounds. Perhaps even new pickups and a module for the Gen16 to upgrade. *Wishlist*

[@Edrumcenter]

Thanks for the feedback! These trigger far better than Gen 16 as well. I don't think we will see any Gen 16 updates as this tech is so much better.

[@stikkman61]

Are the L80's available separately and are they compatible w Roland modules? Can you adapt the RJ-45 connectors somehow?

[@Edrumcenter]

The cymbals are not available by themselves yet and as of right now they require the Zildjian module to function correctly. You can buy L80's an convert them to electronic but it's not a very good experience. Nowhere near as good as this or the other top electronic cymbals out there.

[@immersiveaudionft2203]

Do you know if they resampled the cymbals or are they the same ones that were in the Zildjian vault with BFD3.

[@JustanEdrummer]

I think they’re the same, it’s a great sounding pack

[@Edrumcenter]

Good question we will ask this. I think they are new from how they were talking.

[@Cokezero12]

I'm guessing no difference in playing the cymbals with mallets vs sticks in terms of module sound?

[@bwclay]

If these cymbals are made available for purchase at a future time do you think it would be possible to use an ethernet to TRS adaptor to make compatible with other modules?

[@Edrumcenter]

Zildjian mentioned possibly coming out with an adapter to make this possible. When we have Mike from Zildjian here for the next video we will go over this.

[@arsonne]

Would love to hear how it sounds acoustic. For the price, it needs to sound top tier acoustic and electronic.

[@JustanEdrummer]

does the snare support positional sensing? How does crosstick work? Do the toms have 3 zones? How does the cymbal chokes work?

[@antrykar]

Not yet, but they said they plan to add that in a future update. Toms are 2 zones, and the choking is like magic.

[@antrykar]

And cross sticking is handled via velocity

[@JustanEdrummer]

@@antrykar great, thanks

[@xennialmusic]

I wonder over time about stick damage caused by hitting the metal cymbals and how that might impact the mesh head wear. I always keep separate sticks for my edrums and for ones I play on acoustic kits for that reason.

[@eucabusas]

I played 7as for a while with l80s. They slowly turn your stick to dust instead of chipping it to small pieces or chopping the whole shoulder off. It's more forgiving than a real cymbal for sure. I'd imagine it's the same with this alchem-e cymbals as they're basically l80s

[@antrykar]

Mike with Zildjian also said that the normal rules for acoustic cymbals apply. A bad hit can break them.

[@NIJHR]

400 years is crazy if you think of it

[@xennialmusic]

Nice whitin shoes too! Great for drumming :)

[@antrykar]

Agreed!

[@JasonWelchMusic]

Thanks for answering my questions......Ive been looking at Whitin, Xero, and Hobibear shoes lately and wondering how they do on drums.

[@mikehrzgle]

The drum and cymbal samples are all original for this module?

[@Edrumcenter]

yes!

[@tjhessmon4327]

Zildjian had the prime opportunity to construct a great kit, the bungled it by copying the failure of acoustic drums into their e-drum offerings. Its historically been an issue with mounted tom depth coupled with a large bass drum, which causes extreme problems with the proper placement of drums. One of the reasons I switched to e-drums, was the ability to place my drum pads exactly where I needed them to be. Where Zildjian makes wonderful acoustic cymbals, and I like their low volume cymbals (except for the crash), using the low volume cymbals as e-cymbals might allow too much noise. Zildjian should have done more research relative to the VAD-307, That was the kit they should have considered as a model, add the digital components from the TD-27 and TD-50 to the VAD-307 and you have a much better kit compared to the Zildjian kit. I think the cymbals might be their saving grace however. They may have created a cymbal product that sounds better than responding to rubber pucks, but can you choke the Zildjian cymbals? Personally, as a several decade drummer, I think Zildjian could have done a much better job for its potential customers.

[@AnthonyLeeDutch]

Their bronze kit has shallow depths for the toms, and unless you just have bad technique, shell depth has never been an issue.

[@Edrumcenter]

Thanks for the feedback. You should for sure try to play on one. Especially the Bronze EX kit which has smaller shell sizes.

