The Zildjian Studio Recording Cymbal Set is one of Sweetwater’s exclusive options. You can only get it through Sweetwater, as it was put together by the shop’s in-house drummer – Nick D’Virgilio.
Nick is a seriously experienced session musician, so he knows exactly what you need to be equipped for a recording studio.
In this review, we’ll break down each cymbal in the set, and we’ll give our overall opinion on the value the pack offers.
Here are all the cymbals you get in the pack:
All these cymbals work together to create a wonderful blend of bright, dark, and fast tones. They’re all made from Zildjian’s B20 bronze alloy, so you get the musical responsiveness that makes them professional cymbals.
We really enjoyed the quality of these cymbals when hearing them. They’re perfectly selected to provide a unique blend of tones.
The New Beat hi-hats are bright and versatile. They have a distinct “chick” sound, and they really project when you open them up.
The crash cymbals have a seriously quick decay. This is what makes them so good as studio cymbals, you get all of the energy without them being overbearing. Some drummers may want a bit more resonance from their crash cymbals, though.
The Organic Ride is the standout of the set. It’s such a unique ride cymbal, offering a raw sound with strong articulation. The bell sound is very strong, and it provides a powerful wash when you strike the edge. Like the hi-hats, it’s really versatile.
With each cymbal being crafted with Zildjian’s famous B20 cast bronze alloy, you can guarantee that the construction quality is good.
However, you need to look closer at each cymbal to get a better picture.
With the Organic Ride, you get an unlathed top finish with a wire-brush design. This is what gives it the earthy and organic sound. It has a brilliant finish at the bottom, which rounds the tones out nicely.
All of the other cymbals in the set have brilliant finishes, but the crash cymbals are slightly thinner than usual. That’s why they have short sustained tones.
We’d mostly recommend using this cymbal set for recording purposes. All of the cymbals have been selected because they thrive in that area.
The 14” New Beat hi-hats are actually one of the most recorded pairs of hi-hats ever. Drummers and studio producers just love how these cymbals perform under microphones, and they’re incredibly easy to work with in a mix.
As we said earlier, the quick decay of the crash cymbals works well in studio settings, as you don’t want to be fighting with overtones or strong sustain when mixing.
The ride cymbal is just extremely versatile, so it works well in almost every style of music.
We’re actually quite impressed with the price of this pack. Most high-end cymbal packs cost well over $1000, so this one is a lot more affordable.
This is because Zildjian A cymbals aren’t as expensive as Zildjian K cymbals. You only get one K cymbal in the set, hence the lower price tag.
That’s not to say that Zildjian A cymbals are worse, though. In fact, they work a lot better in so many scenarios. So, the price-to-value ratio of this pack is excellent, especially if you specifically plan to use these cymbals for recording.
We highly recommend this cymbal pack to anyone looking for new cymbals. While they’re geared toward studio work, they will still sound fantastic on stage.
With the crash cymbals decaying so quickly, they actually work well in softer settings where you need to keep the volume down. They may get a bit lost when you need energy and power, though.
It’s worth listening to a few demos of this pack to see if you like it!
Founder of TheDrumNinja
I’m crazy about drums, it’s been my passion since I was 12 years old. I played in numerous bands going through different styles like Rock, Progressive, Pop & Jazz-Rock. After being featured in major music publications (Drumeo, Guitar Guitar, AudioIssues, MusicThinkTank) I started this website to share my knowledge and create a resource for drummers of all levels.
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