What Really Happens To A Cymbal

Drummer's do what they do - they hit their drums and cymbals, usually very hard. Engineer's try to capture that process as closely as possible, but neither group usually has a great idea of what actually happens during the time the instrument is hit. Now we do.

Below is a hi-speed video of the violence that occurs when a cymbal is struck. What amazed me is how deformed the cymbal actually became. It's another good reason why you should never get a microphone too close to a cymbal. Of course, the best reason is that, like most instruments, the cymbal needs some room for the sound to develop.

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How Cymbals Are Made

If you're a drummer, you're going to love this video. But even if you're not, you'll find it fascinating. It's about the making of cymbals, looking specifically at how Zildjian does it.

Engineers, producers and many drummers don't pay near enough attention to the cymbals and what makes them sound good. If they've been gigging a lot, most drummers learn that heavy cymbals last a lot longer and project better on stage. That being said, they usually don't sound as good for recording, where thinner cymbals can sound a lot more musical (that's a general statement, I know, but usually true).

Another problem that frequently drives engineers crazy is when a drummer mis-matches the weights on his cymbal array, which usually means that the cymbals are unbalanced volume-wise. In this case, the engineer will have to break out a few extra mics to record the quiet ones separately and balance them later.

This video doesn't cover any of those finer points, but you will see how they're made from scratch. Enjoy.

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Don't forget to check out my Music 3.0 blog for tips and tricks on navigating the music business.