[@edrums]

I hope their product support is better than it was with the Gen16 line. Z lost me as customer after they killed the Gen16 line and provided no customer support or updates. Hopefully this will force the price of the DWe kits to drop to compete. Thanks for the video.

[@Edrumcenter]

Totally different team here. The support so far has been amazing. We were not the biggest Gen16 fans either so we came into it skeptical and now are on board with this product. Thanks for stopping by!

[@fabiankrzewina8633]

revolutionary - 6 years ago I tried the Gen16 System. The dynamics and velocity of it was great but the samples zildjian brought just sound like trash with no opportunity to input your own samples neither connect it to an external device. So buying rubber cymbals was never an option so i created my own cymbals with the L80s and cymbal triggers from the only company selling it at this time. This never worked good so i went back to acoustic. I didn't try the new system but i already know this is the revolution for e-drumers who are waiting so so long for a real game changer in silent drums. Big Up Zildjian

[@Edrumcenter]

This is much better than Gen16 or triggered low volume cymbals. You should check them out! Thanks for the feedback.

[@Iamadrummer]

Finally, an accustic realistic e-kit. The only problem is how expensive they are. Most drummers are not wealthy and can not afford a great high-end e-kit. Sadly, the so-called budget friendly beginner e-kits are just toys. I did save up and got a great higher-end e-kit from E-Drum Center, and that kit was nearly $3,000.00 and took me 2.5 years to save up for. I would love to be able to afford an even higher-end e-kit such as a DWe kit or even an Efnote Pro, but the price of those is twice or more than what I paid for my Efnote 3x. The average person working their ass off to just barely cover the cost of rent, food, gas, and electricity like me could never afford one of those. If I try to save for one, it may take me 10+ years due to life issues such as now my car needs repair, winter was bad and heating was expensive etc... E-drum companies need to come up with a way so the average drummer can get their hands on a real, good, quality high-end e-kit. Alesis, for one, does make more affordable e-kits, but from reviews and having played several of them, they are not really a good representation of what a drum set should play like. The Alesis Strata Prime e-kit is the best Alesis has, but many reviewers have found problems and issues with it, which makes the kit not worth the price. Roland does have some good top high-end e-kits, but they are extremely expensive, and I do not think Roland e-kits are the best as they used to be. It is very nice to see E-kits that look, sound, play, and perform like a good accustic kit, I just wish they were not out of the average persons budget that plays or wants to learn drums.

[@Edrumcenter]

There is a smaller Bronze EX kit which is $4499. They have not announced plans for a less expensive version but we suspect that may be in the works eventually. In the meantime we have quite a few nice choices in the lower price ranges for customers.

[@brendanfoster7621]

Does anyone have any information on these being available in Australia. Thanks

[@Edrumcenter]

There is a Zildjian distributor there for sure you can reach out to. Zildjian Australia.

[@thewinegeekdan]

Can you add your own samples to the module?

[@Edrumcenter]

We will ask Zildjian and report back. Pretty sure you can't at launch though.

[@B1Happy]

Will the drums and cymbals be compatible with other modules

[@antrykar]

Drums will be, but the cymbals are proprietary.

[@dennisagresti9367]

Hats off to Zildjian for this undertaking! Lots of good things here. Kit fit & finish, sizes, packaging, and the care they took crafting a truly fine kit really shines. But I see & hear a lot of misfires. Seems to me they rushed these to market too early. I understand the firmware will constantly update, but after listening here a few times and to Russ Miller's video, I hear a lot of machine gunning, especially in the snare. I don't hear a huge velocity range -- seems it lives in the mid to loud only. I don't hear clear positional sensing. I don't like the see-through heads. Makes it look cheap. The cymbal vs. drum volume needs a lot of dialing in. The blend between bow & edge sounds needs tweaking. The overall quality of Zildjian's true cymbal sounds seem to have too much of the 'natural' sound of the L80's mixed in which is not good. To me, I wish they used the Gen16s BB's as they acoustically sound way better than the L80's, IMO. (I owned the original and BB Gen16's and that processor). The hat's overall response and playability seems just 'ok', but not as great as I had hoped/expected, and nowhere close to Roland's digital hats (IMO). Ditto for the Z ride vs. Roland's digital ride. Same goes for the snare: I don't like the way Russ showed how to play a cross stick (no hand resting on the snare). That's unnatural as a player like me that switches between my eKit and acoustic drums. I think Roland's digital snare is far superior. To me, the overall sounds of the drums sound as if the Techs behind ATV jumped ship and came to Zildjian. Good, but nowhere near great. With today's VST's sounding and playing as good as you can get, I would've loved to seen Zildjian really lean deeper into that with the goal to surpass the Mimic and EfNote and once and for all bring a true VST playing experience into a module. Overall I'd give this a 7 on a 10 scale, but V2 should be a welcome eKit to reckon with!

[@Edrumcenter]

Thanks for the feedback Dennis! The firmware is not final which is why we are waiting to do a full playing video. Zildjian really wants this to be a plug and play home run kit so they are not allowing us to ship kits until June 16th. That just got announced after we published this video.

[@mcgfn]

Real acoustic drumheads are transparent btw! Hope this helps

[@Edrumcenter]

@@mcgfn 😂 thanks for the feedback

[@dennisagresti9367]

@@mcgfn Not talking about the mylar reso heads. I'm talking about the Zildjian branded mesh batter heads. They're transparent

[@eucabusas]

Will they sell the module and cables separately in the future? I want to know if I could use it with my L80 set. I'm currently using the ead10 with a low volume setup and the addition of these will be perfect.

[@antrykar]

They said they have plans to do that, but we don’t have a timeframe yet.

[@eucabusas]

@@antrykar that'd be cool! specially since I don't have the money for the whole set 😂

[@Weetunet]

If you look more closely, you can see that the cymbals are not *just* the L80 cymbals - they have additional stuff on them. But of course they could sell the additional components too, and include mounting instructions.

[@eucabusas]

@@Weetunet yup! its pretty much the same connection as a lot of converted lv cymbals out there just with cat5 connections. the hi-hat lv in particular needs to be drilled.

[@eucabusas]

@@Weetunet I was looking at the magnatrack triggers for a while now but haven't pulled the trigger yet. Its' pretty much the same concept.

[@user-os3hu7zc6k]

It is possible to eq with this module?

[@Edrumcenter]

Yes there is built in EQ on the module.

[@icemanluke]

I feel like they dropped the ball on price. I’m interested in a module with the cymbals probably though. All that matters is the hi hat, if they nailed the hi hat then this kit is worth 10 grand lol.

[@Edrumcenter]

Thanks for the feedback! You could get the Bronze Kit at the lower price to get the module and cymbals and just sell off the drums. They do plan on eventually selling the module and cymbals just by themselves though.

[@icemanluke]

@@Edrumcenter this is true but I have DrumTec shells already with a TD27 module. I look forward to when they release the module and the cymbals separate for sure! Exciting stuff either way and hopefully these are wayyy more successful and appealing than the Gen16s.

[@Altuz]

I played this kit a few days ago. Here are my thoughts. The cymbals are AMAZING. Nothing out there like it. The feel is perfect. The drums are top notch as well, on par with the highest of the highest e-kits out there. The hi-hat still isn't there. Zildjian, please figure this out I believe in your team. You need to figure out a way to have nothing between the top and bottom hat and still make it functional. The hi-hat is better than any other e-kit on the market, but it still doesn't have the feel, especially if you're "barking" (name of the technique) the hi-hat.

[@Edrumcenter]

Thanks for the feedback. The final firmware isn't out yet so we are trying to caution everyone that the final product will play even better than it does now. We have a few more videos dropping soon including a video going through all the patches when the final firmware has been finished up.

[@Altuz]

@Edrumcenter I appreciate your reply, but this is a physical issue I'm referencing not a software issue.

[@neilrich05]

I was hoping to hear an explanation of all the Ethernet ports on the back of the module??

[@Edrumcenter]

We will cover that more when we do our next video. This is just our first impressions video. We will do another more in depth video where someone from the Zildjian team will participate. Then when the firmware is finalized we will do a full playing video showing off each patch.

[@tschaderdstrom2145]

It has to do with data transmission. Ethernet can move a lot more data than TRS. They also said that the locking tab of an rj45 is an advantage over TRS. It won't fall out.

[@tomcrawford4243]

Are the eCymbals available for purchase separately?

[@antrykar]

Not yet, but they will be eventually.

[@JustanEdrummer]

To connect to what? Your router?

[@tomcrawford4243]

@@JustanEdrummer ... You're Kidding, Right?

[@rcprod9631]

I think I would be happy just with the room sound audio. 😬

[@EilidhMacKinnon]

How loud are the cymbals ? live in a flat and dont wanna annoy anyone!

[@Edrumcenter]

They are around 100 Decibels with normal playing. They are for sure louder and higher frequency than rubber coated cymbals which top out around 85 Decibels. It's not anywhere close to acoustic cymbals but they might be too loud for some customers for sure. Feel free to reach out to our sales team further if you re looking to grab a kit and are trying to be quiet there are a lot of good options.

[@aaronsudasna]

I know y’all are the edrum center, but I’d also like to hear the kit as an acoustic kit with Mylar heads too. Just an idea

[@antrykar]

Great idea! We’ll do that in the next video!

[@mikestein1024]

They really should sell those cymbals separately and make sure that you can convert to quarter inch inputs

[@Edrumcenter]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@davodrums]

It would be great if they could sell the cymbals with an interface to work with other brand module trigger inputs. The cymbals, hi hats especially, are the weak points on most e-kits. Being able to put these cymbals on something like a Roland TD30 would be pretty cool.

[@Edrumcenter]

We think that is the plan eventually but Mike from Zildjian can talk about this more in our next video. They for sure will sell the module and cymbals as a package ( or we will offer it ). TD-30's are a great module but you can get a way better hi hat experience than that now and it's becoming quite dated in other ways as it's 10 plus year old tech.

[@whistleblower3516]

Ummmm HOW MUCH? How much for each of the three kits?

[@Edrumcenter]

The GOLD EX kit is $6999, the Gold is $5999, and the Bronze EX kit is $4499. All three kits on live our website and we are taking orders now. edrumcenter.com/collections/zildjian

[@nickr3526]

I wish you'd spend 16 minutes playing / demoing the kit as opposed to 16 minutes putting a kit together. Hope you do a more in-depth sample playthrough.

[@Edrumcenter]

We always do this first then come out with a video that's all playing every patch. We are waiting on the launch firmware to be finalized before we do that though. Stay tuned!

[@JasonWelchMusic]

Spin stops? VST Compatible?

[@JustanEdrummer]

It’s midi so what do you expect?

[@JasonWelchMusic]

@@JustanEdrummer well Id expect the drums to trigger any vst.... but not sure what to expect with the cymbals. Im assuming they've got it pretty well figured out, but the proof is in the pudding.

[@charliesdrumshed9328]

Sounds great but acousticly they are pretty loud

[@Edrumcenter]

Slightly louder than rubber cymbals perhaps. We measured a peak of 103db on the Zildjians while leading brands of rubber ecymbals top out at 96db. There is also a frequency difference as well. The Zildjian's are higher frequency as you would assume. Overall though these are quieter than other metal ecymbals which topped out over 113db.

[@MummaBand]

No cushion behind the beater. Ouch.. That bass drum must be pretty bouncy.

[@antrykar]

It actually plays great. Part of the reason they left the cushion out is because these heads can be replaced with Mylar ones and the kit becomes a true acoustic.

[@BurningHearts70]

7000? Is this the value model?

[@Edrumcenter]

This is their top end model. There is a smaller version of this the "Gold" kit which is $5999, and then the "Bronze" kit which is $4499. We are coming out with a video on the Bronze kit shortly.

[@GillBoldberg]

From the demos I’ve heard the drums sound very outdated for a $7,000 kit. Obviously I appreciate the look and feel of the cymbals but Zildjian needs to step it up if they want to be in the conversation of best e-kit.

[@Edrumcenter]

Thanks for the feedback. More sounds can still be added and we have yet to get the final firmware. We will demoing all the kits when we do in a video probably in about a month.

[@jamessullenriot]

Drummer doing the demo looks like Matt Cameron, same posture and all 😀

[@Edrumcenter]

That's Tony Karnowski one of sales guys.

[@antrykar]

He’s also one of my favorite players of all time, so thanks for the compliment!!!

[@jcubed71]

Still doesn’t have that acoustic drum sound that I’m looking for

[@JeffDiffner]

Look like they finally got the contact mic/trigger system dialed in for the cymbals. Such a shame that they aren't offering standalone setups as I could see this being a great addition to other electronic systems.

[@antrykar]

They plan to eventually. Hopefully not too long after launch.

[@JeffDiffner]

@@antrykar I could use the brass side of things right now for a rig I’m building for a client. Gonna have to talk to my rep when I get home and see what the story is on this stuff.

[@JustanEdrummer]

What is a “standalone setup”?

[@JeffDiffner]

@@JustanEdrummer just the cymbal side of things. I run computer based systems and don't have any need for their drum triggers but the cymbals are very intriguing.

[@JustanEdrummer]

@@JeffDiffner but the cymbals are proprietary, you”ll need the zildjian module to use them

[@bishopdrums647]

A firmware updated needed already to fix marginal sounds and triggering issues ? Too bad it can't fix the price too. Wow. Reply

[@eDrummerLife]

Zildjian, are you kidding us? right?

[@alexyoung5798]

Not impressed? 😂

[@Edrumcenter]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@eDrummerLife]

@@Edrumcenter please don't take me wrong, you guys are great... but the product itself, really sounds... meehh!!!!

[@Edrumcenter]

@@eDrummerLife No worries at all we appreciate the feedback either way. We will have a video coming when the firmware is finalized showing off each patch. There might be other kits you dig on there. If not tell them what you would like maybe they could add it later.

[@alexyoung5798]

The DWE absolutely annihilates this, I expected a lot more from Zildjian. Cymbals sound good but the drum samples are yiiiiiiikes

[@juanjosebol]

its also like 4000 dollars more expensive...

[@lesliekarnowski9095]

I am not a drummer but live with a drummer and have edited drum videos I had to listen to the DWe kit and their sound of their cymbals in the room is awful. Rubber cymbals are ok but they sound like a horse clopping down the road. The Zildjian kit is easy to listen to and sounds good acoustically.

[@Edrumcenter]

DWe does some cool things for sure. It does reside at a higher price point though. We feel this product will be really cool for some of our customer base. It ticks off enough boxes and is groundbreaking in some ways. Thanks for your feedback though.

[@alexyoung5798]

@@Edrumcenter the cymbals for sure, but Alesis brain sounds much, much better. At the very least it can hopefully set a new precedent for e-cymbals moving forward

[@alexyoung5798]

@@lesliekarnowski9095 yeah they are very loud, durability was the focal point I’m sure but they are exceptionally loud, I have managed to use Meinl cymbal muted and just increased the sensitivity and threshold to compensate

[@Mike-xq8bv]

7000😂

[@Edrumcenter]

Thanks for the feedback. There is also a Bronze kit for $4499 and the GOLD kit for $5999. We would have loved lower prices but we also want a quality product that will last customers for years and not brick after 2 weeks....

[@bacoraforever]

too loud fora apartment

[@Edrumcenter]

Possibly it would depend on your neighbors. These are slightly louder than some of the other kits we sell for sure.

[@markbolton7561]

16:15 these toms sound so fake. The cymbals sound alright, but still sound a bit unconvincing. Hearing how loud the kit is, though, it largely defeats the purpose of electronic drums. 18:18 perfectly shows how the hihats still don't sound good. Zildjian is just embarrassing themselves with this. At $7k, you can can get a very nice kit and cymbals with some okay recording equipment that will sound far better than this.

[@Edrumcenter]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@chadwagner174]

I would've had an actual drummer demo the drums, instead of this hack.

[@lesliekarnowski9095]

I can see why you would say that after watching your videos. You are really good at playing covers and probably practiced those songs for a really long time before recording. Why did you feel the need to make that comment. Are you having a bad day?

[@Edrumcenter]

Thanks for the feedback!